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Björnson Vineyard 2021 Pinot Blanc
Finding their place on the planet
Talking with fellow students, Pattie asked “What are your goals?” While most students had big Fortune 500 plans, Mark replied, “Long-term, live in the country, plant an orchard, have a big family.” Pattie’s response, “Look me up when you want to get married!”
When their first child was born, they took a family trip to Europe and toured the hills on a tandem bike, always staying at wineries. On a visit to Oregon, it was a pear tree in full bloom that made Pattie and Mark Björnson fall in love with the Pacific Northwest. It was just so “exotic” compared to the hard winters of Minnesota and North Dakota where they grew up.
Before long, the family goal became to build their careers toward moving to Oregon, buying land, and planting vines. By 2005, that dream came true and Mark and Pattie (now with four kids) found their spot in the Eola-Amity Hills.
Now, Mark is the self-taught farmer and all-around fix-it guy and Pattie is the winemaker, having been mentored by Cellar 503 partner winemakers Jon Grochau and Drew Voit.
Cellar 503 Tasting Notes
Björnson Vineyard, Salem, Oregon
2021 Pinot Blanc
Contrary to popular belief, Pinot Blanc is not just Pinot Noir made in a white style. It’s an entirely different grape. But… it’s not unrelated.
You see, Pinot Noir is genetically unstable. Every once in a while, a vine of lovely black Pinot Noir grapes will produce a single cane of white grapes. That’s Pinot Blanc – and wine growers have been cutting those vines and cultivating them directly.
The result? One of the best wines in the world – and, in my opinion, the best white wine grown in Oregon. Perfectly suited to our climate, Pinot Blanc is a refreshing, clean, mineral-forward wine that pairs beautifully with so much of the food grown on our lands and harvested from our waters in Oregon.
The Björnson Pinot Blanc has bold stone fruit and candied orange on the nose, with notes of green tea and creamy flan. The palate has great acid and a long juicy finish.
A Cellar 503 selection in May 2022, Women In Wine Eola-Amity Hills | Pinot Blanc
