2016 King Estate Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley
91 Points, Wine Enthusiast
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. The grapes are 100% Biodynamic.
The nose is delightfully floral, with notes of honeysuckle, lychee, honeydew, apple, clove, mango, and wet stone. On the palate, flavors of lemon zest emerge. The wine is dry and food friendly. Enjoy the balanced acidity and exceptionally long finish.
Winemaking Process
The fruit had 12 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
Oregon’s string of remarkable years with ideal growing conditions continued in 2016. The vintage started out early in western Oregon with average bud break occurring in mid to late March. Unusually warm temperatures in April and May accelerated an “early season effect,” which caused vineyards to go into bloom by the third week of June. The weather cooled substantially through August. Harvest began in early September and continued unabated until the end of the month. The good weather held and harvest was finished just in time to avoid the onset of rain in October.
Specs
Varietal: 100% King Estate Vineyard Gewürztraminer
AVA: Willamette Valley
Alcohol: 14.5%
2016 King Estate Viognier, Rogue Valley, Oregon
Tasting Notes
Known for its floral aromatics and silky creaminess, Viognier is a food-friendly wine that evokes the tropics. Grown at higher elevations, the fruit thrives in the cooler climate. This is a classic Rhône-style Viognier from outstanding vineyards in Oregon’s southern Rogue Valley: Fortmiller, Lakeside, and Folin.
A beautiful golden straw color in the glass, the nose delights with fragrant peach, wildflower, nutmeg, oak, and a touch of black olive. The gorgeous aromatics are apparent on the palate with flavors of peach, nutmeg, sweet oak, black olive, wildflower, and honey. Very round and rich, this wine coats the mid-palate and offers a lingering finish.
Winemaking Process
Fermentation was 28% in barrel and 72% in stainless steel. Aged five months surlie with the barrel component aged in French oak.
Vintage Notes
Oregon’s string of remarkable years with ideal growing conditions continued in 2016. In the Rogue Valley, experiencing its third straight year of early and warm vintages, the watchword was “early.” The vintage started out with average bud break occurring in mid to late March. Moderate weather through the entire summer provided even growing conditions. Unusually warm temperatures in April and May were followed by cooler weather through August, providing the opportunity for much longer hang times and allowing for richer flavors to develop. Quality was quite good to exceptional.
When King Estate Winery was established in 1991, it staked its future on three pillars: Stewardship. Family. Tradition. Those pillars have proved a solid and true foundation for the winery that today produces some of Oregon’s most recognizable and best-loved wines.
Co-founders Ed King III and his father, the late Ed King, Jr., had a vision for the 600-acre parcel of land they discovered in the southern Willamette Valley that was used to grow hay and pasture cattle. Over the years that parcel has evolved into one of Oregon’s most recognizable and iconic vineyards with 1,033 acres on the certified Biodynamic® estate.
Three generations of the King family are involved in the family business, continuing the old-world traditions of sustainable agriculture and artisan winemaking. Meticulous fruit selection and impeccable practices are hallmarks of winemaking at King Estate.
The pure taste of Oregon can be found in every bottle.
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
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2016 King Estate Mixed Whites - $30 = 23.07%
Received a ‘heads up” e-mail from Terri/Alice about an incoming rat wine. Turns out, there are two bottles! Good thing I have the weekend to tackle my duties!
Note: I got my FLU vaccine and COVID booster on Friday afternoon at work and am not feeling 100% this weekend. My notes may be sparse on details.
2016 King Estate Viognier, Oregon -
Lovely pale straw color. Initially the nose was not giving me much, but it was straight from the fridge. After warming up a bit the nose shows stone fruit (peach, nectarine), and some lovely floral notes. The palate follows suit with the same stone fruit, bright acidity, some minerality, and a nice round mouthfeel. Legs are narrow and slow to develop. I’m drinking this post-dinner and snacking on random tidbits. Seems to pair nicely with cashews and apple. Overall impression (so far): very tasty, nice mouthfeel but without that oily feel Viognier is often noted to have. I tasted without food (other than snacks) but would imagine it would be lovely with a wide range of dishes and kinda has me craving some shrimp or salmon. I will revisit tomorrow when I open bottle #2.
2016 King Estate Gewurztraminer, Willamette Valley, Oregon –
Deep, rich, golden hue (about 50 shades of amber richer than the Viognier). Nose is floral and fruity with a sweet note of honey. I sense notes of apple and something tropical along with some floral notes that I cannot identify. Apparently, I don’t smell flowers often enough (note to self: buy flowers or go to botanic gardens more frequently). Palate is quite similar, but please note, this is NOT a sweet wine. I haven’t seen the specs on this, but I think the perception of sweetness is all from the nose. In addition to the apple/tropical fruit there’s a nice mineral presence and a touch of citrus. Mouthfeel is silky and round. Finish is pretty long. It is dry. Legs are narrow and slow to develop (I’m never really sure what this really means, but always feel compelled to mention it).
I decided to order in some Indian cuisine this evening. This Gewurztraminer pairs well with all of what I ordered…samosas, mutter paneer, chicken vindaloo, basmati, regular naan, and some sort of naan “stuffed” with cream cheese and homemade cheese (why have I never ordered this before???). Yes, there will be a LOT of leftovers at casa de karen. Last night’s Viognier is ok with the Indian cuisine, but I like the Gewurztraminer better with it. No real change to note in the Viognier since yesterday.
I will happily revisit both wines tomorrow night (probably with leftovers!) and will post any additional comments.
As always, thanks to WD, Alice, Terri, and the whole WCC crew for the opportunity to contribute.
Cheers!
I purchased last time this was offered but can’t locate it in my history. Seems like it was 2 years ago? And maybe cheaper now?
The Viognier was a favorite here and especially appreciated by the in-laws from Fla. that visited last summer.
91 Points. It’s not indicated on the label, but this is vinified completely dry, making it totally food-friendly. Floral on the nose, the palate is bright with flavors of lemon pith and rind. It’s a finely finessed effort, with exceptional length. PG 10/1/2018
My apologies for the delay. I just typed this up as fast as I can, as it totally left my mind
We’ve received two delicious white wines last week. The first night my wife and I had it with no food, and then the second day we had it with some pantry pasta (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/pantry-pasta-4624972) and then with Indian food that night. Both wines were best the first night of opening and they mellowed out with less taste on the second day.
For the Gewurztraminer, we smelled citrus/lemon or grapefruit and very floral scents and it tasted like orange blossom and almost like a mead/honey taste which I believe also goes along the floral lines. Agree with above, some perception of sweetness from the floral/fruit but is a dry wine.
For the Viognier, it smelled like Melon/honey dew and has an oilyness too it similar to that aged chablis from WineSmith. Taste again was floral especially in the aftertaste and some melon and peach.
My wife and I agreed that we valued these wines at $20 and $25 respectively and it appears we were in the ballpark and guessed a casemates case price at $12 - seems like a much better deal than that!
Yes. Too old. In 2020 Casemates sold a case with three different whites, including a 2015 Gewurtztraminer. All three were past their drinking window. They were flabby, low acid, and just tasted like non-descript old white wine. Note that the WE review was 4 years old, also. I haven’t gotten many duds from Casemates, but this was one of them.
@karenhynes@mew5280 I didn’t feel like they were past the prime and I was surprised by the age. I did notice it seemed to be muted on day 2 of drinking but upon opening, the Gewurtz tasted like a few others that were more current and the only viognier was some additional oiliness but definitly didn’t feel like anything jumped out that said it was past the drinking window but maybe close? . My wife said they had a more alcoholic flavor which she does notice with aged whites.
@sjlee11 Thanks for the heads-up! Sounds like they are good right now, but that we might not want to cellar them - Hope they go well with Turkey! (if they arrive by then)
@kray05@mew5280
I agree with @kray05. They didn’t feel past prime at all to me and both held ok to at least a second day. Viognier, in general, ages pretty well. @woopdedoo I think they’d both pair nicely with turkey dinner.
Queens/Nassau NY people: I’ll buy all or part of your Gewurztraminer at $10/bottle, or trade up to six bottles of Viognier for the same number of Gewurtz. I’ll come pick it up in Queens, Brooklyn or Nassau County. Whisper at me if you’re willing to get me more Gewrez. Thanks.
@baqui63 I’m on the fence. it’s 2016, and I’m wondering if they are past their prime and that each bottle may be a crap shoot. See the Rat comment on the above post. It wasn’t too assuring.
In for a case - we enjoyed the earlier Viognier offering, and we’re not too worried about aging, as they’ll be gone by the end of the holidays.
/giphy monstrous-spirited-gravestone
I like King Estates pinot gris well enough to have tried three of their offerings on here. The Nov 2020 and Feb 2021 offerings were definitely over the hill, with some maderization going on in a few bottles. However, we absolutely adored the August 2021 Paradox oaked pinot gris from 2016. So your mileage may vary. I’m going to hold off on this one.
@datanerd agreed. I went in on 6 for this reason. What’s weird to me is that I would expect WD to vet his offers and either not move forward or warn us.
2016 King Estate Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley
91 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Winemaking Process
Vintage Notes
Specs
2016 King Estate Viognier, Rogue Valley, Oregon
Tasting Notes
Winemaking Process
Vintage Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$336.00/Case for 6x 2016 King Estate Gewürztraminer, Willamette Valley + 6x 2016 King Estate Viognier, Rogue Valley, Oregon at King Estate Winery
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
Monday, Nov 7 - Tuesday, Nov 8
King Estate Mixed Whites
6 bottles for $64.99 $10.83/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $99.99 $8.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 King Estate Gewürztraminer
2016 King Estate Viognier
At this price…No brainer
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations.)
2016 King Estate Mixed Whites - $30 = 23.07%
Received a ‘heads up” e-mail from Terri/Alice about an incoming rat wine. Turns out, there are two bottles! Good thing I have the weekend to tackle my duties!
Note: I got my FLU vaccine and COVID booster on Friday afternoon at work and am not feeling 100% this weekend. My notes may be sparse on details.
2016 King Estate Viognier, Oregon -
Lovely pale straw color. Initially the nose was not giving me much, but it was straight from the fridge. After warming up a bit the nose shows stone fruit (peach, nectarine), and some lovely floral notes. The palate follows suit with the same stone fruit, bright acidity, some minerality, and a nice round mouthfeel. Legs are narrow and slow to develop. I’m drinking this post-dinner and snacking on random tidbits. Seems to pair nicely with cashews and apple. Overall impression (so far): very tasty, nice mouthfeel but without that oily feel Viognier is often noted to have. I tasted without food (other than snacks) but would imagine it would be lovely with a wide range of dishes and kinda has me craving some shrimp or salmon. I will revisit tomorrow when I open bottle #2.
2016 King Estate Gewurztraminer, Willamette Valley, Oregon –
Deep, rich, golden hue (about 50 shades of amber richer than the Viognier). Nose is floral and fruity with a sweet note of honey. I sense notes of apple and something tropical along with some floral notes that I cannot identify. Apparently, I don’t smell flowers often enough (note to self: buy flowers or go to botanic gardens more frequently). Palate is quite similar, but please note, this is NOT a sweet wine. I haven’t seen the specs on this, but I think the perception of sweetness is all from the nose. In addition to the apple/tropical fruit there’s a nice mineral presence and a touch of citrus. Mouthfeel is silky and round. Finish is pretty long. It is dry. Legs are narrow and slow to develop (I’m never really sure what this really means, but always feel compelled to mention it).
I decided to order in some Indian cuisine this evening. This Gewurztraminer pairs well with all of what I ordered…samosas, mutter paneer, chicken vindaloo, basmati, regular naan, and some sort of naan “stuffed” with cream cheese and homemade cheese (why have I never ordered this before???). Yes, there will be a LOT of leftovers at casa de karen. Last night’s Viognier is ok with the Indian cuisine, but I like the Gewurztraminer better with it. No real change to note in the Viognier since yesterday.
I will happily revisit both wines tomorrow night (probably with leftovers!) and will post any additional comments.
As always, thanks to WD, Alice, Terri, and the whole WCC crew for the opportunity to contribute.
Cheers!
I purchased last time this was offered but can’t locate it in my history. Seems like it was 2 years ago? And maybe cheaper now?
The Viognier was a favorite here and especially appreciated by the in-laws from Fla. that visited last summer.
I did find this: September 2020 https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiDr4zryeb6AhXXg4kEHckFCnIQFnoECA4QAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcasemates.com%2Fforum%2Ftopics%2Fking-estate-viognier&usg=AOvVaw0VExsIp9cnfbqvgyiyGoxs
The Viognier alone for $89.99
The Geh-vertz from duly noted Wine Enthusiast:
91 Points. It’s not indicated on the label, but this is vinified completely dry, making it totally food-friendly. Floral on the nose, the palate is bright with flavors of lemon pith and rind. It’s a finely finessed effort, with exceptional length. PG 10/1/2018
fwiw
Dang it, Ohio…
Been a bit.
/giphy shifty-bitten-dragon
The decision was whether to order 1 case or 2.
I’ve liked everything I’ve bought from Kings Estate. This case price is awesome!
/giphy frightened-morbid-crown
PANS! GLANDS! CRAYONS! AWESOME!
My apologies for the delay. I just typed this up as fast as I can, as it totally left my mind
We’ve received two delicious white wines last week. The first night my wife and I had it with no food, and then the second day we had it with some pantry pasta (https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/geoffrey-zakarian/pantry-pasta-4624972) and then with Indian food that night. Both wines were best the first night of opening and they mellowed out with less taste on the second day.
For the Gewurztraminer, we smelled citrus/lemon or grapefruit and very floral scents and it tasted like orange blossom and almost like a mead/honey taste which I believe also goes along the floral lines. Agree with above, some perception of sweetness from the floral/fruit but is a dry wine.
For the Viognier, it smelled like Melon/honey dew and has an oilyness too it similar to that aged chablis from WineSmith. Taste again was floral especially in the aftertaste and some melon and peach.
My wife and I agreed that we valued these wines at $20 and $25 respectively and it appears we were in the ballpark and guessed a casemates case price at $12 - seems like a much better deal than that!
@kray05
@kray05
@kray05
This is the gewurz
@kray05 Poor pup has the cone of silence on…
@kaolis @kray05 in the Pixar movie “Up” it is the cone of shame.
magical-cackling-evil
In for 2 cases!
Any way to get this to NJ?!!
Based on prior King Estate purchases and the Rattage, easy in for a case!
/giphy harsh-smokey-hauntedhouse
Why not?
/giphy supernatural-cackling-gravestone
I’ve bought King Estate whites from Casemates before, and I thought they were over the hill.
@sjlee11 As in past their prime?
@sjlee11 I’ve bought multiple cases of their whites before and haven’t had any yet over the hill. These are a bit older, though.
Yes. Too old. In 2020 Casemates sold a case with three different whites, including a 2015 Gewurtztraminer. All three were past their drinking window. They were flabby, low acid, and just tasted like non-descript old white wine. Note that the WE review was 4 years old, also. I haven’t gotten many duds from Casemates, but this was one of them.
Wondering if either of the current rats could chime in on this? @kray05 @karenhynes ?
@karenhynes @mew5280 I didn’t feel like they were past the prime and I was surprised by the age. I did notice it seemed to be muted on day 2 of drinking but upon opening, the Gewurtz tasted like a few others that were more current and the only viognier was some additional oiliness but definitly didn’t feel like anything jumped out that said it was past the drinking window but maybe close? . My wife said they had a more alcoholic flavor which she does notice with aged whites.
@sjlee11 Thanks for the heads-up! Sounds like they are good right now, but that we might not want to cellar them - Hope they go well with Turkey! (if they arrive by then)
@karenhynes @kray05 thank you! I was already in for a case but just curious.
@kray05 @mew5280
I agree with @kray05. They didn’t feel past prime at all to me and both held ok to at least a second day. Viognier, in general, ages pretty well.
@woopdedoo I think they’d both pair nicely with turkey dinner.
I’m in for a case.
Queens/Nassau NY people: I’ll buy all or part of your Gewurztraminer at $10/bottle, or trade up to six bottles of Viognier for the same number of Gewurtz. I’ll come pick it up in Queens, Brooklyn or Nassau County. Whisper at me if you’re willing to get me more Gewrez. Thanks.
@InFrom @irenegade @lmw516 @longtones @mcc36 @simtel20
/giphy bound-undead-brain
@baqui63 I’m on the fence. it’s 2016, and I’m wondering if they are past their prime and that each bottle may be a crap shoot. See the Rat comment on the above post. It wasn’t too assuring.
@baqui63 @irenegade I wasn’t planning to go in on this one, but if I were, I’d be holding on to the Gewurz.
@InFrom @irenegade
I saw the rattage and am willing to take the risk.
Thanks!
/giphy bonechilling-escaped-forest
In for a case - we enjoyed the earlier Viognier offering, and we’re not too worried about aging, as they’ll be gone by the end of the holidays.
/giphy monstrous-spirited-gravestone
/giphy mercurial-bleak-candy
In for a case
/giphy tainted-lurid-dragon
And I’m running low on whites…
/giphy terrorstricken-living-face
/giphy leaking-dubious-cemetery
I like King Estates pinot gris well enough to have tried three of their offerings on here. The Nov 2020 and Feb 2021 offerings were definitely over the hill, with some maderization going on in a few bottles. However, we absolutely adored the August 2021 Paradox oaked pinot gris from 2016. So your mileage may vary. I’m going to hold off on this one.
@datanerd agreed. I went in on 6 for this reason. What’s weird to me is that I would expect WD to vet his offers and either not move forward or warn us.