A perennial value favourite from the folks at Elk Cove, says Decanter

In addition to sourcing from Elk Cove’s estate vineyards, Pike Road partners with other small family-owned farms across four of the region’s sub-AVAs, offering consumers a glimpse of the diversity of soils, climates, and elevations that define its terroir…The resulting wines tell the story of both their place of origin and the people who live and work there. In short, the Campbells have long been committed to producing best-in-class cool-climate wines… RACHEL BURKONS, tastingpanelmag.com

While Chardonnay has long stood in the shadow of the omnipresent Pinot Noir, that’s emphatically no longer the case. The best examples deserve to be compared to top California bottlings, and, for the time being at least, they mostly deliver similar quality and complexity at relatively lower prices... JOSH RAYNOLDS, vinous.com 

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Oregon pinot and chardonnays have been on the radar lately. With some Burgundy prices jetting off into another stratosphere, the savvy have started to look elsewhere. Oregon’s relative short history and less explored contours have wine lovers clambering over the Coast Ranges and its carved out valleys for chardonnay and pinot. Throw into the mix value prices - $55 or under in 6 pack buys, the Pike Road wines from Oregon are the US wines you should be drinking. Even better they're made by one of the Oregon OGs, Elk Cove.

Elk Cove are a shining light of the Oregon wine industry whose backbone was small family-owned vineyards. Established in 1974 by the current owners, the Campbell family, they used a mix of estate and sourced fruit from small local growers for over four decades. More recently they’ve expanded their estate holdings and have moved to use only estate-grown fruit. Not wanting to leave their growers high and dry, the Pike Road label was created ‘to honor dedicated family-owned vineyards like our own growing cool climate wines here in the Willamette Valley.’

Grapes are grown by thoughtful farmers in Oregon’s northern Willamette Valley covering six unique sub-AVAs: Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, Laurelwood, Tualatin Hills & Yamhill Carlton. It’s stating the obvious but the quality is off the charts - let’s not forget, this fruit used to go into their original wines.

This is the second shipment of Pike Road to Australia, the first was well received with open arms (we had to get a re-up to satiate thirst). 

The pinot offers a detailed expression of the region at an affordable price combining power and delicacy effortlessly. Like the phenomenal pinots of Elk Cove, there’s a bit more weight and plushness to this wine, complemented by a minerally vein. It spends time in French oak which adds complexity without overshadowing the brooding core within.

The chardonnay is a delicious rendition of modern Oregon chardonnay. It too spends time in French oak and marries detail with richness effortlessly. As wine critic Paul Gregget says on the value of this chardonnay, ‘Make no mistake – I love Oregon Chardonnays, though often the finest examples are priced well beyond the pocketbooks of most wine drinkers.’

Getting your hands on premium Oregon wines for $45 a bottle (chardonnay) or $55 a bottle (pinot) is a rare bird indeed. Due to last year's demand onslaught we’ve tried to secure as much of these as we could, hopefully it’s enough for a few months but honestly, we’re not sure. Please don’t delay if you’d like to secure these. 

Cheers

Gabrielle Poy