30 years of Domaine Drouhin Oregon
A blind tasting of Pinot Noirs back in the mid-1980s – long before Oregon was established as a wine region – was the spark that led to the establishment of this famous Burgundian-American winery
‘Oregon? Where’s that?’ asked a young Véronique Drouhin in early 1986 when her father, Robert Drouhin, head of one of Burgundy’s foremost growers and négociants, suggested she should do some work experience there.
Véronique had already worked in Bordeaux and California as part of her oenology degree, but Oregon was not an established wine region then. Nonetheless, she followed his advice and interned with three of Oregon’s wine pioneers who became family friends: Eyrie Vineyards, Adelsheim Vineyards and Bethel Heights.
On a visit in 1987 Robert walked up that Oregon hillside with Véronique and said: ‘I believe in this place. We should try, if you are willing.’ And thus Domaine Drouhin Oregon was born.
The pair bought the land in the Dundee Hills and planted; in 1988 they made their first wine – 96 barrels of Pinot Noir – from bought-in fruit. 1990 marked the first vintage of wine from their own grapes.
Véronique remembers that first day of harvest 30 years ago: ‘Dad, mum, one of our guys from Beaune and two cousins from Belgium were there. To celebrate, we opened a bottle of Chambolle-Musigny premier cru. ‘We won’t copy this wine,’ she recalls her father saying, ‘but we’ll let it inspire us.’
The right hunch
She said the family initially grappled with the freedoms of the New World: no prescribed trellising systems or planting densities; no rules on how to plant.
But she remarks how grateful she is that her brother Philippe, who has been responsible for viticulture here since 1988, insisted on planting grafted rather than own-rooted vines – a blessing when phylloxera arrived in Oregon in 1991.
‘We made wine and we liked it, and we brought it back to our friends in Burgundy. We wanted them to be honest. They liked the wine but thought Oregon was crazy!’
Yet her father had the right hunch: in 1988 there were just 30 wineries in Oregon, today there are 900.
‘The first 10 years were difficult,’ she admits, ‘but three things helped us: the quality of the wine we made, the name of Drouhin and the fact that we already had Drouhin’s distribution network in the US.
‘If I had to do it again, I would.’
Domaine Drouhin Oregon has 50 hectares of vineyards planted almost exclusively to Pinot Noir, along with 4.5ha of Chardonnay. They are on the deep, well-drained Jory or the shallower Nekia soils, both volcanic and derived from basalt.
Just as in Burgundy the Oregon vineyards face east but are at a slightly higher altitude of 200m to 350m.
Véronique, who has been the winemaker here from the start (and who also oversees winemaking at Maison Joseph Drouhin in Burgundy), prefers gentle extraction and restrained use of French oak, which results in elegant wines that express these Oregon sites.
Tasting Domaine Drouhin Oregon
You might also like:
Domaine Nicolas-Jay: producer profile
Cayuse Vineyards profile and top wines tasted
Steven Spurrier: a letter from Oregon
Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Roserock Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, USA, 2017
From the cooler Eola-Amily Hills, also on volcanic soils, this opens with alluring aromas of petrichor and more time in the glass reveals smoky Mirabelle...
2017
Domaine Drouhin OregonWillamette Valley
Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Cuvée Arthur Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills, Oregon, USA, 2016
91
Named after Véronique's son Arthur and grown in the deep, volcanic Jory soils of the Dundee Hills. Slight smoky aromas envelope hazelnut and ripe stone fruit while a scented, floral overtone sets an unusual accent. The palate shows richness and freshness in equal measure and the restrained use of oak (about 10% new) allows the generous fruit to shine. There is warmth but the freshness, preserved by partial fermentation in stainless steel, gives the richness good definition.
2016
Domaine Drouhin OregonWillamette Valley
Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Laurène Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills, Oregon, USA, 2014
94
Laurène, named after Véronique's daughter, is a barrel selection of the Dundee Hills Pinot Noir and both density and concentration are immediately apparent on the nose. A little air reveals heady iron oxide notes reminiscent of blood, tinged with a hint of tar. The palate is insistent and couples suppleness, fluidity, structure with ripe cherry fruit, maintaining that aromatic lift. Its elegance becomes fully apparent on the long, fresh finish. The 2016 is on order via Berry Bros & Rudd and will be £54.95 a bottle.
2014
Domaine Drouhin OregonWillamette Valley
Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Laurène Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills, Oregon, USA, 2012
An initially tired nose awakens with aeration revealing tender red fruit notes and gentle hints of undergrowth. A slight edge of mocha adds a gentle...
2012
Domaine Drouhin OregonWillamette Valley
Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Roserock Zéphirine Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, USA, 2016
Named after Zéphirine Drouhin (not a relation) who in turn had a pink, thornless Bourbon rose named in her honour in 1868, this is a...
2016
Domaine Drouhin OregonWillamette Valley
Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Roserock Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, USA, 2015
From the Roserock single vineyard on both Jory and more shallow Nekia soils (both volcanic), this is still tight and taut but shows off remarkable...
2015
Domaine Drouhin OregonWillamette Valley
Domaine Drouhin Oregon, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills, Oregon, USA, 2016
This is the domaine's current release, made from vines planted between 1988 and 2012. Grown on deep Jory soils, gently extracted and matured in oak...
2016
Domaine Drouhin OregonWillamette Valley
