5 Oregon Pinots to Try Now+ 2014 1st & 2nd Team Oregon Pinot Noir All-Americans
One of wine's most exciting treasures, these bottles marry New World strengths with Burgundian finesse.By Paul Gregutt-Wine Enthusiast Mag
You’ve long heard Oregon’s Willamette Valley is home to world-class Pinot Noir.
But admit it, when it’s time to order from the wine list, or pluck one from the shop shelf, something often stops you and, instead, you sip yet another Pinot from Burgundy or California’s Russian River Valley.
And you’re not alone, ya scaredy cat.
California and Burgundy (Pinot’s hallowed ground) are home to delicious wines and are the regions you know. But you’re really missing out on one of wine’s most exciting treasures: well-crafted sips that marry New World strengths—bright, vivid fruit and natural, juicy acidity—with Burgundian finesse, detail, texture and herb and truffle nuances.
But, again, you’ve heard this all before. The only true cure for a case of Oregon-Pinot Phobia is to taste them.
Here are five Willamette Valley bottles that will change your wine life for the better.
The Proof Is In The Pinot
One of wine's most exciting treasures, these bottles marry New World strengths with Burgundian finesse.By Paul Gregutt-Wine Enthusiast Mag
You’ve long heard Oregon’s Willamette Valley is home to world-class Pinot Noir.
But admit it, when it’s time to order from the wine list, or pluck one from the shop shelf, something often stops you and, instead, you sip yet another Pinot from Burgundy or California’s Russian River Valley.
And you’re not alone, ya scaredy cat.
California and Burgundy (Pinot’s hallowed ground) are home to delicious wines and are the regions you know. But you’re really missing out on one of wine’s most exciting treasures: well-crafted sips that marry New World strengths—bright, vivid fruit and natural, juicy acidity—with Burgundian finesse, detail, texture and herb and truffle nuances.
But, again, you’ve heard this all before. The only true cure for a case of Oregon-Pinot Phobia is to taste them.
Here are five Willamette Valley bottles that will change your wine life for the better.
The Proof Is In The Pinot
EYRIE VINEYARDS
In 1970, Oregon had a grand total of five bonded wineries, a number that grew to 34 by 1980. Eyrie, along with a handful of others, worked to make Oregon Pinot Noir prominent... In 1979 they shocked the wine world, when a 1975 Eyrie Vineyards South Block Pinot Noir from Oregon placed in the Top 10 at the prestigious Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades in Paris.
Situated in a former chicken barn in the small town of McMinnville, Eyrie doesn’t look like your typical winery. Old barrels, some from the earliest days of the winery continue to be used, and fruit still comes from the Red Hills, near Dundee. Fast forward to 2015, and Jason Lett, David’s son, is now the winemaker. While there may be a lot more wineries in Oregon these days, Eyrie Vineyards is still one of the best. The 2011 Estate Pinot Noir is our current favorite with its characteristic barnyard funk and light cherry notes.
CANA’S FEAST
Over in Carlton, Oregon, a quiet town of about 2,000 soles, sits Cana’s Feast. Specializing primarily in Italian varietals, winemaker Patrick Taylor crafts everything from Counoise to Primitivo. Taylor also makes one of Oregon’s most interesting liqueurs: a bitter, Italian-stye chinato made from a Nebbiolo base. In spite of the Italian wine focus, Cana’s Feast does an outstanding job with the French Pinot Noir grape, creating a wine with more than a passing nod to the Old World. The 2012 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a mix of Pommard and Dijon clones from Freedom Hill Vineyard; the result is a cellar-worthy wine that will reach its prime in three to five years. Buy a bottle now and enjoy notes of Bing cherry, crushed violet petals, forest floor and cinnamon, then put a second bottle away for a special night in the future.
RAPTOR RIDGE WINERY
The town of Newberg is home to Raptor Ridge Winery, named for its location on a ridge in the Chehalem Mountains AVA. Founder and winemaker Scott Shull makes single vineyard Pinot Noirs sourced from some of the best vineyards in the state. The Raptor Ridge 2012 Meredith Mitchell Vineyard is a particular favorite. Exploring Pinot’s more muscular side, with dried plum, blackberry, dark cherry, baking spice, and hint of earthiness, Meredith Mitchell is big enough to stand up to more robust dishes and quite enjoyable on its own. In 2010, Scott and his wife Annie built the tasting room at Raptor Ridge, which looks out over the estate vineyards and has a view of our next winery, Ponzi Vineyards.
PONZI VINEYARDS
Ponzi is another of Oregon’s pioneers of Pinot. Founded by Dick and Nancy Ponzi in 1970, the Ponzi tasting room is an impressive, modernist structure overlooking rolling hills of vineyards. A maker of some of Oregon’s most complex and Burgundian-style Pinot Noirs, the Ponzis were also pioneers in Oregon’s craft brewing movement, opening Bridgeport Brewery, the state’s first craft brewery and the first to brew an authentic pale ale. Ponzi’s Reserve Pinot Noir is one of the finest examples of Pinot Noir anywhere, but our pick is the 2012 Ponzi Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Now made by winemaker Luisa Ponzi, who continues the tradition of quality her parents set, the 2012 showcases flavors of red raspberry, Bing cherry, tobacco, and black pepper along with hints of chocolate and dried pepper. It is both approachable, and complex, and a great companion to salmon dishes and pasta.
RANSOM WINERY AND DISTILLERY
Drive over almost to the Oregon Coast, to a small town with a federal prison and a boarding school for young Scientologists, called Sheridan. There, up a logging road and hidden from view, you will find one of Oregon’s hidden gems , Ransom Winery and Distillery. Iconoclastic winemaker and distiller Tad Seestedt works his magic in the quiet hills surrounding the winery, crafting excellent vermouths and whiskies, and recreating lost recipes for gin. With all of the hoopla surrounding his spirits, it is easy to forget that Seestedt is one of Oregon’s leading winemakers.
The Ransom Wine Company’s 2012 Cattrall Vineyard Pinot Noir is an example of Seestedt’s talent. Drawing organically farmed grapes from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, this is a heady wine filled with aromas of raspberries, plums, baking spices, cedar shavings, and a note reminiscent of an old tea chest. Rose petals and a faint hint of bay leaf pair with a certain earthiness and truffle notes. This is a wine built for a special occasion, something to share with a romantic partner over a candlelit dinner.
To explore Oregon Pinot Noir is to experience the reputation for quality that pioneers like the Letts and Ponzis helped to create. Newer wineries, like Cana’s Feast, Raptor Ridge, and Ransom are carrying on that tradition. Use these wines as your starting point to discovering Oregon Pinot Noir and you may find, much as the French did 43 years ago (1979), that these truly are world class wines. Kings of their domain.
courtesy of https://chilledmagazine.com/5-oregon-pinots-to-rock-your-world
In 1970, Oregon had a grand total of five bonded wineries, a number that grew to 34 by 1980. Eyrie, along with a handful of others, worked to make Oregon Pinot Noir prominent... In 1979 they shocked the wine world, when a 1975 Eyrie Vineyards South Block Pinot Noir from Oregon placed in the Top 10 at the prestigious Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades in Paris.
Situated in a former chicken barn in the small town of McMinnville, Eyrie doesn’t look like your typical winery. Old barrels, some from the earliest days of the winery continue to be used, and fruit still comes from the Red Hills, near Dundee. Fast forward to 2015, and Jason Lett, David’s son, is now the winemaker. While there may be a lot more wineries in Oregon these days, Eyrie Vineyards is still one of the best. The 2011 Estate Pinot Noir is our current favorite with its characteristic barnyard funk and light cherry notes.
CANA’S FEAST
Over in Carlton, Oregon, a quiet town of about 2,000 soles, sits Cana’s Feast. Specializing primarily in Italian varietals, winemaker Patrick Taylor crafts everything from Counoise to Primitivo. Taylor also makes one of Oregon’s most interesting liqueurs: a bitter, Italian-stye chinato made from a Nebbiolo base. In spite of the Italian wine focus, Cana’s Feast does an outstanding job with the French Pinot Noir grape, creating a wine with more than a passing nod to the Old World. The 2012 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a mix of Pommard and Dijon clones from Freedom Hill Vineyard; the result is a cellar-worthy wine that will reach its prime in three to five years. Buy a bottle now and enjoy notes of Bing cherry, crushed violet petals, forest floor and cinnamon, then put a second bottle away for a special night in the future.
RAPTOR RIDGE WINERY
The town of Newberg is home to Raptor Ridge Winery, named for its location on a ridge in the Chehalem Mountains AVA. Founder and winemaker Scott Shull makes single vineyard Pinot Noirs sourced from some of the best vineyards in the state. The Raptor Ridge 2012 Meredith Mitchell Vineyard is a particular favorite. Exploring Pinot’s more muscular side, with dried plum, blackberry, dark cherry, baking spice, and hint of earthiness, Meredith Mitchell is big enough to stand up to more robust dishes and quite enjoyable on its own. In 2010, Scott and his wife Annie built the tasting room at Raptor Ridge, which looks out over the estate vineyards and has a view of our next winery, Ponzi Vineyards.
PONZI VINEYARDS
Ponzi is another of Oregon’s pioneers of Pinot. Founded by Dick and Nancy Ponzi in 1970, the Ponzi tasting room is an impressive, modernist structure overlooking rolling hills of vineyards. A maker of some of Oregon’s most complex and Burgundian-style Pinot Noirs, the Ponzis were also pioneers in Oregon’s craft brewing movement, opening Bridgeport Brewery, the state’s first craft brewery and the first to brew an authentic pale ale. Ponzi’s Reserve Pinot Noir is one of the finest examples of Pinot Noir anywhere, but our pick is the 2012 Ponzi Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Now made by winemaker Luisa Ponzi, who continues the tradition of quality her parents set, the 2012 showcases flavors of red raspberry, Bing cherry, tobacco, and black pepper along with hints of chocolate and dried pepper. It is both approachable, and complex, and a great companion to salmon dishes and pasta.
RANSOM WINERY AND DISTILLERY
Drive over almost to the Oregon Coast, to a small town with a federal prison and a boarding school for young Scientologists, called Sheridan. There, up a logging road and hidden from view, you will find one of Oregon’s hidden gems , Ransom Winery and Distillery. Iconoclastic winemaker and distiller Tad Seestedt works his magic in the quiet hills surrounding the winery, crafting excellent vermouths and whiskies, and recreating lost recipes for gin. With all of the hoopla surrounding his spirits, it is easy to forget that Seestedt is one of Oregon’s leading winemakers.
The Ransom Wine Company’s 2012 Cattrall Vineyard Pinot Noir is an example of Seestedt’s talent. Drawing organically farmed grapes from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, this is a heady wine filled with aromas of raspberries, plums, baking spices, cedar shavings, and a note reminiscent of an old tea chest. Rose petals and a faint hint of bay leaf pair with a certain earthiness and truffle notes. This is a wine built for a special occasion, something to share with a romantic partner over a candlelit dinner.
To explore Oregon Pinot Noir is to experience the reputation for quality that pioneers like the Letts and Ponzis helped to create. Newer wineries, like Cana’s Feast, Raptor Ridge, and Ransom are carrying on that tradition. Use these wines as your starting point to discovering Oregon Pinot Noir and you may find, much as the French did 43 years ago (1979), that these truly are world class wines. Kings of their domain.
courtesy of https://chilledmagazine.com/5-oregon-pinots-to-rock-your-world
