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Burgundy aficionados might balk on the notion of Oregon being the “new” Burgundy, primarily as a result of the previous Burgundy remains to be making extremely sought-after benchmark wines, however based mostly on what I’ve been tasting from Oregon of late, I believe it’s protected to say that the state is on monitor to producing pinot noir that may problem the French wine throne.
If journal scores are your factor, then the numbers again up this notion, with most of Oregon’s greatest producers racking up numbers within the excessive 90s, alongside their Burgundian counterparts. It’s essential to do not forget that scores are sometimes one individual’s opinion, and no two palates are alike. In any occasion, it’s price wanting on the progress being made in Oregon, and what you may look forward to finding as of late.
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Winemaking in Oregon dates again to 1847, and it went by way of the identical trials and tribulations as all American wineries did with the onset of prohibition which resulted in 1933. Hillcrest Winery was established by UC Davis graduate Richard Sommer in 1965, adopted intently by David Lett of Eyrie Vineyards in 1966. Pinot noir appeared a logical alternative regardless of the grape’s fame for being notoriously tough to get proper.
Oregon and Burgundy sit on the identical latitude however from the angle of terroir, the areas differ in that Burgundy is predominately limestone soils whereas Oregon is especially volcanic and basalt. Oregon sees a major maritime affect as properly and, as such, the similarities are associated extra to the clonal materials, being primarily Burgundian clones throughout a lot of the state’s wine areas. Most winemakers will inform you they don’t seem to be attempting to make Burgundy, which is honest, however because the wines have gotten higher and higher over time, the comparisons are exhausting to keep away from. A substantial amount of the enhancements might be attributed to vine age and easily a greater understanding of terroir and pinot noir’s fickle nature.
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The Willamette Valley is pinot noir central with 23 AVAs (American Viticultural Areas) inside the state. There are over 700 wineries within the Willamette inside their 11 AVAs, which is so much contemplating the area is simply 150 kilometres lengthy. From a wine tourism perspective, the area is far lower-key than Napa Valley and Sonoma, and one would possibly say it’s decidedly sleepy. There are exceptions, such because the Worldwide Pinot Noir Convention (IPNC) held each July, a weekend-long out of doors occasion that could be a world-class showcase for pinot noir. I’ve been to this occasion twice and it ranks among the many nice wine festivals of the world with distinctive meals and a large swath of top-notch pinot noir from Oregon, Burgundy and past.
For the longest time, Oregon had embraced pinot gris as its white grape calling card. There have been, and are, some excellent examples however with a couple of exceptions they weren’t very thrilling and barely achieved the depth of one of the best examples from Alsace, for instance. Of late, Oregon chardonnay has been approaching sturdy, and, dare I say it, fairly Burgundian in fashion. If you happen to come throughout Ken Wright’s (one among Oregon’s oldest and most revered pinot noir producers) chardonnay, it’s properly price attempting; it’s a fantastically balanced, mineral-driven white wine. One other French connection between the 2 areas comes courtesy of Domaine’s Drouhin and Louis Jadot (Jadot’s venture known as Résonance), two of Burgundy’s largest and most revered wineries. Then there may be Night Land, a vineyard that was began in 1980 however made waves in 2005 after they enlisted Burgundian famous person Dominique Lafon as their consulting winemaker. Lafon retired from winemaking in 2021, handing over his vineyard to his daughter Léa and nephew, Pierre, and Night Land now has Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman on the helm, a vigneron tag crew identified for his or her work in California at Domaine de la Côte (in Santa Rita) and Sandhi Wines in Sonoma.
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If you happen to’re ready to leap into the Oregon pinot pool, be warned that like virtually all good pinot noirs, they don’t come low-cost, sometimes between $35 to $200 a bottle. Nonetheless, that’s a cut price in comparison with what you may spend on Burgundy as of late. My favorite producers embrace Ken Wright, Cristom, John Thomas (costly and exhausting to search out), Illahe, Bergstrom, Suzor, Antica Terra (additionally exhausting to search out), and Domaine Drouhin. There are loads that I haven’t had time to get round to but, however I absolutely intend to, possibly on the subsequent IPNC. Cheers!
Geoff Final is a long-time Calgary wine service provider author, teacher, and broadcaster. He might be heard each Friday on CJSW’s Street Pops program between 4 -6 p.m. He was awarded a fellowship at Napa Valley’s Symposium of Skilled Wine Writers for articles which have appeared on this column.
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