Our recent tastings of more than 400 wines in Portland, Oregon, lived up to expectations with a very strong showing of both pinot noir and chardonnay wines from across the state’s 16 appellations. The timing was poignant in that it followed immediately after our tastings of Sonoma County wines from neighboring California, which is the main competition for Oregon’s great reputation in the pinot noir stakes.
But the show of prowess from Oregon in this tasting is not simply limited to great pinot noir. Stylistically, the chardonnay wines for this region are unequivocally setting a more modern, more balanced and more consistent level of quality and style than in any other part of the United States. As I detailed in my recent Sonoma County Tasting Report, some outstanding chardonnays are made in that region, but the range of quality and style is wide. Not so in Oregon where chardonnays fly in much tighter formation at a higher average level of quality.
From a global perspective, Oregon pinot noir is ahead of the curve when you look at the sheer quality of what is in the glass. I spoke to a number of the pioneering and leading winemakers in the region as to why they thought this was the case, including Steve Doerner of Cristom and Veronique Drouhin of Domaine Drouhin and the great Burgundy family, to name just two of her interests. Doerner referenced the enduring sense of collaboration in the region between winemakers and those establishing vineyards. “We’ve always worked together, whether it’s knowledge or helping out, there’s a real willingness to make sure everyone is getting it done right,” Doerner says.
Soter is one of the most consistent Oregon pinot producers, with beautiful vineyards.
Drouhin first came to experience harvest in Oregon in the late 1980s in what was a very new part of the pinot noir world back then. She recalls with fondness and enduring incredulity the fact that so many things taken for granted in her home in Burgundy were nowhere to be found in Oregon. “There really was nothing,” she says, still amused by the surprise of it all, “you couldn’t find a wine thief, a pump or even a hose for wine!”
It really is impressive to see how far this region has come in a very short time in the game. The swagger, confidence and quality of wines on offer today show great determination, collaboration and drive on a human level that are applied to a range of terroirs resulting in high-quality pinot noir.
David Millman, managing director of Domaine Drouhin, sees the smaller scale of production here as being a critical factor in underwriting the consistently good quality of the region’s wines. “We have a business but it is not an industry,” he says, “The scale is so focused and small, it is 70 percent family-owned farms and that informs the whole attitude of the place.”
But small doesn’t always translate to quality; there’s more to it than scale. The arrival of pinot noir pioneers was no simple accident, as the region is climatically very well suited to growing high-quality pinot. “There’s also this sincerity about the culture of Oregon,” Millman continues, “it’s a place that prizes environmental awareness, the bigger picture and a sense of dedication and willingness to grow beautiful things and nurture the land.”
“The swagger, confidence and quality of wines on offer today show great determination, collaboration and drive … applied to a range of terroirs resulting in high-quality pinot noir.”
There’s also an awareness of the power and virtue of collective strength and collaboration that has endured since early winemaking efforts as far back as the 1980s. Thinking back to our recent American Tasting Report, many of these attributes are all strongly pertinent to that collective of lesser-known, emerging American regions. A template for inspiration and success. “This is a great model for focusing on what works and the things you can do really well,” Millman says, “especially if you are trying to establish yourself.”
To recent vintages in Oregon: the big story of 2017 was that of wildfires and that story’s end, of the finished wines, is yet to emerge. I tasted only two here, neither was smoky, but the ending will be told at next year’s tasting. Good spring rains set the season up well and temperatures climbed through summer to reach a record hot August that actually slowed metabolism in some vineyards. Yields were higher in some cases due to healthy spring rains and there was pressure to thin and balance crops on the vine, a crucial factor in ultimate wine quality.
The 2016 harvest was an early and warm one, a trend that so many wine-growing regions around the globe are trying to reconcile against longer-term harvest data. The overall quality of 2016 vintage wine is strong in Oregon thanks to immaculate fruit quality, lower yields and the ability to harvest grapes at optimal ripeness. The best vineyards with astutely tuned viticulture allowed winemakers to capitalize and craft high quality in Oregon in 2016.
Oregon has not had a cold and wet harvest since 2013. Does this mean a new paradigm for growing and making pinot in Oregon?
Speaking to the point of collective quality, the base line in Oregon for both pinot noir and chardonnay is set high. Of the 405 wines reviewed here, a staggering 374 scored 90 or above and well over half the wines reviewed achieved a score of 93 or above. These warmer recent vintages are the kind that are often challenging for pinot noir quality and it is testament to the dedication and discipline of the winemaking community in Oregon that they have produced such convincing quality across the board in 2014, 2015 and now 2016.
Vineyards of Domaine Serene suggests a cool and beautiful micro-climate for pinot noir.
Grouped together at the very top of the score range, all on 97 points, sits a regal group of pinot noir wines: Antica Terra Ceras 2016, Domaine Serene Monogram 2014, Domaine Serene Grace Vineyard 2015, Domaine Drouhin Zépherine 2016, Domaine Drouhin Dundee Hills Edition Limitée 2016 and Domaine Drouhin Dundee Hills Laurène 2016. These pinot noirs collectively deliver on all fronts of quality. They are aromatically detailed and expressive, they are saturated in deeply concentrated fruit flavor and they all command the palate with luxuriously textural, silky, smooth and alluringly fine tannins. They deliver an ultra-compelling mix of pleasure and interest.
The next tier of wines sitting on 96 points brings chardonnay into the limelight with Bethel Heights Casteel 2016, Lange Estate Freedom Hill 2016, Domaine Serene Clos du Lune 2016 and Coria 2016 all delivering a powerfully complex fleet of modern chardonnay style. These deliver excitement, tension, concentration and detail and all reflect astute picking and winemaking choices, securely delivered to bottle in an energetic and vibrant mode.
More of the top pinot noirs, all on 96 points, include the spicy and exceptionally rich Antica Terra Botanica 2016, the ethereal and crisply defined Cristom Louise Vineyard 2016 and the deeply complex Youngberg Hill McMinnville J Block 2016.
In general, quality really does cascade through this tasting report and delivers a resoundingly plentiful selection of wines that occupy a deserved importance on the world stage of pinot noir and chardonnay. More than that though, they affirm the age-old notion that the collective sum is indeed greater than its parts. Collectively, Oregon has delivered an incredible display of unequivocally great wine this year. — Nick Stock, Senior Editor
