This is part of a series Matt and I are calling our “Summer of Wine.” We are exploring our wine refrigerator, pulling out white and rosé wines that are a bit older. Sadly, neither of us are great at tracking what we buy and drink, and more importantly, don’t drink. After a recent visit to the wine fridge, we realized we have a lot of wines that probably should have been consumed already. So the question is: are they still as good as when we bought them? Or did we wait too long to drink them?

We recently popped open a 2010 Müller-Thurgau white wine from Montinore Estate in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. It is a common German varietal that thrives in this region. Not the prettiness of names, but don’t let that fool you, it’s got minerals and acidity with summer fruit notes galore.

The color is a really nice golden straw hue and the wine has aromas of petrol, green apples, melons, white peaches and lemon zest. On the palate, we both found it tasted of green apples, mangos, key limes and lemon zest. Although we weren’t sure if this wine would still be ok, it was! Oregon Müller Thurgau’s tend to have an abundance of minerality and this one also had a pleasant honey finish to it.

Montinore Estate is located near the small hamlet of Forest Grove, close to the western edge of the Willamette Valley AVA. It nearly butts up to the coastal mountain range, which plays a part in the weather. As compared to Dundee, what many consider the heart of the Willamette Valley, Forest Grove experiences increased snowfall and fewer sunny days.

Besides making great wines, the folks at Montinore Estate are passionate about being good stewards of the land. Their 210 acres are farmed sustainably and Demeter Certified Biodynamic as well as Stellar Certified Organic. Montinore Estate is also consistently ranked in the top 20 Oregon producers by volume.

Although I had grabbed a back up bottle, in case this one wasn’t to our liking, we didn’t need to open it. With an alcohol level of just 10.2%, this Müller Thurgau truly is an excellent summer sipper that is both refreshing and food-friendly. I doubt you can still buy their 2010 Müller, I’m certain you can get the current vintage! And know that if you accidentally forget about it for a few years, it’s probably going to be just fine…