2016 “Inspiration Blend” - Awen Winecraft

Crunchy Anjou pear, bright honeysuckle, lemon wedge. Tart passion fruit, dewy grass, young coconut. Elderflower and acacia blossom, stainless steel and flinty minerals. White nectarine, citrus peel, and green apple flesh form a tense and titillating core of beautifully crisp yet mouth filling fruit overlayed with pronounced and slightly pungent florals. A wonderfully clean note of sliced cucumber glides gracefully into frame leading towards lasting impressions of lively river stone minerality. Focused, precise, and nicely zingy on the palate; bone dry and lightly oily in texture before ending with a long honeyed finish. Medium minus in body with elevated acidity and excellent balance. This 2016 "Inspiration Blend" by Awen Winecraft is a complex and refreshing Rhone-style white from Southern Oregon.

Although historically overshadowed by the Willamette Valley to its north, Southern Oregon is quickly establishing a deserved reputation as a premier viticultural region. This bottling, crafted by Awen Winecraft using a blend of 68% Grenache Blanc/19% Viognier/13% Roussanne grown within Southern Oregon's Rogue Valley appellation, beautifully exemplifies the character of this unique up-and-coming winegrowing zone. Although it possesses some of the concentration and textural richness one might expect in a Rhone white this wine is decidedly fresh and crunchy, and at 4 years of age it has not lost a morsel of its tension or energetic primary character. It is well made and classic in style while retaining plenty of stuffing at a surprisingly modest 12.4% ABV. A finely executed and remarkably delicious achievement from a region that deserves a place on every wine drinker's radar.