Wine By Joe Pinot Blanc 2011
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2016-
Wilfred
Wong
Yes, there really is a Joe! Joe Dobbes is the man behind your bottle of Wine By Joe. As the sole owner and winemaker of Wine By Joe, Dobbes is a busy guy. As he says, "Passion fuels endless energy." Joe has been making wine in Oregon for over twenty years and his passion increases with each vintage.
Driven to excellence in his art, Joe Dobbes is the consummate winemaker. Raised in a small town in the north Willamette Valley and educated in Ashland, Joe is a true Oregonian and is dedicated to Oregon wines. Yet his calling began outside Oregon, in Germany and France, where Joe spent years learning the art and science of winemaking. He apprenticed at Wiengut Erbhof Tesch, in the German Nahe region and at Domaine G. Roumier and Domaine Comtes Lafon in the Burgundy region, France, with winemasters Christophe Roumier and Dominque Lafon.
Approachable, aromatic and pleasantly plush on the palate, Pinot Blanc is a white grape variety most associated with the Alsace region of France. Although its heritage is Burgundian, today it is rarely found there and instead thrives throughout central Europe, namely Germany and Austria, where it is known as Weissburgunder and Alto Adige where it is called Pinot Bianco. Interestingly, Pinot Blanc was born out of a mutation of the pink-skinned Pinot Gris. Somm Secret—Chardonnay fans looking to try something new would benefit from giving Pinot Blanc a try.
Home to some of America’s most celebrated Pinot Noir, Oregon maintains a tight focus on small production, high quality wine even while the state’s industry enjoys steady growth. As a world-renowned wine region, Oregon has more than 700 wineries and is home to well over 70 grape varieties. With a mostly Mediterranean climate, its cooler and wetter regions lie in the west, close to the Pacific Coast.
By far the most reputed Oregon wine region is the Willamette Valley, which is further subdivided into six smaller appellations: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill-Carlton.
The Oregon wine region's most obvious success story is with Pinot Noir, which here takes on a personality that could be described in general terms as somewhere in between the wines of California and Burgundy—and is often more affordable than either one. The best Willamette Pinot noir has a rare combination of red and black fruit, elegant balance, high acidity and rustic earth. While completely enjoyable in their youth, some of the better, single vineyard or appellation-specific Pinot noirs can often benefit from some cellar time.
Other AVAs in Oregon’s west worth noting include Umpqua Valley and Rogue Valley.
In the east are Snake River Valley, which overlaps into Idaho, and Columbia Valley, which Oregon shares with Washington. Summers are hot and dry in these regions but winters are cold and rainy.
Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot blanc also grow successfully in Oregon.