What an unexpected and pleasant surprise a few weeks ago to see Seattle temperatures hit almost 70 degrees — in March! You know what that meant … time to sit on the deck with a glass of white wine.

Our wine of choice for the deck – and later to be paired with salmon barbecued on a cedar plank — was Carlton Cellars Proposal Rock 2011 Sauvignon Blanc. Crisp, elegant, refreshing, with strong notes of grapefruit, pear and citrus rind — perfect!

You might recall that I went on a tour of Carlton, Oregon wineries with friends after the 2012 Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland last summer. Fondly nicknamed “Blitz Carlton,” you can read about it here and here.

One of the bottles I brought home from Blitz Carlton was that same Carlton Cellars Sauv Blanc, knowing Dave would also enjoy it because of the strong grapefruit flavors.

He also enjoyed the story behind the name and label.

In 1999, Carlton Cellars co-owner Dave Grooters proposed to his future wife and winery parter Robin at a stunning spot at Neskowin on the Oregon Coast. Only later did Dave learn this place is actually known as Proposal Rock! Surprise!

Look at the label of Proposal Rock Sauvignon Blanc (above). See the two people? What a great story!

Dave Grooters is more than Carlton Cellars’ co-owner, grower, and winemaker. He is a storyteller, and his enthusiasm about the wines and the labels is enchanting.

He and Robin honor the Pacific by naming each wine for a special place on the Oregon coast, illustrated by really cool label art. On the right is the label from Carlton Cellars 2011 Canon Beach Pinot Gris, which I described last summer as “the crispest Pinot Gris in Oregon.”

Looking forward to visiting Carlton again next month!

Cheers!