The 2018 Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard comes from own-rooted Dijon clone vines planted in 1990. It offers pretty scents of elderflower, quince, green pear and lemony touches complemented by tones of brioche and flint. The palate is light-bodied, dry and creamy with focused acidity, a pure core of orchard fruit and integrated pastry-like tones characterizing the long finish. Yum!

The 2017 Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard comes from own-rooted vines that were planted at 900 feet elevation in 1990. The nose is savory and deep with aromas of mushroom powder, graphite and floral perfume, plus bass tones of caramel and brioche. The creamy, seamless palate is expansive and savory, with intense, layered flavors and great length.

The 2011 Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard comes from the top of the vineyard planted in 1990 and is matured in neutral wood. It has a rounded and slightly tropical, peachy bouquet that perhaps is missing the steeliness and tension that you would expect from a Blanc de Blanc. With time, it develops a light brioche-like scent. It is attractive, but not what I was expecting. The palate is more typical of a Blanc de Blanc with citrus peel, lime and green apple notes, a touch of spiciness towards the energetic finish. It is just those aromatics - I wish they exuded more energy.

The 2010 Blanc de Blancs Knudsen Vineyard is obviously 100% Chardonnay from the first Dijon clones in the United States, and underwent no malolactic fermentation. Disgorged in July 2014, it has a more minimalist bouquet compared to the Brut with fleeting glimpses of citrus peel and limestone. The palate is well balanced with well-judged acidity, commendable weight here, with an elegant finish. This is another excellent sparkling wine from Argyle.

The Argyle 2008 Brut Knudsen Vineyard delivers an alluring wealth of mineral nuances, incorporating a salinity that – in alliance with vivid and colorful citric notes (suggesting lime, grapefruit and tangerine) – gets a total purchase on the taster’s salivary glands. And speaking of colorful, there is a fruity succulence here that puts me in mind of fresh pears sprinkled with red currants and drizzled with a mixture of lime juice and kirsch. Subtle, lees-enhanced creaminess and toastiness serve as ideal counterpoint to refreshing brightness; while levity and liveliness are grounded in palpable extract richness. Look for this superb sparkler to develop intriguingly for at least 3-4 years in bottle (though as with any such methode champenoise, don’t cellar it unless your conditions are excellent). Co-founder and long-time director of Argyle Rollin Soles – for extensive information on whose background and methodology consult my issue 202 report – officially stepped-down from his post in March, though he will continue to advise the new director of winemaking, Wisconsin-born Nate Klostermann, who has been Soles’ assistant for almost 8 years, having arrived in Oregon via Petaluma, Argyle’s co-founding and long-time parent company. (Soles will now focus on his own Roco winery, on whose recent releases I again report in this issue.) No stock of Argyle Brut from either 2004 or torrid, early-harvested 2003 was set-aside for late-release as “Extended Tirage,” so the next installment of that consistently revelatory and profound wine will be a 2005 in a couple of years. “I was thinking about what a drag that fact is when I was putting together our tasting,” remarked Soles, channeling my thoughts. As in awe of and delighted with Argyle’s sparkling wines as I am – wines I dream might yet inspire consumers and vintners to conspire in the flowering of an Oregon sparkling wine culture – I continue to find their still wines far less successful, not to mention far less-attractively priced. In his 28 years at Argyle, 2011 is the only vintage in which Soles has elected to chaptalize even a single lot; but then, he offers climatological data to suggest that the last time things were as cool for the aggregate Willamette growing season was in 1954, when nobody was concerned yet about ripening wine grapes! Tel. (503) 538-8520