2016 King Estate Paradox Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Tasting Notes
92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
This artisanal small-batch wine was crafted in the spirit of exploration and inquiry. Should oak never touch even a drop of great Pinot Gris? Or should we never say never? For King Estate, which has become synonymous with un-oaked Pinot Gris, this wine is a contradiction – a paradox.
Color is straw yellow. Peach, apricot, nutmeg, vanilla and almond greet the nose, followed by flavors that add cream, freshly baked bread and sweet oak. With pleasing fruit flavors up front, this wine shows great acid balance. New oak aromas are well-integrated although not overpowering, resulting in a lightly oaked, balanced, food-friendly wine.
This wine was fermented in 100% stainless steel temperature-controlled tanks. Aged three months in French oak barrels, 100% new, then aged sur lie for five months.
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 first time in history the estate was picked out by Sept. 3. The good weather held and harvest was finished just in time to avoid the onset of rain in October.
Specs
Vintage: 2016
Varietal: 100% Estate-Grown Pinot Gris
AVA: Willamette Valley
Alcohol: 13.5%
What’s Included
6-bottles:
6x 2016 King Estate Paradox Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Case:
12x 2016 King Estate Paradox Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Situated at the tip of the Willamette Valley just southwest of Eugene, OR, our beautiful Estate is where our story begins. Our family-owned winery is dedicated to quality without compromise.
We responsibly produce world-class wines that are consistently excellent, consistently available and consistently reasonable in their price. That’s been our covenant to you, the people who support our winemaking.
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, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Oregon Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc would be among my favorite white varietals. Tonight I happen to be having the Keller Estate Pinot Gris, which was not from Oregon, but from a cooler valley in Sonoma County CA.
This offering sounds interesting with the Oak treatment. Not sure I’ve had anything like that.
Found this on the winery’s site. I’m familiar with the brand it’s a reputable name in Northwest wines with a variety of wines from mid- to high-end, and the more common ones are available in stores locally.
Not the same wine, but there is this 2015 Anniversary edition, apparently not “oaked”, but also mentions the 5 months sur lie. And $68/btl!
I love experiments and unless there’s some reason to believe that the “Oak experiment” went really badly, this seems like a fun one to try.
I came home Thursday to 2 cases of wine delivered and a surprise small box on top. At first thought…what’s this? Then excitement as I dare think a “rat” bottle?
Open box and praise be to the wine Gods! A little trepidation at first as I am a red wine drinker seeing a white wine & excitement to see a Pinot Gris a varietal I have not had but by a producer (King Estate) I am familiar with.
Into the wine fridge, temp about 48. Took out on Saturday on first opening pale yellow in color a bit cold needing to warm up some, taste muted but fruit & floral on nose. About 15 minutes in glass, crisp, refreshing tasting honey, vanilla and pear. Really no hint of oak. As wine warms up each sip getting a bit more fruit, honey and vanilla different taste with each sip as warms up and good mouth feel. Not sweet and slightly dry. Corked to have with dinner.
Pairing went well with sauteed bay scallops over coconut ginger rice. Brought out the nuttiness in the wine. Really enjoyed the pairing.
Great by itself and with food!
Corked, placed in refrigerator and brought rest of bottle next day to a fellow Casemate to do the day 2 tasting.
His thoughts…out of fridge to cold.
Nose, honeysuckle, floral with some green apple. Color, palest of yellow. Taste, lip smacking, dryness coats mouth and tingles the tongue.
After 15 minutes, temp maybe high 60’s nose less floral more green apple. First taste thinking well made, tingles tongue and wraps mouth with quaffable viscosity, lingering finish, very dry but the viscosity balances it out.
Not well paired with spicy chicken wings. Wine held up to didn’t get lost but the acid teamed up with the spice to make the wings hotter. Thinking a lighter fare would pair better especially white sauces.
Very nice wine. Not knocking your socks off but hits the mark. We both agreed could finish bottle easily. Great by itself on a hot day and food friendly with a meal or just cheese and crackers.
Good deal at $12-15 range but of course great deal at the Casemate price. Definitely considering a case or 2 for these hot Florida weekends!
Thank you for the opportunity to try a new wine turning me on to a white wine I really enjoyed. Cheers!
@dawnlac Thanks, great review, appreciate the descriptions over several tastings and different temps. I usually like even my white wines (especially ones like that that tend to be more complex) a bit warmer at a “cellar temp” around 55-65. I do have a wine refrigerator but mostly it’s things I grab from “basement hallway” and most of the time it’s around that except now in Summer a bit warmer.
For some reason the line “taste muted but fruit & floral on nose.” I read as “taste muted butt fruit” and “floral on the nose”
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 King Estate Pinot Gris - $24 = 17.14%
Someone say Wine Enthusiast?
92 Points. The Paradox label has the King Estate name intentionally printed upside down, a nod to the unique barrel-aged style. Here, the barrel influence is an asset, cloaking the ripe fruit flavors in light toast. The tannins are smooth and the barrel time has softened the mouthfeel. PG 10/1/18
@kaolis Wow, between this, and rat report, and my experience of King Estate, and seemingly similar unoaked (a different probably premium blend) listed at $68, this is sure looking like a buy for me.
This does sound like a really interesting wine. I’m guessing that this oak treatment is similar to what is done in Europe with the variety perhaps? But it sounds that they’ve taken a grape that is oftentimes created in a simple, ‘quaffable’ style and elevated with the oak treatment. Cheers.
Would be interesting to know the barrel/case production of this. I wonder if it was maybe an experiment intended maybe just for wine club or in-house winery sales. I can imagine it wouldn’t be ideal for mainstream retail as it wouldn’t match what most people expect in a PG (either Gris or Grigio, your choice) and most people probably wouldn’t “get” the upside-down label. So I’m guessing this was a small batch. And in-winery sales were probably probably very limited due to Covid times. I’m always eager to know (or at least “guess”) how/why a wine ends up here. Often there’s a good story behind it, which I find fun to learn, but sometimes we’re left with just guessing.
Auto-buy! You can never go wrong with King Estate and this PG experiment is definitely interesting enough that I don’t want to miss out…in for a case!
I have purchased cases of every King Estate offer on Casemates (as well as picked up numerous bottles at the local Costco through the years) and it seems that I just can’t keep this stuff in stock. I live in the PNW and most often serve these wines with the freshest seafood (salmon, halibut, scallops, geoduck crudo, oysters, clams, mussels, etc.). Our guests usually rave about the wine and I end up sending them home with a bottle…soooo I should probably be ordering more than a case!
I was extremely excited when this Pinot Gris arrived. I adore Willamette and good pinot gris. I think those two points alone make this an easy sell, especially at this price point. As the other rat said, no, this won’t knock your socks off, but it’s solid juice. Juice with integrity!
Pop’n pour:
Color: pale yellow
Nose: I couldn’t put my finger on it initially, after a few minutes, partner said he got pear cider, and I decided on watery Green Apple Jolly Rancher.
Taste: Lighter than expected, there’s buoyancy to it that is not necessarily easily found with PG. On first sip,
I also got a whisper of effervescence, perhaps a reaction to the soy-sesame noodle dish I had eaten earlier, but a welcome affect that diminished with further drinking. I found the oak to be present in the background/in a well integrated way. To me, the oak certainly distinguishes it from un-oaked PG.
I can best describe the flavor profile as green apple and orange pith. It’s a really well structured wine, and would recommend it as a wine to pair with most dishes, if you’re not too fussy.
As I’ve returned to this wine ~40 hours after first open, it’s retained its initial experience quite well. My partner is a big fan and finds it fruity, noting candy apple (with an “oaky afterbirth”).
I do think this wine would be best with food. Drinking a glass without food, the pithiness I get seems to build up on my palate. Also, I suspected this was a high alcohol wine, and was not surprised to see it at 14%. More than anything, I think that speaks to the robustness of the wine, making this less of a porch pounder, and–again–more of wine to go with a meal.
At the price, I think it’s a great deal. It’s not your average PG. The oak is well-integrated, while the green apple and orange pith notes are well balanced.
@MrMikenIkes@peabs007@netcommsyn@amazonateit@holmesjoshuam
I’m in Worcester but find myself in the Boston area at least semi-regularly. Could start a separate forum topic here or a Facebook group or something to keep in touch for future splits?
@holmesjoshuam@MrMikenIkes@netcommsyn@peabs007@rmf917 Not sure the best way to keep in touch. Maybe a facebook group so we can also post past spoils? I travel alot so I generally don’t keep a collection but @netcommsyn sounds like they may have some to share.
@tercerowines I like the way you roll here Larry. Such a unique and wasted opportunity to interact, yet many just don’t seem to get it. @winedavid49 & @wccwinegirl would do well to twist some arms a bit; imo.
@rjquillin@tercerowines
Larry, you and a few others do it the best way possible - you join the community!
I also agree that it’s possibly the craziest thing possible for a small(er) winery to not have anybody participate. Huge wasted opportunity.
@klezman@rjquillin here’s the thing - they could ‘require’ any winery to take part in their own offerings if they wanted to, but I guess the powers that be dont want to do so. Its a bummet becuase questions arise about ALL offers, and the best folks to answer these are winery reps themselves. It kinda sucks for all of you . . .
@tercerowines And i’m sure that’s what sets this and BD apart from other “flash sale” sites. The participation is what certainly drives me to try new things. Good prices help, but i can find bargain wine at a lot of places.
AND! Participation helps get my butt in a tasting room. When i’m in Eugene next i’ll probably swing by King Estate anyway, but having some amount of connection or a person to talk to when i get there would be great.
I’ll sing from the rooftops that the free tasting certificate along with the case of Cornerstone Syrah from a few years ago was fantastic. Not only did we get the case of wine for a screaming deal, we ended up at the tasting room spending MORE money on wine at cellar door pricing. Winner for everyone. I wish more deals had that as a carrot.
Let’s see… Willamette Valley - check. King Estate - check. Oregon Pinot Gris - check-check. 92 points - check-check, and extra check. Under $10 for all of the above - you’d be flipping crazy not to buy!!
2016 King Estate Paradox Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
Tasting Notes
92 Points, Wine Enthusiast
Vintage Notes
Specs
What’s Included
6-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$272.79/Case at King Estate Winery for 6x 2016 King Estate Paradox Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley
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, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, Aug 20 - Tuesday, Aug 24
King Estate Pinot Gris
6 bottles for $69.99 $11.66/bottle + $1.33/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $115.99 $9.67/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2016 King Estate Paradox Pinot Gris
Oregon Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc would be among my favorite white varietals. Tonight I happen to be having the Keller Estate Pinot Gris, which was not from Oregon, but from a cooler valley in Sonoma County CA.
This offering sounds interesting with the Oak treatment. Not sure I’ve had anything like that.
Editor/mods – there is a stray line in the Vintage Notes:
The “od” line is just odd and clearly there are no Chardonnay grapes involved.
@pmarin Done, thanks, missed that one. Perhaps too much vino on a Sunday night.
I was rather wondering what container was used for the
@pmarin @rjquillin that would be important to know, right? My guess is that it’s sur lie, it’s probably oak but it would be nice to know . . .
@pmarin @tercerowines
So the above confirms three months in new, but the additional five more likely in neutral, or it would seem the oak influence would not be subtle?
@pmarin @rjquillin we are ‘guessing’ here - woukd be nice to know with certainty wouldn’t it?
Found this on the winery’s site. I’m familiar with the brand it’s a reputable name in Northwest wines with a variety of wines from mid- to high-end, and the more common ones are available in stores locally.
Not the same wine, but there is this 2015 Anniversary edition, apparently not “oaked”, but also mentions the 5 months sur lie. And $68/btl!
I love experiments and unless there’s some reason to believe that the “Oak experiment” went really badly, this seems like a fun one to try.
Hello everyone!
I came home Thursday to 2 cases of wine delivered and a surprise small box on top. At first thought…what’s this? Then excitement as I dare think a “rat” bottle?
Open box and praise be to the wine Gods! A little trepidation at first as I am a red wine drinker seeing a white wine & excitement to see a Pinot Gris a varietal I have not had but by a producer (King Estate) I am familiar with.
Into the wine fridge, temp about 48. Took out on Saturday on first opening pale yellow in color a bit cold needing to warm up some, taste muted but fruit & floral on nose. About 15 minutes in glass, crisp, refreshing tasting honey, vanilla and pear. Really no hint of oak. As wine warms up each sip getting a bit more fruit, honey and vanilla different taste with each sip as warms up and good mouth feel. Not sweet and slightly dry. Corked to have with dinner.
Pairing went well with sauteed bay scallops over coconut ginger rice. Brought out the nuttiness in the wine. Really enjoyed the pairing.
Great by itself and with food!
Corked, placed in refrigerator and brought rest of bottle next day to a fellow Casemate to do the day 2 tasting.
His thoughts…out of fridge to cold.
Nose, honeysuckle, floral with some green apple. Color, palest of yellow. Taste, lip smacking, dryness coats mouth and tingles the tongue.
After 15 minutes, temp maybe high 60’s nose less floral more green apple. First taste thinking well made, tingles tongue and wraps mouth with quaffable viscosity, lingering finish, very dry but the viscosity balances it out.
Not well paired with spicy chicken wings. Wine held up to didn’t get lost but the acid teamed up with the spice to make the wings hotter. Thinking a lighter fare would pair better especially white sauces.
Very nice wine. Not knocking your socks off but hits the mark. We both agreed could finish bottle easily. Great by itself on a hot day and food friendly with a meal or just cheese and crackers.
Good deal at $12-15 range but of course great deal at the Casemate price. Definitely considering a case or 2 for these hot Florida weekends!
Thank you for the opportunity to try a new wine
turning me on to a white wine I really enjoyed. Cheers!
@dawnlac Thanks, great review, appreciate the descriptions over several tastings and different temps. I usually like even my white wines (especially ones like that that tend to be more complex) a bit warmer at a “cellar temp” around 55-65. I do have a wine refrigerator but mostly it’s things I grab from “basement hallway” and most of the time it’s around that except now in Summer a bit warmer.
For some reason the line “taste muted but fruit & floral on nose.” I read as “taste muted butt fruit” and “floral on the nose”
@pmarin Sorry meant on nose fruit and floral but on tasting to cold for anything to stand out. Really opened up as temp came up.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2016 King Estate Pinot Gris - $24 = 17.14%
Someone say Wine Enthusiast?
92 Points. The Paradox label has the King Estate name intentionally printed upside down, a nod to the unique barrel-aged style. Here, the barrel influence is an asset, cloaking the ripe fruit flavors in light toast. The tannins are smooth and the barrel time has softened the mouthfeel. PG 10/1/18
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/king-estate-2016-paradox-pinot-gris-willamette-valley/
fwiw
@kaolis Wow, between this, and rat report, and my experience of King Estate, and seemingly similar unoaked (a different probably premium blend) listed at $68, this is sure looking like a buy for me.
@pmarin ohhhh only if it was cooler out…ha! But I agree this sounds interesting at a more than reasonable price point
In for a case!
/giphy teasing-ocular-nugget
This does sound like a really interesting wine. I’m guessing that this oak treatment is similar to what is done in Europe with the variety perhaps? But it sounds that they’ve taken a grape that is oftentimes created in a simple, ‘quaffable’ style and elevated with the oak treatment. Cheers.
Would be interesting to know the barrel/case production of this. I wonder if it was maybe an experiment intended maybe just for wine club or in-house winery sales. I can imagine it wouldn’t be ideal for mainstream retail as it wouldn’t match what most people expect in a PG (either Gris or Grigio, your choice) and most people probably wouldn’t “get” the upside-down label. So I’m guessing this was a small batch. And in-winery sales were probably probably very limited due to Covid times. I’m always eager to know (or at least “guess”) how/why a wine ends up here. Often there’s a good story behind it, which I find fun to learn, but sometimes we’re left with just guessing.
Auto-buy! You can never go wrong with King Estate and this PG experiment is definitely interesting enough that I don’t want to miss out…in for a case!
I have purchased cases of every King Estate offer on Casemates (as well as picked up numerous bottles at the local Costco through the years) and it seems that I just can’t keep this stuff in stock. I live in the PNW and most often serve these wines with the freshest seafood (salmon, halibut, scallops, geoduck crudo, oysters, clams, mussels, etc.). Our guests usually rave about the wine and I end up sending them home with a bottle…soooo I should probably be ordering more than a case!
thin-teachable-farm
I was extremely excited when this Pinot Gris arrived. I adore Willamette and good pinot gris. I think those two points alone make this an easy sell, especially at this price point. As the other rat said, no, this won’t knock your socks off, but it’s solid juice. Juice with integrity!
Pop’n pour:
Color: pale yellow
Nose: I couldn’t put my finger on it initially, after a few minutes, partner said he got pear cider, and I decided on watery Green Apple Jolly Rancher.
Taste: Lighter than expected, there’s buoyancy to it that is not necessarily easily found with PG. On first sip,
I also got a whisper of effervescence, perhaps a reaction to the soy-sesame noodle dish I had eaten earlier, but a welcome affect that diminished with further drinking. I found the oak to be present in the background/in a well integrated way. To me, the oak certainly distinguishes it from un-oaked PG.
I can best describe the flavor profile as green apple and orange pith. It’s a really well structured wine, and would recommend it as a wine to pair with most dishes, if you’re not too fussy.
As I’ve returned to this wine ~40 hours after first open, it’s retained its initial experience quite well. My partner is a big fan and finds it fruity, noting candy apple (with an “oaky afterbirth”).
I do think this wine would be best with food. Drinking a glass without food, the pithiness I get seems to build up on my palate. Also, I suspected this was a high alcohol wine, and was not surprised to see it at 14%. More than anything, I think that speaks to the robustness of the wine, making this less of a porch pounder, and–again–more of wine to go with a meal.
At the price, I think it’s a great deal. It’s not your average PG. The oak is well-integrated, while the green apple and orange pith notes are well balanced.
Thanks for the review. But whenever I hear of pithiness I can only think of one thing
/image fielding melish
@pmarin With a hint of banana pith?
I have the feeling this is very pithy.
It has great pith.
Yeth. Pith.
/giphy psychotic-sedentary-sunflower
No Ohio shipping. Definitely sad to miss out on this one. Ugh.
@cdn1127 Ohio just changed their laws on maximum case production. you’ll soon see more wineries have Ohio. stay tuned.
@Winedavid49 Thanks for the update - great news! I totally missed it! Now if you could just hold a case or two of this for me…lol.
If anyone in MA is up for a split I’d be in
@rmf917 I’m working on goosing those in your area. Stand by.
@rmf917 I’m not interested in this one, in particular, but would be open to future splits!
@rmf917 Where you based out of? I usually haunt eastern MA.
@rmf917 I am interested in splits in Boston area and or So NH (Salem/Nashua). I have many back purchases I am willing to share.
@rmf917 I’d be in for 3 bottles if you’re still looking for someone. I live in Boston so it definitely depends on where in MA you are
@MrMikenIkes @rmf917 I’m in Woburn. Any way to bookmark each other for the future?
@MrMikenIkes @peabs007 @netcommsyn @amazonateit @holmesjoshuam
I’m in Worcester but find myself in the Boston area at least semi-regularly. Could start a separate forum topic here or a Facebook group or something to keep in touch for future splits?
@holmesjoshuam @rmf917 ditto. Lets raincheck for an offer of more interest. I’m in 02356 zip code
@MrMikenIkes @rmf917 I’d be down for three or six for this batch if we want to go through with it.
@holmesjoshuam @MrMikenIkes @netcommsyn @peabs007 @rmf917 Not sure the best way to keep in touch. Maybe a facebook group so we can also post past spoils? I travel alot so I generally don’t keep a collection but @netcommsyn sounds like they may have some to share.
@amazonateit @holmesjoshuam @MrMikenIkes @netcommsyn @peabs007 @djy2g33
Went ahead and made a FB group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/512509660049502
also bought a case of 12 and happy to divvy it anyway that works!
@rmf917 I’m in the Cambridge area if you’re still looking to split a case.
@rmf917 joined the group and I’d be in for 3!
@amazonateit @holmesjoshuam @MrMikenIkes @netcommsyn @peabs007 @rmf917
There are a number of local specific groups here already, and it’s easy to add one with members for what you need.
Others here likely would also be interested in your tasting notes.
@amazonateit @djy2g33 @holmesjoshuam @MrMikenIkes @netcommsyn @peabs007 @rmf917 Great idea for the FB group. Just joined.
Where is the winery? I just don’t get it. Shouldn’t that be a requirement to participate?
@tercerowines I like the way you roll here Larry. Such a unique and wasted opportunity to interact, yet many just don’t seem to get it.
@winedavid49 & @wccwinegirl would do well to twist some arms a bit; imo.
@rjquillin @tercerowines
Larry, you and a few others do it the best way possible - you join the community!
I also agree that it’s possibly the craziest thing possible for a small(er) winery to not have anybody participate. Huge wasted opportunity.
@klezman @rjquillin here’s the thing - they could ‘require’ any winery to take part in their own offerings if they wanted to, but I guess the powers that be dont want to do so. Its a bummet becuase questions arise about ALL offers, and the best folks to answer these are winery reps themselves. It kinda sucks for all of you . . .
@tercerowines And i’m sure that’s what sets this and BD apart from other “flash sale” sites. The participation is what certainly drives me to try new things. Good prices help, but i can find bargain wine at a lot of places.
AND! Participation helps get my butt in a tasting room. When i’m in Eugene next i’ll probably swing by King Estate anyway, but having some amount of connection or a person to talk to when i get there would be great.
I’ll sing from the rooftops that the free tasting certificate along with the case of Cornerstone Syrah from a few years ago was fantastic. Not only did we get the case of wine for a screaming deal, we ended up at the tasting room spending MORE money on wine at cellar door pricing. Winner for everyone. I wish more deals had that as a carrot.
Let’s see… Willamette Valley - check. King Estate - check. Oregon Pinot Gris - check-check. 92 points - check-check, and extra check. Under $10 for all of the above - you’d be flipping crazy not to buy!!
@Kraxberger well… if you put it THAT way…
/giphy passive-jellied-clove
