Sokol Blosser Pinot Noir véraison 2019

The buzz surrounding ​Oregon wines continues to build, as today’s wines astonish on their own merits, consistently rating highly among wine experts and the wine drinking public.  Over fifty years ago, the pioneers of Oregon winemaking planted vines and produced a Pinot Noir that stood glass to glass with its Burgundian relative, amazing the wine world with a 10th place in the 1979 Wine Olympics blind tasting competition held in Paris.  That wine, David Lett’s Eyrie Vineyards 1975 South Block Reserve Pinot Noir, opened the door to a parallel existence with Burgundian winemaking for years, but now Oregon winemakers are charting their own course, defining their terroir, planting the best clones, and discovering the best vineyard and winemaking practices that stamp their wines as unique.  Attracting French Burgundy producers since the mid-1980’s, today’s Oregon wine scene encompasses 1,200 vineyards and 900 wineries, quite an achievement for a mere 50 years in existence.

Maysara Vineyards

Sokol Blosser solar panels

Brooks vineyards with nest boxes

The Willamette Valley is the largest and best-known of the 21 AVAs throughout the state, with over half of all wine made from estate-grown fruit.  Pinot Noir is the darling here, making up 69% of the varietals grown, followed by Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and a host of others.  Fiercely committed to preserving the environment, over half of Oregon’s vineyards are certified sustainable.  Value for high quality, the wines embody all that makes up site expression, meaning that an Oregon Pinot Noir is not easily classified, as each vineyard and winemaker reflects its diverse origins, different in clones, soils, micro-climates and all the minutiae that goes into making them so individual.  If there is a style that is common, one might say that Oregon Pinot Noir is fruit forward, with a supple texture, crisp acidity and ripe tannins, well balanced in its elegant complexity.  After that, each is distinct and different.

Le Cadeau Vineyard, Chehalem Hills AVA

Youngberg Hill, McMinnville AVA

Willamette Valley AVA map, Courtesy of Willamette Wines

Willamette Valley wines have a unique expression, which comes from a layer cake of geology, with a jumble of ancient soils, where cataclysmic floods, glaciers and volcanoes carved out the bedrock of today’s vineyards.  Small scale wineries took root here, with a determined focus on sustainable viticulture.  Climate coddles the wine grapes, with cool weather to preserve its character, diurnal temperature swings that impart lively acidity, and fifteen hours of summer sunshine to slowly ripen and concentrate the fruit.  The hallmark of these Pinot Noir wines are red fruit flavors, high acidity, and an earthy structure that is a shared trait, but many microclimates impart uniquely different nuances.  There are nine nested AVAs within the Willamette Valley, and each has a distinctive style due to the soil types and wind conditions.

Courtesy Oregon Wine Board

Oregon’s wine labeling regulations are the strictest in the United States, a guarantee to the consumer that what they are paying for is what they are getting.  To be labeled Oregon wine, 100% of the grapes must be from Oregon, and if it’s an AVA, 95% of the grapes must be from that appellation.  It it’s a varietally-labeled wine, 90% must be of that variety, and if you think that’s no big deal, on the federal level, it’s only 75%.

Winemakers Colin Eddy, John House, Janie Brooks Heuck, Chris Williams (behind her), James Frey, and Tom Fitzpatrick

Winemakers Ian Burrows, Doug Tunnell, Laura Lee, and Vincent Fritzsche

(L-R) Winemaker Jason Lett with pioneers and legends of Willamette Valley wine, Richard & Nancy Ponzi, David Adelsheim, Harry Peterson-Nedry, and Susan Sokol Blosser

Winemakers Thomas Savre, Clare Carver, Ben Casteel, and Shane Moore

Winemakers Rachel Rose, Suzanne Larson, Chris James, Joe Wright, Anne Hubatch, and Laura Cusick

Winemakers Thomas Houseman, Shane Moore, Eugenia Keegan, James Frey, and Steve Lutz

In 2019, I participated in an intensive exploration of Willamette Valley wines with the Wine Writers' Educational Tours (WWET), led by Wine Educator/Sommelier/Writer Fred Swan.  A group of wine writers from across the nation embarked on a four day deep dive into as many AVAs as we could, and I discovered that it was a complex region, and that it might take a lifetime to truly learn and digest all the nuances and terroir.  But more so, I was blown away by the people, drawn together by a love of wine and camaraderie, working tirelessly to define their potential and communicate it to the world.  Here is a brief summary of the many world class wineries and dedicated winemakers that I met on that trip who have come together in the pursuit of fine wine.  Below each AVA name, the wineries that I visited are listed below it.

Native Flora Vineyards, Dundee Hills AVA

Sokol Blosser Vineyards, Dundee Hills AVA

Dundee Hills AVA
This is Ground Zero for the Oregon Pinot Noir explosion that hit the world’s wine market with the first plantings of wine grapes in the Willamette Valley.  Dundee Hills is renowned for their red Jory soils, which has been found to be nirvana for Pinot Noir vines.  These elegant, silky Pinot Noirs can range from fruit-forward to complex and earthy, but are especially defined by red berry flavors (especially raspberry), violet floral notes, an earthiness, mineral hint, and gentle tannins, plush yet with a focused energy and intensity all their own, accented by a cherry cola quality.

(L-R) Geoff Hall, Vineyard Manager & Viticulturist, and Nate Klostermann, Winemaker

Argyle Winery was founded in 1987, with a focus on producing world-class sparkling wine and then added Pinot Noir as a still wine to their lineup.  Winemaker Nate Klostermann has elevated their wine offerings, crafting graceful and complex sparklers along with vibrant and balanced Pinot Noirs, Chardonnays and Rieslings.  There’s a lot of detail involved in coaxing the maximum individuality, depth and character of these wines, which the team seems to have mastered.  Receiving the highest scores for any extended tirage sparkling wines made outside of Champagne, Argyle has set the standard for New World bubbles.

Susan Sokol Blosser and 50 years of family winemaking

Sokol Blosser Winery is a family-run winery, founded by Bill and Susan Sokol Blosser in 1971, and today is run by siblings Alex and Alison, winemaker and CEO.  Pioneers in classic Pinot Noir in the region, Sokol Blosser helped develop and shape Oregon’s infant wine industry over 50 years ago and opened the state’s first tasting room in 1978.  Focused on “Good to the Earth”, they are certified organic and sustainable, and use low impact packaging, all in an effort to support people, planet and profit in a holistic way.  They produce award-winning Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling, various incarnations of Pinot Noir, sparkling wines and Rosé that reflect the distinctive flavors of their hillside vineyards.  And they are adding a new, fun part of their iconic Sokol Blosser brand, Evolution boxed wine for those consumers who want to try something new with the same high quality but a lower price point.

Native Flora tasting view, Courtesy of Native Flora

Scott Flora pours his wine for Fred Swan

Native Flora is a small, secluded winery that owner Scott Flora built to buck many winemaking conventions.  Flora, a rule breaker, looked at the wine industry with a fresh set of eyes, wanting to experiment and make small batch wines.  He planted his vineyards on a north-facing slope, uses sheep year round in the vineyards, lives and works on site, and continually works to improve the interface between human activity and animal and plant life on the farm.  He is especially focused on collecting, filtering and re-using rainwater, as part of a sustainable footprint.  Several Pinot Noirs, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gouges (rare), Riesling, sparkling wine, Rosé, a Blanc de Pinot Noir, and an unusual red blend (Pinot Noir, Malbec, Syrah) are produced.  For a different tasting experience, call Scott and Denise to make an appointment, and they will personally guide you through a private tasting of their wines and share their story.

Le Cadeau Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains AVA

Chehalem Mountains AVA
Home to the highest point in the Willamette Valley, Bald Peak, the variable soils and many mesoclimates among the ridges yield many different styles of wine.  Known for a bolder style of Pinot Noir, this area produces intensely fruity wines, with bright red berry fruit, red licorice, cinnamon spice and earthy mushroom notes, textured with fine-grained tannins, that pair well with a variety of food.

Anna Maria Ponzi, President

Luisa Ponzi, Winemaker

Ponzi Vineyards is one of the founding wineries of the Willamette Valley, established in 1970, this is a family affair.  Second generation winemaker Luisa Ponzi has led the charge to craft a tapestry of intriguing wines, from a host of Pinots (Noir, Gris, Blanc, Rosé), Chardonnay, Riesling, the Italian varietals of Arneis and Dolcetto, and sparkling wines.  Anna Maria Ponzi, Luisa’s sister, is President of the family winemaking empire, using her business savvy to expand their footprint.  Owned by both sisters, Ponzi is one of the few sister-run wineries in the US.  Ponzi’s old vine Pinot Noirs are powerful, generous, and balanced with a rich and velvety palate.  Renowned for their unique Laurelwood Soil, Luisa feels that it adds distinction to the wines; blue and black fruit, spice and rustic tannins to the Pinot Noir, white floral aromas, brilliant acidity and salinity to the Chardonnay.  Because of its imprint on the wines, Luisa and Anna Maria Ponzi worked to make a part of this area Oregon’s newest AVA, the Laurelwood District.

Tom Mortimer of Le Cadeau Vineyard

Tom Mortimer of Le Cadeau Vineyard

Le Cadeau Vineyard was founded in 1996 by Deb and Tom Mortimer with the singular purpose of growing complex and distinct Pinot Noir.  The Mortimers found this undeveloped land on Parrett Mountain, a diamond in the rough that contained many soil types, slope aspects and microclimates.  Thoughtful planting of fourteen clones of Pinot Noir over sixteen acres has yielded magnificent wines, fresh and intense aromatics, pure fruit accented with Asian spice and an earthy character.  While Pinot Noir is dominant, with seven different bottlings, a couple of sparkling wines and a Chardonnay round out the lineup, all made exclusively with estate-grown fruit.

Fairsing Vineyard harvest, Yamhill Carlton AVA, Courtesy of Willamette Valley Wines

Yamhill Carlton AVA 
Surrounded and protected by mountain ranges on three sides, a warm climate and ancient marine soils nurture vineyards that are interspersed with farmland, forests, and orchards.  Intense and structured Pinot Noir wines, deep in color and mouth-filling, are made here.  Voluptuous, elegant and layered, with dark fruit, floral notes, and mineral, with accents of tobacco, espresso, clove and dark chocolate, the wines are distinguished by a distinct tannin signature.  These Pinot Noir wines incorporate fine-grained tannins that melt and cover your mouth, with the overall impression of a richer and more savory wine.

Shane Moore, winemaker for Gran Moraine

General Manager Eugenia Keegan

Gran Moraine Winery is named for the geological forces that shaped its vineyard lands during the last Ice Age.  The ancient marine soils and diurnal temperature swings allow them to make age-worthy Pinot Noir.  Winemaker Shane Moore likes the “stamp of terroir” that their wines exhibit, ripe and rich, balanced but almost “al dente”, his perception of the edge of ripeness where interesting flavors are found.  Moore believes that winemaking is like art, and that the space “between the chaos and the calm” is where you can make great wine.  There is a seamless balance between the acidity, minerality and deep fruit.  Gran Moraine makes Chardonnay, Rosé of Pinot Noir, and several versions of Pinot Noir.  

Bethel Heights Vineyard, Courtesy of Bethel Heights

Bethel Heights Vineyard had been an abandoned walnut grove until 1977, when two families came together to pursue a dream.  Twin brothers, Terry and Ted Casteel, and their wives left the academic life and came together to develop a winery operation.  One of the earliest vineyards in the area, they planted grape vines directly in the ground on their own roots, not root stock that is commonly used to protect the vines from phylloxera.  Today, these Legacy blocks of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are some of the last own-rooted vines in the world, and make up two-thirds of the original Bethel Heights vineyard.  But additional planting on the property, the Justice vineyard, has revealed a different soil type, which yields surprising differences in their wines.  Today, Bethel Heights is still owned by members of the Casteel-Dudley-Webb families, and Ben, Terry’s son, is the winemaker.  Pioneers in “sensible and sustainable viticulture”, their Pinot Noirs are highly prized because of the quality of their fruit.  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris are made here.

Van Duzer Vineyard, Van Duzer Corridor AVA, Photo by Andrea Johnson, Courtesy of Willamette Valley Wines

Van Duzer Corridor AVA
This gap in the Coastal Range mountains allows cool Pacific Ocean breezes to flow into the western Willamette Valley, allowing for longer hang-times on the vines and consequently more complex wines to be made.  The afternoon winds make for thicker grape skins and as such, produce wines with more acidity, phenolic structure, and dense tannins.  The Pinot Noirs consist of dark fruit, tea leaf, and earthy notes, the white wines have bright fruit and high acidity, with weight and texture.

Field of Dreams Vineyard, Courtesy of Left Coast Estate

Courtesy of Left Coast Estate

(L-R) Taylor Pfaff, Suzanne Larson, Bob E. Pfaff, Cali Pfaff, Courtesy of Left Coast Estate

Left Coast Estate is a second generation, family-owned and operated winery dedicated to sustainability, in the farming and the winemaking.  On this gorgeous 500-acre estate, 142 acres are planted to vineyards, but over 200 acres are maintained as a wildlife habitat.  Left Coast considers themselves to be “stewards of the land”, and have received recognition for its efforts in biodiversity.  They have pursued many avenues to be holistic; solar power, LIVE certified, Salmon Safe, and working towards Carbon neutral.  Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Pinot Meunier, Syrah and Viognier have found a home here, along with a multitude of bird species.  In addition to the award-winning Left Coast wines, winemaker Joe Wright crafts his own special interpretation of this part of the world under the J. Wright label.  Left Coast is also a working farm, with a greenhouse, bee hives, and chickens and ducks, which contributes to the tasting room’s farm fresh market vibe.  Members of the Pfaff family work together to manage the estate; son Taylor is CEO, daughter Cali is the Creative Director and Landscape Architect, elder son Karleton contributes his skills in the kitchen and metal fabricating, dad is the Chef and Master Gardener, and mom Suzanne Larson is the Brand Ambassador, all welcoming visitors to their little piece of heaven.

Brooks estate vineyards, Eola-Amity Hills AVA, Courtesy of Brooks Winery

Eola-Amity Hills AVA 
Wines grown here are some of the most exciting in Willamette Valley.  Flanked by hills on both sides, this AVA, with its shallow and rocky soils, cool ocean winds and large diurnal temperature swings, produces complex wines.  Inky, structured Pinot Noir with firm acidity and big, blocky tannins become age-worthy wines.  Rich and concentrated, with notes of dark fruit, oolong tea, spice, smoke, kelp, umami and iodine all make for powerful and savory Pinot Noir.

Courtesy of Methven Family Vineyards

Methven Family Vineyards produces premium, small lot wines from their estate varietals of Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Riesling.  These award-winning wines have caught the attention of those Oregon vintners in the know, who clamor to buy their fruit.  Hands on, detail oriented winemaking make for a very personalized bottle of wine.  Allen and Jill Methven purchased these 100 acres in 2001, and today have planted 30 acres of mostly Pinot Noir.  While their Pinot Noir is world class, it’s their Gamay that has enthralled so many, it’s so intriguing, and consistently sold out.

(L-R) Pascal Brooks, Janie Brooks Heuck, and Chris Williams, Courtesy of Brooks Winery

Winemaker Chris Williams, Courtesy of Brooks Winery

Tribute to Jimi Brooks, Courtesy of Brooks Winery

Brooks Tasting Room and Winery Complex, Courtesy of Brooks Winery

Brooks Winery was started by Jimi Brooks, a charismatic young Portland winemaker in 1998.  Brooks, passionate about the Willamette Valley, Riesling, and biodynamic farming, was a larger than life figure locally.  In 2004, Brooks had gone all in with his own winery, leaving his day jobs at other larger wineries to focus on his vision.  In 2004, he unexpectedly died of an aortic aneurism at 38, leaving friends and family to rally around his fledgling winery.  His sister, Janie Brooks Heuck, took over the business, hoping to pass it on to Brooks’ young son, Pascal, when he grew up.  Chris Williams, Jimi’s friend, came on board, making the wines as great as Jimi imagined they would be.  Burnished in the crucible of this heartbreaking saga, today’s Brooks Winery has many avid fans.  Crafting over 50 wines that encompass a range of styles, sites, and varietals, Brooks is best known for their Riesling, intensely aromatic wines with complex layers of flavor, different sweetness levels and are absolutely age-worthy.  And if you think you know Riesling, think again.  The Extended Tirage Sparkling Riesling is stunning, bone dry, expressive, with spice on the nose; the Eclipse Totality Riesling is exotic and textural.  Brooks produces more Riesling than any other winery in the US, but also produces almost two dozen Pinot Noirs that express the spectrum of styles and profiles.  And there are also many other wines made with fruit from other vineyards, white wines of Viognier, Muscat, Pinot Blanc, and a Melon de Bourgogne; red wines include Tempranillo, Petite Sirah, and Syrah.  Janie has energized the winery with cooking events, concert series, Friday Pizza Nights, and a lively Tasting Room experience, complete with Chef Norma’s perfect food pairings, using local ingredients and produce from their very own garden.

Maysara Vineyard view, McMinnville AVA

McMinnville AVA
Wine grapevines struggle here, and with its geology and climate, a more muscular and intense Pinot Noir is produced.  Dark fruit and earthiness is the hallmark, although there is some variation between richer and more fruit forward from the eastern slopes, and more acidic and herbaceous from the southern slopes.  These savory wines of dark fruit and spice develop layers of complexity over time.

Wayne Bailey of Youngberg Hill

Youngberg Hill is a family-owned vineyard estate, with a spectacular view over the Valley from their tasting room complex on a 50-acre hilltop.  The Bailey family acquired the winery in 2003, which included an inn and 10 acres of Pinot Noir.  They have since planted another 10 acres, focused on creating fine wine from their estate fruit, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.  Farming these 20 acres organically, Wayne Bailey practices biodynamic and dry farming, what he calls “holistic”  in order to be sustainable and in sync with Mother Nature, coaxing maximum expression from the fruit.  Several single block Pinot Noirs, a Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, and Rosé of Pinot Noir are crafted.

Moe Momtazi in his Maysara vineyard

Moe, Flora, and their three daughters, Tahmiene, Naseem, and Hanna

Maysara Immigrant Pinot Noir

Maysara Winery is a biodynamic wine enterprise, launched with that intention from the very beginning.  In 1997, Iranian immigrants Moe and Flora Momtazi purchased 496 acres of an abandoned wheat farm that had been wild and untouched for years.  Planting Pinot Noir across these hills over the next few years, Moe is holistic all the way, growing medicinal flowers and herbs that are made into compost teas that nurture the soils and promote vine health.  No chemicals ever touch these vines,  Today’s Maysara is a family affair, with their three daughters making the wine, selling the wine, and organizing events and hospitality.  But Moe is still all in, supervising the health of the soil and the vines that yield superior grapes, of which they sell 60% of their harvest to other wineries.  Maysara produces several Pinot Noirs, Riesling, Pinot Gris, and a sparkling Pinot Noir Rosé, in addition to a special Immigrant Pinot Noir, dedicated to all immigrants with one-third of the proceeds supporting local refugee and immigrant services.

Winemakers Brianne Day, Wayne Bailey, Anne Sery, Scott Neil, and Ariel Eberle

For many, the Willamette Valley is the face of Oregon wine, but it’s not just one image, but so many wines with so many personalities, all dependent on the special place that this Valley inhabits.  Spend a lifetime sipping and tasting through these stunningly beautiful wines, and you might just begin to understand how deeply complex this region is.  While Pinot Noir reigns supreme now, so many other varietals are making their mark, and all deserve your consideration.  Yes, Oregon wine is all the buzz, and so much more!