Willamette: Pinot & Beyond

In fact, the driving time from Vancouver is about the same to the Willamette as it is to the Okanagan (five hours, not counting the US/CAN border). But to me, these two west coast regions couldn’t be more different; different scale, scope and result.

The Willamette is where I retreat to recharge, to reconnect and to disconnect, to eat deliciously prepared and unpretentious food, walk in the vineyards and really talk with the winemakers. Sure, there are big producers in the valley, and we see their wines on our shelves at home. But I’m most interested in seeking out the smaller players, those with handcrafted wines, generally farmed sustainably and produced collaboratively, and the price reflects the quality – notwithstanding the cross-border tax. Smaller production plus the aforementioned markups mean that we rarely see the great stuff on our markets.

Drink Pinot Think Oregon. The tagline of the Willamette Valley Wineries Association, much like the wineries themselves, is direct, confident and B.S. -free. The WVWA is a non-profit dedicated to achieving recognition for Oregon’s Willamette Valley as a premier pinot noir producing region, and planted roots back in 1986 with 11 member wineries.  First officers at inception included iconic names in Oregon wine history today: Dick Erath, Bill Blosser and David Lett. These pioneering wineries are still members today (along with nearly 200 others wineries) and undeniably their names stand synonymous with pinot noir.

Yes, absolutely, Oregon makes outstanding pinots – some of the pinot noir I’ve tasted in the Willamette stand shoulder to shoulder to Burgundy, in my humble opinion, and are among my favourite pinots in the world. But Oregon is much more than pinot. On recent trips I’ve been blown away by riesling (intense, vibrant, electric), chardonnay (freshness, elegance, restraint) and pinot gris (creamy, focused, concentrated). Throughout travels in Oregon I’ve also been enamored with pinot blanc, viognier, grüner veltliner, blaufrankish, tempranillo, syrah, counoise, barbera, cabernet franc, müller-thurgau and muscat.

Sounds unfocussed? Sounds akin to BC’s wine history to me: new regions, diverse geography, unproven soils, let’s plant stuff and see what happens. Winemaking in Oregon really took root in the 1960s, with UC Davis students heading north to practice this “cool climate viticulture” they’d studied. Between 1965 and 1968, David Lett, Charles Coury, and Dick Erath brought their families to the North Willamette Valley, established vineyards, and were the first to plant pinot noir, pinot gris, chardonnay and riesling – the four top varieties for Oregon. These first vineyards are still producing fruit – highly sought after fruit – now. After sanitizing my shoes in a footbath to prevent the spread of phylloxera (many vineyards are own rooted, with wineries fending off the root louse’s spread as long as they can) I walked through The Eyrie Vineyard with David’s son Jason Lett. This sacred slope is  THE original site of pinot noir and chardonnay planted in the Dundee Hills in 1966, and the site of the first pinot gris planted in America.

Many more pioneering families followed suit - Adelsheim, Ponzi and Sokol Blosser are just a few familiar names. However it wasn’t until David Lett, a.k.a. Papa Pinot, entered his Oregon Pinot Noir in the 1979 Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades and won top honors against Burgundy’s best, that the world began to recognize little outback Oregon as a serious winemaking region.

Since those early days, not that long ago, Oregon has grown into 15 approved winegrowing regions and more than 300 wineries producing wine from over 70 grape varieties. The Willamette Valley is the heart of Oregon wine, and is a huge and varied appellation that includes six sub-appellations; Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill Carlton. I noted three major types of soils across the valley: marine sedimentary, Jory (volcanic, red, basalt) and loess/silts. In general, I found pinot noir from the Dundee area’s Jory soils to be more perfumed, delicate, fruited-floral and feminine, while Pinot Noir from Yamhill Carlton and Ribbon Ridge’s marine sedimentary soiled areas to be stonier, more structured, minerally and masculine.

The valley streams south west from Portland, nested between Oregon's Cascade Mountains and the Coast Range, and is more than 100 miles long and spanning 60 miles at its widest point. Travel is easy (wine country is a quick 30 minute drive from Portland), towns are small and close together, the highways are lined with vines, Christmas tree farms, hazelnut groves and farms, and the foodstuffs as genuine and authentic as it comes. The Willamette Valley feeds the fervent locavore Portland food scene – see Portlandia for backgrounder.

As with the foodstuffs, sustainability governs the viticulture. In the 2011 vintage, 47% of Oregon’s vineyards were certified sustainably farmed, the most common programs found being LIVE, Organic, and Biodynamic. Every year I’ve been visiting I encounter more and more practicing biodynamics, and for the first time this past harvest, met winemakers producing natural and orange wines as well.

And finally, Oregon is simply a beautiful place, very easy to immerse yourself in. When you head on down yourself, seek out these wines and the people that make them. And please, when you Think Oregon, don’t just Drink Pinot.

When In Willamette ...
Matello Wines Whistling Ridge Pinot Noir 2011
www.matellowines.com
Matello is my favourite Oregon producer, and Marcus Goodfellow is one of my favourite winemakers period, determined to not “dumb down” his wines, end quote. This beautiful mineral-driven small lot (100 cases) is from Ribbon Ridge and its marine sedimentary soils.

Love & Squalor Fancy Pants Riesling 2010
http://loveandsqualorwine.wordpress.com
Matt Berson sees himself a “fruit preservationist” first, and it propels his search for stellar vineyard sites around the Willamette from which to blend his wines.

Johan Vineyards Drueskall Pinot Gris 2012

http://www.johanvineyards.com
This biodynamic estate in Rickerall received Demeter biodynamic certification, and is a breeding ground for not only biodynamic groundbreaking in Oregon, but also for exciting grape varieties (Melon de Bourgogne, Blaufrankish, Gruner Veltliner). Drueskall is an intriguing orange wine.

The Eyrie Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2010
www.eyrievineyards.com
Established 1966, home to David “Papa Pinot” Lett, and the place that literally put Oregon wine on the world stage. Operations are now ably overseen and led by next generation Jason Lett. Their Estate Pinot Noir 2010 is from their ‘younger’ vineyards, planted in the 1980s.

Westrey Wine Company Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir 2011
www.westrey.com
Westrey Wine Company was founded in 1993 by co-winemakers Amy Wesselman and David Autrey, today, two of the Willamette’s leading wine resources. Abbey Ridge is one of the older sites in the Dundee Hills, and the 2011 Pinot Noir exemplifies the perfumed Dundee style.

Minimus Wines No. 5 Reduction
www.minimuswines.com
Chad Stock doesn’t release vintages, just experiments. Minimus is a series of one-offs, centered on satisfying Chad and his wife Jessica’s insatiable curiosity, and founded on their bare-bones philosophy of making “fermented grape juice in a bottle.” Reduction is Experiment #5 in the series.

Other Willamette Wineries to Watch For :

Archery Summit
Andrew Rich Wines
Big Table Farm
Brooks Wines
Cristom
Crowley
Domaine Drouhin Oregon
Elk Cove
Evening Land Vineyards
J.K. Carriere Wines
Ken Wright Cellars
Montinore Estate
Patricia Green Cellars
Sokol Blosser
Shea Wine Cellars
Stoller Family Estate Vineyards
Owen Roe
Walter Scott Wines
*an earlier version of this story originally ran on WineAlign.

Oregon Wines Available on Our Market, Tasted within past Two Years :
89 Domaine Drouhin Arthur Chardonnay 2011
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $32.00 specialty listing, ON $28.00
Arthur is made from 100% Dijon clones that were first planted in Oregon in 1992. Reputed to be among the oldest of their kind in the New World, they were chosen for their low yields and early ripening ability to match the region’s climate and soils. The 2011 was picked very late in the season and has a cool mineral tone with fresh lemon, spicy nutty notes on the nose. The attack is spare with juicy, floral, pear honey, butter and lime flavours. An elegant lean style with finesse. Needs a year or two to round out. Perfect for wine lists. Arthur was first made in 1996 and renamed in honor of Véronique Drouhin-Boss' son with the 2002 release. (AG-ST)

88 Duck Pond Pinot Noir 2010
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $30.00 specialty listing, AB $27.00 private wine shops
The Duck Pond workhorse at just over 15,500 cases is a pleasant drinking pinot that spends some eight months in French and neutral American oak. The style is light and earthy with just a touch of cherry rhubarb. The finish is light but well balanced with just a hint of sweetness. Pair this with lightly spiced foods for best effect. Ready to drink. (AG-ST)

93 Domaine Drouhin Laurène 2010
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $78.00 private wine shops, AB $70.00, NS $55.00, ON $60.00, QC $55.00
Named after winemaker Véronique Drouhin's daughter, Laurène there is little doubt this is one of the star labels of the property. The estate fruit is handled with utmost care, handpicked and fermented with indigenous yeasts. It’s aged in less than 20% new oak and finally only the best barrels are selected to be included in Laurène. In 2010 the wine sings with a sensational nose of dried herbs, strawberries, rhubarb and a hint of pepper. The tannin adds structure before melting in your mouth. Soft round juicy and supple it is the pinnacle of pinot noir with grace and elegance. Is it the best ever? (AG-ST)

90 Domaine Drouhin Arthur Chardonnay 2012
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $32.00 specialty listing, ON $28.00
Citrus, floral attractive nutty lees nose with light vanilla aromas. Fresh, crisp, juicy but creamy palate with green apple, waxy, nutty, butterscotch, spicy, nectarine skin and pea shoot flavours with a citrusy finish. Good intensity but still youthful and will continue to improve in bottle. Perfect with fresh halibut. Arthur is made from 100% Dijon clones that were first planted in Oregon in 1992. (AG-ST)

90 Domaine Drouhin Laurène 2011
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $78.00 private wine shops, AB $70.00, NS $55.00, ON $60.00, QC $55.00
Laurène is the eldest daughter of winemaker/owner Véronique Drouhin and as it happens her name graces the winery’s finest label. It’s all estate, handpicked, fermented on its own yeast, in French oak never more than 20 percent is new. Let me repeat never more than 20 percent is new. In the end the best barrels make the blend or least the ones that allow Veronique to best express the site. In 2011 the crop was late bringing some troubled grapes to the winery that had to be sorted properly. The nose is classic Oregon tea spice and rooty celery salt and rhubarb. The palate is full and mouth coating in the pinot style with more red fruit raspberries and pomegranate and spice. Still a bit unknit and not quite the 2010, but consider it to be brooding. Time will cure all. 3000 bottles were made. (AG-ST)

87 Duck Pond Pinot Noir 2012
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $30.00 specialty listing, AB $27.00 private wine shops
Low key but reliable the ‘regular’ pinot spends some eight months in French and neutral American oak. The style is medium-weight with a predominately earthy, barnyard black cherry palate and a fairly oaky finish. Best with food at the moment. (AG-ST)

89 La Crema Pinot Noir Willamette 2012
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $40.00 speculative listing - Summit Wines, AB $40.00 private wine shops
Floral, strawberry jam, cocoa, carrot top, maraschino cherry, vanilla and light compost aromas. Fresh, juicy, delicate and dry palate with good acidity and very light tannins. Smoky, vanilla, worsteshire, celery salt, rhubarb, cedar, tobacco leaf and raspberry flavours. Finish is warm but creamy and offers nice fruit intensity with delicacy to drink now - 5 years. (AG-ST)

90 Domaine Serene Pinot Noir Evenstad Reserve 2011
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $100.00 specialty listing
Smoky, strawberry jam, carrot top, light saddle leather, bacon, caraway, vanilla and orange peel aromas. Dry, fresh, elegant, juicy palate but slightly light and austere. Tobacco leaf, raspberry, smoky herb, light game, rhubarb, coffee and resin flavours. Delicate, cooler style with a touch of lean tannins on the finish. Needs a few years yet to fully mature. Best with duck or mushrooms at the moment. (AG-ST)

90 Matello Wines Cuvée Lazarus Pinot Noir 2011
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $37.00 speculative listing - Sedimentary Wines
If you see a Matello label, scoop it up, because winemaker Marcus Goodfellow’s small lots do not last long and are rarely seen on our market. These exceptional wines come from small family-owned and operated vineyards in the northern Willamette Valley and are from sustainably raised, non-irrigated vines. This typifies reds from this cooler 2011 vintage, with their lean edged fruit and rapier acidity. Forty percent whole cluster, fermented with native yeast and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Bright youthful fruit on first approach – bing and Rainier cherries, strawberries and light, earthy spice. The palate shows perfumed black raspberries and an herbal stem / lightly (and alluringly) bitter note before trailing into the finish with raspberry seeds and spice. Like all of his wines, savoury, finessed and evocative, and resolutely not “dumbed down”. Enjoy now with grilled wild salmon or cellar for 5-7 years. (TR)

90 Erath Pinot Noir 2012
Willamette Valley, Oregon, United States
BC $33.00 specialty listing, QC $38.00
Easily one of the best ‘Oregon’ pinot noir I have tasted from Erath in this market. Love the juicy black cherry fruit and red plum aromas. The attack is pinot sweet with beautiful silky textures and plenty of finesse at just 13.5 per cent alcohol and only 25 percent new Oak. This slides down effortlessly with cran-cherry black cherry fruit with just a hint of compost. Delicious food friendly. Stock up. (AG-ST)

88 King Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir 2012
Oregon, United States
BC $25.00 specialty listing
Fresh spicy, cocoa, celery salt, strawberry ‘Oregon’ nose flecked with vanilla and licorice. The attack is juicy with savoury, smoky, celery salt, pepper, strawberry jam flavours and silky tannins. A solid, easy-sipping, modern-style pinot you could serve with your favourite pork dishes. (AG-ST)

88 King Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir 2012
Oregon, United States
BC $25.00 specialty listing
King Estate Winery is one of the major players in the Oregon wine scene. Here, with grapes from "western Oregon" they've created an easy, soft and approachable light red with discernible pinot noir character. Subtle cherry, earth and cassis on the nose. The juicy, soft palate shows the same, along with black cherry and sweeter raspberry jam. Acid is bright, but the wood feels disjointed and angular through to the finish. Best poured with salmon burgers or pork sandwich. (TR)