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 Drive
southeast from the cobblestone streets of Dijon, France, through
the centuries-old vineyards that blanket the low-sloping hills
of the Burgundy region, and you can see Oregon. Here, hundreds
of years ago, winemakers planted the rootstock for a grape that
would end up driving the Willamette Valley’s
wine destiny. Pinot noir, a fussy fruit that prefers the cooler climates
of both Oregon and Burgundy, is a vine that ties together not only
a wine industry, but a wine culture as well.
Pinot noir requires as much farming skill as winemaking prowess to coax its full potential into a bottle. Lovers of varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will swoon over how pretty a wine tastes. Those in search of the perfect Pinot noir are just as intrigued about things like elevation, soil type and vine spacing. No surprise that Pinot noir was imported to the Willamette Valley in the 1960s and ‘70s by a group of wine renegades tired of the slick style of California wineries pushing out Bordeaux varietals. They were searching for those rustic and real qualities of Burgundy: winemakers who were farmers first, and who took what each vintage gave them as a new palette for their viticultural expression. While Chardonnay, Pinot gris and various other varietals round out many Willamette Valley wineries’ portfolios, one thing is certain: in this valley, Pinot noir is king. And, you’ll find it in myriad styles and price ranges. But first, what makes a good Pinot noir? What Am I Looking For? This question opens a bit of a Pandora’s Box, since Pinot noir can be a rather ethereal and elusive wine. The styles vary from light and fruity – like those made by Oregon Pinot noir pioneer David Lett of Eyrie Vineyards – to the full-bodied and muscular wines crafted by wineries like Archery Summit. Flavor components to look for include spice, cherry, berry, jam, tobacco, and wet, damp earth. Indeed, few other things that one willingly consumes are dubbed “barnyardy” as an expression of praise, but the wet earth aromas of some winemakers’ styles can drive a Pinot-phile crazy, in a good way. Complicated, you say. The answer? Sample Pinot noirs in your price range from throughout the region. Different parts of the valley produce widely ranging Pinot noirs. The secret is to find one that tastes good to you, not to some wine reviewer full of adjectives.
There are several factors that determine the price of a bottle of Pinot
noir. After adding up a winery’s “brand value” (the
perceived value of what a consumer is willing to spend, irrespective
of quality), and infrastructure (facility, equipment, barrels, labor,
etc.), one of the most important elements is the cost of grapes; better
vineyards yield better grapes and therefore more expensive wine. Where Did It Come From? When it comes to Pinot noir, quality can often be determined by where a wine’s grapes were grown. This is where knowing how to read a wine bottle label comes in handy. If a wine is called “estate”, it means most of the grapes were grown on the winery’s property. This doesn’t always equate to quality; just because someone built a winery there doesn’t mean the soil and microclimate conditions produce great grapes. But, if you find an estate Pinot noir you like, you can be reasonably sure of its quality year in and year out. A better way to judge quality is to look for “vineyard designated” wines (e.g. – all the grapes come from a single vineyard site). You’ll usually pay a premium, but many wineries buy grapes from the same vineyards and make wines with those grapes at very different price levels. Want a tip? Find a great $50 bottle of Pinot noir from a vineyard you like, read some labels to find out who else sources their grapes from the same grower, and you can often find the same wine much cheaper from another vintner. You can also buy wines that are designated by “appellation” (a particular growing area), such as Willamette Valley, or sub-appellations such as “Dundee Hills” (the hills to the west of – you guessed it – Dundee) or “Ribbon Ridge” (located at the northern end of the valley). You may not know the site, but at least you’ll have a general idea of where the grapes came from. A little study about the wineries and vineyards located within these appellation and sub-appellations will give you an idea of the quality you can expect from the wines. Finally, Pinot noir might be designated simply as “Oregon”, meaning the grapes can come from any part of the state and many different vineyards. This is one where vintage really plays a role. In a great year, a $12 Pinot noir designated simply as “Oregon” can be just as good as a $35 bottle of vineyard designated bottling from a challenging year.  To help you get started, here are a few examples of great Willamette
Valley Pinot noirs, from value-priced releases all the way to upper end
limited production vineyard designated bottlings. Prices listed
below are the most current releases available at press time; in many
cases, wineries release their new vintages during in the fall. Check
with the winery or a retailer for current vintages and prices.
Value Priced Pinot Noir – under $12/bottle
St. Josef’s Winery Joe Fleischmann and his family produce award-winning Old World style wine priced affordably so it can be enjoyed everyday, as is the European custom. The St. Josef’s Winery 2004 Pinot noir runs $10. St. Josef’s Winery is located halfway between Portland and Salem at 28836 S. Barlow Road in Canby. The tasting room is open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. every weekend. Closed January. (503) 651-3190 Mid Range Pinot Noir -- $12 - $25/bottle Rob Stuart has been making wine in the Pacific Northwest – for other wineries – since the early 1980s. Several years ago he struck out on his own, converted an old granary into a winery, and started making his own wines. The Rob Stuart & Co. 2005 Big Fire Pinot noir at $18 is a great example of wines blended from grapes representing some of the Willamette Valley’s top vineyards. R. Stuart & Co. is located in downtown McMinnville at 845 N.E. Fifth. Tasting room is open from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. (866) 472-6990 Vineyard Designated Pinot NoirBethel Heights Vineyard One of the early proponents of vineyard designated wines, the Casteel family has produced wines from various “blocks” of their estate vineyard for years. If you’d like to splurge a bit, try the Bethel Heights Vineyard 2004 Pinot noir Flat Block Reserve at $40. Bethel Heights Vineyard is located northwest of Salem in the Eola Hills at 6060 Bethel Heights Road N.W. Tasting room is open 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. weekends from September through November, by appointment December through March, and Tuesday through Sunday during the summer. (503) 581-2262 Archery Summit Winery Archery Summit came onto the scene in the early 1990s with guns blazing, charging what were then unheard-of prices for their vineyard designated Pinot noirs. The wines proved to be worth it, and helped set new price standards for Oregon Pinot. You can spend as much as $150 for their estate wine, but for half that you can get a peek at upper end Pinot with the Archery Summit 2004 Red Hills Estate Pinot noir at $75. Archery Summit Winery is located south of Dundee off Hwy 99W at 18599 N.E. Archery Summit Road. The tasting room is open by appointment. (503) 864-4300 |
