Argyle: The Art of Sparkling
by Owen Bargreen
One of the famed houses in Oregon, I fondly recall visits to Argyle Winery back in 2002 — more than a decade before their beautiful and modern facility was erected. Back when I first began tasting in Oregon I took notice that Argyle Winery was steadily gaining a sterling reputation for sparkling wines under their guidance of Oregon legendary winemaker Rollin Soles. For anyone who has visited the Willamette Valley, Argyle is always an awesome stop as they offer a really cool flight of bubbles and also produce not only one of the consistently great ‘Brut’ sparkling wines that you will find, but also their famed ‘Extended Tirage’ which has been one of the top sparkling wines made in North America.
A few years back Argyle launched ‘The Art of Sparkling’ which is an amazing project that support the talents of student artists. A collaboration with the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA), every year three PNCA student artists are selected to receive the Argyle scholarship. The students then immerse themselves in the Argyle Winery story by visiting the vineyards, winery and Tasting House. This experience serves as inspiration for their artwork. The three pieces of art are then turned into labels for the Art of Sparkling 3-bottle set. This is just an amazing program that helps support the arts and includes three bottles of their glorious new 2017 Argyle Vintage Brut Sparkling Wine (OB, 91) which overdelivers for the price.
2017 Argyle Vintage Brut – 91 Points
The 2017 Argyle Vintage Brut by Argyle Winery is geared towards finesse, with a soft texture that entices. Layers of green apple and cantaloupe tones collide with minerals and damp earth undertones on the palate. With a silky mousse and good length, this is a beautiful 2017 bottling that will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2020-2028.