Reviews & Ratings

2007 Novy White Blends or Varietals "Blanc de Noir"

Winery: Novy

Vintage: 2007

Wine Name/Vineyard: "Blanc de Noir"

Wine Category: White Blends or Varietals

Grape blend: 100% Pinot Noir

Bottle size: 750 ml

Region: Willamette Valley

State or country: OR

Price: $25

Cases produced: 117

KWG Score: 89 (based on 1 review)

Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good (89.99-87)

Review date: November 26, 2008

Wine Review: Here is a wine that you won’t come across everyday. A white wine made from 100% Pinot Noir. This truly gold colored wine opens with an inviting ripe pear like bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied. It has a unique flavor profile of young green pear flavors with light minerality. The finish is dry and subtle. This wine is very versatile and would pair well with many chicken dishes. I’m thinking really well with Chicken Cordon Bleu. Enjoy - Ken

Winemaker Notes: The image of making lemonade out of lemons isn't something that immediately comes to mind when discussing winemaking. However, sometimes it is a very accurate description of what we do. The 2007 Oregon harvest provided us with that opportunity. As we briefly mentioned in the introduction, it did rain a good bit during the 2007 growing season. In fact, our vineyards received over 2.5 inches of rain in one week and then, just a few days later, another 4 inches of rain fell. These are certainly far from ideal growing conditions. In this situation, we decided to take a chance and make something different from the grapes. The goal was to extract as much good tasting juice from the grapes without pulling out any color. So, what does this unique wine taste like? First off, it is surprisingly, remarkably good. Ryan Zepaltas, our very talented assistant winemaker, thought this was the craziest idea we had ever possessed. Now, the Blanc de Noir is his favorite Novy white wine. It possesses some of the midpalate weight & richness of Chardonnay but with exceptional acidity. The nose, however, is a bit more exotic with hints of orange and cherry fruits. Quite frankly, it smells more like Marsanne or Rousanne but, combined with the weight and fruit flavors, it ultimately is its own uniquely wonderful wine.

Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Novy 2007 Blanc de Noir.