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J. Albin Winery |
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541-752-7418 |
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John "J" Albin manages the entire grape growing and winemaking process of King Estate, the largest winery in Oregon. After work, he goes home and makes a few hundred cases of his family's "house" wine. And while the fine wines of King Estate are available across the country, we prefer to seek out the family wines of J. Albin Winery, all 500 or so cases. In 1981, when the Oregon wine industry was tiny and little known, the Albin family planted a vineyard. Almost thirty years later, their Pinot noirs show all the benefits gained for wines made from grapes whose qualities of complexity and depth can only be acquired by time. From Beer to Wine, and Seattle to Oregon A degree from U.C. Davis's Fermentation Science Program earned in 1978 launched John Albin's career. In the '80s, the good fermentation related jobs were in beer making, and John was brewmeister at craft breweries in Seattle for a decade. However, John's dream was to have a winery. Beer paid the bills, and the J Albin Winery became more thana dream with the purchase of land. The Albin's Laurel Vineyard was founded when John and his wife Lynn purchased a beautiful site in the Chehalem Mountains (now the Chehalem Mountains AVA) and planted Pinot Noir. They chose their location well, and Laurel Vineyard was soon joined by vineyards for wineries including Willakenzie and Beaux Freres. Today, the area is considered to be some of the best grape growing land in the Northwest. The Albins lived in Seattle through the 1980's and commuted to their vineyard. They traveled down I-5 on weekends to tend his vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains. John sold the grapes to King Estate, saving a bit to make the first J. Albin wines. Around 1990, selling grapes to King Estate led to managing a crew at crush time, to more seasonal jobs, and on to a full time position at King Estate. Today, John is King Estate's Director of Viticulture and Winemaking. He manages the 450 acre organic estate vineyard at King Estate, works with over 40 contract vineyards, and oversees all winemaking. He is responsible for all wine production at Oregon’s largest winery. The Laurel Vineyard The Laurel Vineyard is planted to Pinot Noir : Pommard, 113, 114 and Coury clones. The Pinot Noirs produced from this vineyard have aromas of cedar, tobacco, earth and dark cherry. These are long-lived wines with natural acidity, smooth silky tannins, with complex flavors of dark red fruit, smoked meat and oak spice. The grapes are allowed to ripen slowly over an extended season. There is something special about these wines. Celebrating its 29th growing season, the Laurel Vineyard bears some of the highest elevation and oldest vines in Oregon. The vineyard is comprised of Laurelwood and Loess wind-deposited soils from Eastern Oregon. They overlay basalt parent soils. SHOP FOR WINE
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