...medium-bodied and nicely balanced, with nuances of peach and pear and a crisp, long finish, a good any-occasion chardonnay.

...a generously fruity wine with classic tropical fruit and citrus flavors and a long finish. Its crisp acidity is a marked difference...

Rosé Wines (mostly from Oregon) for the Summer of 2019 I bought this at the winery after taking my mom wine tasting on Mother’s Day. We all fell in love with it (even my mom, who only ever enjoys Moscato). Now this one tastes nothing like Moscato, but everything that’s delicious about Oregon rosé. It’s fresh, clean, bright, and very mildly tart in finish (in the best way). Mild cherry, some citrus, mild minerality on finish Very mild and fresh, this Provence style rosé is going to be one I’ll reach for again this summer.

What To Drink Now: Rosé All Day Willakenzie Willamette Valley Rosé of Pinot Noir melds fresh cranberry, tangerine, and bitter orange.

Wines Perfect for Every Type of Easter Dish Check out these perfect wine pairings for every favorite Easter dish, from brunch to dinner, casual or festive. WillaKenzie Estate 2018 Rosé Willamette Valley and a Chicken Salad. Did you sign up to bring the salad for Easter brunch or dinner? Don’t worry, the salad won’t be just another boring side dish if you bring a bottle of this rosé to pair. This Oregon bottle is one of our go-to’s when it comes to food-friendly rosés. It’s a perfect batch to cold chicken served on a bed of greens with goat cheese and any other spring veggies. It will also go so well with so many other foods on the table. It’s fruitiness and citrus zest notes pair well with the similar notes of spring foods.

Wine of the Week: Rosé all day It only makes sense that a region that makes world-class pinot noir would also produce a world-class rosé made from pinot noir. The inaugural vintage of the 2017 WillaKenzie Estate Rosé from the Willamette Valley in Oregon sets a high bar. It offers up plenty of ripe red strawberry and citrus-centric aromas on the fragrant bouquet, and lightly textured flavors of bright red berries, cranberry, and watermelon that’s perfect for a hot summer day. The high acidity and minerality keep the wine refreshing and bright on the finish. A delightful match with seafood and rotisserie chicken; perfect for a picnic.

Pink wines continue to grow in popularity From Oregon’s Willamette Valley...and juicy WillaKenzie Estate.

Weekend Wine Another Rosé to the Rescue Oregon’s WillaKenzie Estate Rosé is one of my favorite new pink wines. This is their first vintage of pink, but it doesn't seem like a run-in with the dreaded low-color red grape. It sure tastes like they mean it. The watermelon and honeycrisp apple aromas added to the dry, velvety mouthfeel make this an ideal wine with all sorts of summer fare from burgers to fried chicken. But it also has the tannic grip to stand up to pasta or pizza with a big, acidic tomato sauce.

Allure of dry rosés wasn't always so Among the best we tasted within the last week were 2017s from...Copain (“Tous Ensemble”), WillaKenzie…

22 Rosés to Try This Spring I believe 2017 is a first-time pink for WillaKenzie, heretofore known for aromatic whites. Well done. Neroli nose, splashy peach and watermelon on the palate. Delicate acidity, juicy finish. A pleasantly viscous texture (“mouth-coating” quality). A drag-and-drop complement to a warm dusk, a roast duck, a night on the deck.

This is a big bold rosé. Strawberry and watermelon with a bit of strawberry dominate the nose and taste of this very well-crafted rosé.

Classy version of PG, aromatic, fleshy, yet light, great for seafood. 2½ stars, very good.

Wine Pick of the Week Celebrate spring with this highly attractive Oregon Pinot Gris. Its appealingly fruity nose foretells deliciously forward fruit on the palate along with refreshing acidity and expressive complexity. Finishes very long and strong.

Pine Wine: Oregon and its wine regions More bold than refined, this wine with personality is full-bodied with expressive fruit, excellent balance and great length.

Top Wines of 2018 Pinot Blanc is often more austere than Pinot Gris. This one’s always vibrant and minerally.

Great Gamay Beyond Beaujolais A pretty wine, balancing roses against black fruits, from Burgundian expat Bernard Lacroute. Fun fact: WillaKenzie Estate’s 1995 Gamay Noir was served at a White House gala.

Pinot Noir and Copper River Salmon - Part 1 WillaKenzie Estate is named for the sedimentary soil on which the estate is planted which in turn is a tribute to the Willamette and McKenzie Rivers of western Oregon. The winery is a popular tourist stop for wine lovers keen to enjoy fine Pinot Noir, a picnic or even a game of Pétanque! Look for ripe strawberry and raspberry on the nose with hints of blood orange and forest floor. The juicy palate offers good balance and acidity for pairing with salmon from the grill.

Favorite Oregon Pinot Noir Bottles from Jackson Family Wines Winemaker Erik Kramer does a great job of making wines with beautiful savory notes, which we love. This single-vineyard wine is no exception. From a fairly new estate, this vintage has a balanced dry and fresh fruit nose with a gorgeous, long finish. It’s a wine that instantly made our mouth water for a tomato or mushroom pasta. If you can find it, search out a bottle of the 2008 Emery Pinot Noir from WillaKenzie. More complex with notes of umami, this is one of Erik’s favorites.

Wines for Thanksgiving The WillaKenzie Estate winery Gisele Pinot Noir is crafted from selected lots from the estate and aged for 10 months in French oak, 20% new. Look for aromas and flavors of bright red fruits with tangy notes of cola, herbs, barrel toast and cocoa. Good acidity makes it a natural to pair with your Thanksgiving feast.

Wines of the Week The WillaKenzie Estate winery is in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Their Gisele Pinot Noir is crafted from selected lots from the estate and aged for 10 months in French oak, 20% new. Look for aromas and flavors of bright red fruits with tangy notes of cola, herbs, barrel toast and cocoa. Good acidity makes it a natural to pair with salmon.

DIY Four-Course Dinner Paired with Oregon Pinot Noir For our second course, I went straight for the pasta – Gnocchi with Frizzled Prosciutto & Blue Cheese. It’s salty, rich and creamy, all the qualities you’d look for in a “dive-right-in” pasta dish. You’ll be drawn in by the aroma of the blue cheese, but you’ll be hooked on the crispy frizzled prosciutto that tops this dish. This gnocchi was just begging for an Oregon Pinot Noir with a good amount of acidity to it, to counteract it’s unctuousness. The 2015 Pierre Leon Pinot Noir ($55) from WillaKenzie which really complimented the funky blue cheese and salty prosciutto nicely.

Pine Wine: Oregon and its wine regions Also, the winery’s 2015 Pinot Noir “Pierre Léon, Yamhill-Carlton” has the tannins to be a red-meat wine plus superb fruit, engaging complexity and great length.

A winery flagship, this one smells a bit smoky and like cherries. With flavors of raspberry and plum, it’s juicy, acidic and spicy, with a velvety finish.