Jay Somers has been a fixture in the Willamette Valley since he started his first winery J. Christopher in 1996. JC Somers is his second outfit, where he and his wife Ronda Newell-Somers have found more creative freedom to make the sorts of wines they like to drink at home: old-world style wines with a focus on minerality and balance over curb appeal. This single vineyard Pinot Blanc from the Chehalem Mountains has all the focus and minerality we could want, and a heaping helping of fruit too! The nose offers pear butter, saffron, lemon peel and sage. The palate is medium weight, clean cut and refreshingly acidic, and gives flavors of pear and white strawberry and apple sauce, before a salty kick of minerality appears on the finish. This is one of the keenest and best balanced Pinot Blancs we’ve had from the Willamette Valley, and we recommend it with all the chicken, duck, seafood pasta, and creamy textured food you can dream up.