2007 OREGON WHITE WINES 

Presented by Dennis Sienko

All wines are available at Bend Wine Cellar at the listed prices.

FIRST FLIGHT  ~  Mahogany Chicken Wings 

2007 Penner-Ash Riesling, Willamette Valley
This is a dry, intense Riesling that is very much like a quality Riesling from Alsace. It is clean and crisp with excellent acidity and fine length.  $15

2008 Lumos Gewurztraminer, Temperance Hill Vineyard
This is the best Gewurztraminer we have had from Oregon. It has lots of citrus fruit, excellent spiciness and a long finish. Try this wine with spicy Asian food or by itself as an aperitif.  $15

SECOND FLIGHT  ~  Bitternut Squash Soup

2007 Elk Cove Vineyard, Pinot Blanc
Elk Cove’s tangy, spicy Pinot Blanc is Alsatian in style, in that it is bone dry, racy, and brings more herbal character than some of the riper, more tropical versions made in Oregon. This is a graceful and balanced wine, especially suited to pairing with shellfish.  $14

2007 St. Innocent Pinot Gris, Vitae Spring Vineyard 
This wine is very Alsatian in style, with loads of texture, excellent viscosity and acid and lovely ripe pear, melon and honey flavors. It is a perfect sipping wine that will also pair excellently with appetizers or lighter fare.  $16.50

THIRD FLIGHT  ~  Chicken Paillard

2007 Bergstrom Chardonnay, Old Stones
This pale gold wine has classic aromas of pear and hazelnuts, fine minerality and weight along with the flavors of pear, hazelnuts and stone fruits. It's a complex Chardonnay from an excellent Oregon vintage for white wines and a great buy at Bend Wine Cellar.  $16

2007 St. Innocent Chardonnay, Freedom Hill Vineyard
The St. Innocent Freedom Hill Vineyard Chardonnay is one of the greatest values in Chardonnay. It is made to express the minerality inherent in Freedom Hill Vineyard. Here are the winery's notes on this wine: "The 2007 growing season ended with a cool fall that extended the ripening phase and produced well fruited and complex white wines. All of the 2007 whites are exceptional. The 2007 Freedom Hill Chardonnay has an enormous nose of white and yellow fruits, spice, orange blossom and stones that remind me of granite and marble. It enters your mouth with intense yellow fruit flavors reminiscent of peach compote and more spices. The texture is mouth filling, viscous and lingers into an extended finish. Richly layered, with complex flavors in the mid-palate and finish, it reminds me a cross between well made Maconais and Chablis in a ripe vintage. Match this wine with shellfish, roasted birds, and cheeses. Drinkable at release, it will develop over 8 years."  $20