2008 Argyle Knudsen Vineyard Julia Lee's Block Chardonnay Blanc de Blancs

Argyle was established in 1987 when Brian Croser and Rollin Soles started making wine in the Willamette Valley. The partners started with the 120-acre Knudsen Vineyards in the hills of Dundee, where they focused on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Argyle now also owns 160 acres in the Yamhill AVA, which is 15 miles south of the winery, as well as the Stoller and Spirit Hill Vineyards. Argyle produces Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, and sparkling wines, which win special notice from reviewers. Robert M. Parker Jr. says that Argyle makes “some of the best sparkling wine made in the U.S.” The Pinot Noir also earns complimentary reviews.

Willamette Valley AVA was established in 1983, and it is the oldest appellation in Oregon. Oregon’s modern wine industry began in the Willamette Valley in the 1960s when artists, vagabond winemakers, and U.C. Davis oenology graduates looking for new territory started their own, small, off-the-grid wineries. The appellation is the state’s largest, and it extends 175 miles from Columbia River on the Washington/Oregon border to just south of Eugene, near central Oregon. The Willamette River runs through the area, helping to give the appellation a mild year-round climate. There are six smaller sub-appellations within this AVA, but altogether the Willamette Valley has the largest concentration of wineries in Oregon, as well as the majority of the state’s most famous producers. Pinot Noir is king here, followed by Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. To most admirers of Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley offers the most distinctive wine choices in the state.