2015 King Estate Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley
Guaranteed by Thanksgiving
Tasting Notes
Gewürztraminer is an aromatic grape varietal that thrives in cool climate conditions. These conditions are perfectly suited for the small parcels of Gewürztraminer found on Block 19 of our own King Estate Vineyard, one of the coolest and highest elevation sites in the Willamette Valley.
This fine expression of Gewürztraminer features aromatics of lychee, white peach, citrus, mango and perfumed spice on the nose. The entrance has good volume with refreshing acidity. On the palate discover flavors of rose petals, passion fruit, lychee, cherry blossom and jasmine. Notes of wet stone linger on the finish.
Winemaking Notes
The fruit had 24 hours of skin contact in the press to give the wine added varietal character. Fermentation was in 100% stainless steel tanks, then aged sur lie for six months, also in stainless steel.
Vintage Notes
2015 was the earliest harvest in King Estate history. A dry, mild winter led to early bud break in mid-to late March, about two weeks ahead of normal. With minimal frost damage to worry about during winter, there was an abundance of fruit set by early June. Warm temperatures throughout spring and summer kept the vines ahead of their seasonal average maturation. A slight reprieve from the heat arrived around harvest and helped to preserve acidity and allowed for optimal flavor development. The fruit benefited from extended hang time and came in perfectly ripe.
Specs
Vintage: 2015
Varietal: 100% King Estate Vineyard Gewürztraminer
Appellation: Willamette Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
RS: 1 g/L
TA: 6 g/L
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2015 King Estate Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley
Case:
12x 2015 King Estate Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley
When King Estate was founded in 1991, it was driven by a commitment to sustainability and profound respect for the land. The adventurous spirit that inspired us from the beginning continues to guide us as we nurture our vineyards to craft premium Oregon wines.
The King Estate story is woven into the history of Oregon wine, where winemaking is synonymous with discovery and sustainability. The last 30 years have been focused on innovation, craft, and a deep sense of respect for the land, the vines and the people who enjoy our wines. We have been establishing our traditions, one vintage at a time.
Today we continue to build a legacy with sustainable agricultural and winemaking practices, resulting in our collection of fine wines. Our deep-rooted philosophy led to King Estate becoming the largest certified Biodynamic vineyard in North America. It’s more than a trend to us — it’s a way of life.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
OK, so its fruity. That is to be expected for a Gewürztraminer. But since the technicals (2015, Willamette Valley, 13.5% abv) on this offering are so terse, we don’t know if it is dry, semi-dry, or sweet.
Tell me more. (I am in the market for a few dessert type wines.)
@Jackinga I’d prefer stats to rats on this one. “Sweetness” or “fruity” is too subjective when dealing with Gewurztraminer. I opened a bottle of bone dry Anderson Valley Gewurtz for Thanksgiving several years ago and folks swore it was sweet. These folks were no stranger to wine, just not this varietal.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2015 King Estate Gewurztraminer - $28 = 21.87%
What is the residual sugar?
Unbelievable that this is not mentioned with Gewurtz or Riesling. Both of those grapes are done in styles ranging from very sweet to very dry.
Although not available for OH, this wine varietal brought back long ago memories when I was stationed in Germany. We’d fill our Bota bags with either Gewürztraminer or Riesling then go hiking in the hills around Hessental/Schwabisch Hall.
The dryness/sweetness of these varietals and other varietals are dependent on when they’re harvested, early or late! The longer the grapes were on the vine, the more sugar developed. Most of the Gewurzt that we bought locally were more medium sweet. The Riesling’s were early harvest -dry.
Definitely, Gewürztraminer and Riesling are two that can have a wide spectrum of dryness / RS. In general the Oregon ones tend to made in a dry style. For Rieslings (mostly grown in WA state) you can get the whole variety from one producer, sometimes. Chateau Ste Michelle has mid-priced Rieslings I think are pretty good daily white sippers, and in stores locally you can often see Dry Riesling, Riesling (default), and Sweet Riesling next to each other from the same producer at the same price. That’s pretty unusual and I think mostly just the (default) one is sold nationally. But for sub-$10 they are pretty good but the “dry” is my favorite.
Off-topic: In 1985 I was in Europe for work, and visited a friend who was stationed at Schwäbisch Hall and I spent 2 -3 days there. Things were very “open” then and it was easy to visit. Also got to drive out to a field nearby and watch him jump out of a plane. And going to a bar downtown (not really a big downtown, as I recall). Also some kind of a pub-like place on a hill where they had the small “hand-ball” bowling, I think it’s called Kugeln, where we met with his friends. Somehow eating and drinking were pretty important elements of the lifestyle. (as should be.)
Given it’s 13.5% alcohol, that may suggest it’s on the dryer side… Not gonna die on this hill, but I think that’s at least some evidence in favor of it being dry.
@EJTeeee Room in the cellar? What’s that? I haven’t had room for some time, but there’s hope for maybe freeing up some space in 2024 if I keep my buying in check.
Just arrived, had a snort… Came on a cold MA November day, so the bottle was just the right temp for a trial.
Tart rose water on the nose, which I’m told is “lychee” though I’ve never had one. First flavor is peach with a quick grapefruit following on the tongue. Off-dry with a medium finish. I mainly review whiskey, so sorry about the brevity. (Not a rat.) I’ll have more wine later.
@InFrom, In my defense, UPS told me to be present between noon and 2 for signature purposes, but didn’t arrive until 4:40pm and I had about 8 minutes before I had to leave the house to get the kids. But did I squeeze in 2oz of wine? You bet…
2015 King Estate Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley
Guaranteed by Thanksgiving
Tasting Notes
Winemaking Notes
Vintage Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $336/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Nov 19 - Wednesday, Nov 24
Oh my gosh, what a poor write up!
OK, so its fruity. That is to be expected for a Gewürztraminer. But since the technicals (2015, Willamette Valley, 13.5% abv) on this offering are so terse, we don’t know if it is dry, semi-dry, or sweet.
Tell me more. (I am in the market for a few dessert type wines.)
Rats where are you?
@Jackinga I’d prefer stats to rats on this one. “Sweetness” or “fruity” is too subjective when dealing with Gewurztraminer. I opened a bottle of bone dry Anderson Valley Gewurtz for Thanksgiving several years ago and folks swore it was sweet. These folks were no stranger to wine, just not this varietal.
This was part of a trio last year. There was rattage. And more rattage.
The second rat mentions that it was dry.
@InFrom Yeah that sounds right. In general I would expect an Oregon Gewurz to be in a dry style.
/giphy trio
Very important note way up at the top:
“Guaranteed by Thanksgiving”.
Folks, this is prime roast turkey wine. Even better with some spicy roast turkey.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2015 King Estate Gewurztraminer - $28 = 21.87%
What is the residual sugar?
Unbelievable that this is not mentioned with Gewurtz or Riesling. Both of those grapes are done in styles ranging from very sweet to very dry.
@SmilingBoognish This is where a pic of the back label can come in handy. (Or reveal nothing useful.)
@InFrom @SmilingBoognish Here is some additional info that just came in:
Residual Sugar = 1 g/L
Total Acidity = 6 g/L
Although not available for OH, this wine varietal brought back long ago memories when I was stationed in Germany. We’d fill our Bota bags with either Gewürztraminer or Riesling then go hiking in the hills around Hessental/Schwabisch Hall.
The dryness/sweetness of these varietals and other varietals are dependent on when they’re harvested, early or late! The longer the grapes were on the vine, the more sugar developed. Most of the Gewurzt that we bought locally were more medium sweet. The Riesling’s were early harvest -dry.
Well, thanks for taking me back 51 yrs!!
Definitely, Gewürztraminer and Riesling are two that can have a wide spectrum of dryness / RS. In general the Oregon ones tend to made in a dry style. For Rieslings (mostly grown in WA state) you can get the whole variety from one producer, sometimes. Chateau Ste Michelle has mid-priced Rieslings I think are pretty good daily white sippers, and in stores locally you can often see Dry Riesling, Riesling (default), and Sweet Riesling next to each other from the same producer at the same price. That’s pretty unusual and I think mostly just the (default) one is sold nationally. But for sub-$10 they are pretty good but the “dry” is my favorite.
Off-topic: In 1985 I was in Europe for work, and visited a friend who was stationed at Schwäbisch Hall and I spent 2 -3 days there. Things were very “open” then and it was easy to visit. Also got to drive out to a field nearby and watch him jump out of a plane. And going to a bar downtown (not really a big downtown, as I recall). Also some kind of a pub-like place on a hill where they had the small “hand-ball” bowling, I think it’s called Kugeln, where we met with his friends. Somehow eating and drinking were pretty important elements of the lifestyle. (as should be.)
I’m in. Perfect for the week of Thanksgiving while the kids are home from school (I work from home and have been for 7 years!).
/giphy passing-artsy-nymph
@osiris3mc Well, now, that giphy doesn’t work at all in this case. It’s a self-cancelling giphy.
Let’s try a different nymph:
/giphy passing-artsy-nymph
OK now I’m just confused…
I find it hard to believe that no one can find out RS info on this wine.
@tercerowines This was just sent to me:
Residual Sugar = 1 g/L
Total Acidity = 6 g/L
@tercerowines @WCCWineGirl
Added to the main listing under specs
Given it’s 13.5% alcohol, that may suggest it’s on the dryer side… Not gonna die on this hill, but I think that’s at least some evidence in favor of it being dry.
And I did buy 6, hoping I’m right…
@stoibskd it is dry indeed. Got last year’s offer. Not too shabby
There’s room in the cellar so we’re in for a case!
/giphy loud-delirious-day
@EJTeeee Room in the cellar? What’s that? I haven’t had room for some time, but there’s hope for maybe freeing up some space in 2024 if I keep my buying in check.
@coynedj It’s a rare occurrence, to be sure. But we’ve slacked off on buying wine this year due to other expenses, and here we are!
In for a penny, in for a pound
/giphy paunchy-screeching-mercury
Feels kinda weird to order one of these from a winery that’s about 15 minutes from my house, but here we are.
/giphy independent-industrious-servant
Just arrived, had a snort… Came on a cold MA November day, so the bottle was just the right temp for a trial.
Tart rose water on the nose, which I’m told is “lychee” though I’ve never had one. First flavor is peach with a quick grapefruit following on the tongue. Off-dry with a medium finish. I mainly review whiskey, so sorry about the brevity. (Not a rat.) I’ll have more wine later.
That explains the “snort”. Not a word I’ve seen in the context of wine, it got my attention.
@InFrom But pretty common on WB boards.
@InFrom, In my defense, UPS told me to be present between noon and 2 for signature purposes, but didn’t arrive until 4:40pm and I had about 8 minutes before I had to leave the house to get the kids. But did I squeeze in 2oz of wine? You bet…
…I mean, NO! What? Shut…shhh…