Oregon Pinot Noir: top producers to know and wines to try

The received wisdom is that Pinot Noir is a capricious grape to grow. Despite the difficulties, however, it has settled in quite comfortably in Oregon.

There are stunning wines being produced in this corner of the Pacific Northwest. As Véronique Drouhin puts it: ‘There aren’t many places on earth where Pinot Noir grows well. Oregon is absolutely one of the few where the delicate grape variety expresses itself in such a refined way.’

Scroll down for Charles Curtis MW’s pick of the best Oregon Pinot Noirs or click here for his top Oregon Chardonnay buys

Given its somewhat temperamental nature, site is everything.

The success of recent bottlings from many producers shows that, while this is true, limestone and marl aren’t necessarily part of the equation. These soil types, found in Burgundy, simply don’t exist in the Willamette Valley.

Terroir types

Limestone is a type of rock formed over millions of years by marine sediment. The oldest soils in Oregon, such as Willakenzie, were formed in the same way, but they do not have the same calcium-rich nature as their Burgundian relatives because they are derived from accretions of sandstone, not calcium-rich marine organisms.

In Oregon, the picture is further complicated by volcanic soil types such as Jory and Nekia, composed of basalt from lava that flowed out of what is today the Cascade mountains.

The Dundee Hills AVA and the Eola-Amity Hills AVA have mostly volcanic soils, with marine sediments at lower elevations, while the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, Ribbon Ridge AVA and McMinnville AVA have mostly marine sedimentary soils. The Chehalem Mountains AVA has both types.

Climate

Oregon is still temperate in terms of climate, but temperatures have been rising, as they have across the world. 2016 was warm and sunny, but 2017 had a cool onset and a cool September that delayed picking. 2018 was warm and dry, but 2019 was back to cool and relatively wet. 2020 was dry and warm, but the evenings were cool. The region appeared set for a fabulous harvest when apocalyptic wildfires struck. The fires’ final effect on wine quality is still being assessed.

Clones

One of the most discussed issues is the selection of clonal material for planting the vineyards. Many of the early vineyards were planted with clones isolated by the University of California Davis campus, while later vineyards were often planted with a variety from France known collectively as Dijon clones.

Different clones emphasise different characteristics in the fruit, such as aroma, sugar production, resistance to botrytis and yield, and each winemaker will have a preference.

Bree Boskov MW, who works with the Oregon Wine Board, notes: ‘The current trend is planting at higher elevations and with a more diverse selection of clones, in particular the California heritage selection more than the sugar-loading Dijon clones, which are increasingly less suited as the climate warms.’

Winemaking trends

Other trends include the adoption of organic and biodynamic methods, although some prefer the sustainable approach typified by the local LIVE certification (Low Input Viticulture and Enology).

Some are returning to fermentation in concrete tanks. Most have a view on using whole bunches in the fermentation, although the practice isn’t as widespread as in Burgundy. Opinions also differ on the level of new oak use in maturation, some opting for neutral oak or even amphorae.

All this exploration is yielding interesting answers – and delicious wine.

Oregon Pinot Noir producers: the leading names to know

Evesham Wood

Proprietor Erin Nuccio and his wife purchased Evesham Wood from founders Russ and Mary Raney in 1986. The estate is centred on the vineyard called Le Puits Sec, which is just under 5ha. The site is located on the eastern ridge of Eola-Amity Hills, and Nuccio produces wine from the estate vineyard and from purchased fruit from top sources in the Willamette Valley. The Pinot Noir is normally punched down twice daily, and there is usually an inclusion of whole clusters that varies according to the vintage and the vineyard. Ageing is typically in 25% to 30% new casks from François Frères.

Beaux Frères

Beaux Frères (‘brothers-in-law’) was founded in 1986 by Robert Parker Jr and his wife’s brother Mike Etzel. The wines today are made by Etzel’s son, also named Mike but called Mikey. After an initial formation with his father, Mikey gained experience in Europe and the Willamette Valley, returning to Beaux Frères in 2015 after helping to launch Chapter 24 with Louis-Michel Liger-Belair and Mark Tarlov. The home vineyard is a 9.7ha site in the marine sedimentary soils of Ribbon Ridge AVA.

Archery Summit

The volcanic soils of the Dundee Hills are home to Archery Summit and its five vineyards, totalling over 40ha. The estate was founded in 1993 by well-known Napa Valley producer Gary Andrus of Pine Ridge, and Ian Burch makes the wines in cellars carved from the basalt. Burch uses about 30% whole clusters in the fermentation and practices gentle extraction and moderate use of oak to achieve an elegant result.

Division

Division Winemaking Co was founded in 2010 by Kate Norris and Tom Monroe. The winery is located in Portland, Oregon, and sources grapes from throughout the Willamette Valley and further afield. While the emphasis is on Pinot Noir, there are also solid offerings featuring Gamay, Chenin Blanc, Malbec and other grapes. Working with organic and biodynamic growers where possible, Norris and Monroe use minimal intervention to produce fresh, delightful wines bursting with fruit.

Eyrie Vineyards

Pioneer David Lett and his wife founded the Eyrie Vineyard in 1966 in the Dundee Hills. The first vintage was 1970, and it is difficult to exaggerate the importance of their work introducing Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris in US vineyards. Today Lett’s son Jason continues the tradition of his father, picking grapes to retain freshness, fermenting on native yeasts and using little if any new wood for the ageing of the wines to produce a style that emphasises finesse and eschews overextraction and concentration. Chardonnay from the Eyrie Vineyard is equally lovely.

Cristom

Cristom Vineyards was founded in the Eola-Amity Hills region in 1992 by the Gerrie family. There are now more than 35ha of vineyards on the cool east-facing ridge of the Eola-Amity Hills. The vineyards are certified as sustainably farmed, and organic and biodynamic techniques are used. Wines are produced in the Burgundian mould, with native yeast ferments, a high percentage of whole clusters, and ageing for 18 months in cask before bottling. The wines balance concentration with ethereal qualities.

Penner-Ash

Winemaker Lynn Penner-Ash and her husband Ron founded this estate in 1998 in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, home to their 6ha estate vineyard. Although the estate was sold to Jackson Family Estates in 2016, the quality focus continues, and wines from many of Oregon’s most renowned sites throughout the Willamette Valley are now produced. Today, the wines are made by Kate Ayers in small fermenters with a limited cold soak and gentle punching down before cask ageing.

Brittan Vineyards

Robert Brittan and his wife Ellen founded their eponymous property in 2004 in the McMinnville AVA. After replanting some existing vines (retaining some of the rare clonal material), Brittan expanded to include Rhône varietals. Although Brittan spent two decades making wine in the Napa Valley, the wines here are unique to their place and made with a sensitive hand to emphasise the purity of fruit and appealing freshness of the place. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are both exciting.

Résonance

Beaune-based négociant Maison Louis Jadot founded Résonance Wines in 2013, assisted by its winemaking emeritus Jacques Lardière. Jadot put a top-flight team in place, led by Guillaume Large, the former second to Jadot’s Beaune winemaker Frédéric Barnier. The home vineyard consists of ungrafted vines planted in 1981, while organically farmed, unirrigated vineyards in Yamhill-Carlton AVA provides top-level fruit for this exciting expansion. As in Beaune, grapes are destemmed and extraction is gentle, with long ageing in Cadus barrels with a modest proportion of new casks.

Hyland Estates

The own-rooted vines of the Hyland Vineyard were planted in 1971 in what would become the McMinnville AVA. Fully exposed to the cooling influence of the Van Duzer Corridor winds, the site spans more than 70ha of primarily south-facing slopes. It is planted to many clones that range from old UC Davis material to modern vines imported from Burgundy. The winery, owned by Laurent Montalieu, Danielle Andrus, John Niemeyer and Jeff Meader of the Northwest Wine Co, was recently sold to a local Oregon private equity firm, but the team remains in place.

Nicolas-Jay

Nicolas-Jay is the Oregon collaboration between Jean-Nicolas Méo of Vosne-Romanée and music industry executive Jay Boberg. With local winemaker Tracy Kendall, they produce the single-vineyard, estate-grown Pinot Noir from their Bishop Creek Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton AVA as well as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blended from different sites in the Willamette Valley. Among their specialties is Own-Rooted, a blend of old-vine fruit from ungrafted vines in different sites. The elegance of Méo-Camuzet comes through clearly in Jean-Nicolas’ Oregon project.

Oregon producers noted for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

00 [Double Zero]

Wine-loving lawyer Chris Hermann decided to take the plunge and produce Burgundy-inspired wines beginning with the 2015 vintage. He and his wife work with Burgundy-based consultant Pierre Millemann to create a range of wines. The flagship VGW (Very Good White) has the largest production at about 1,000 cases. The EGW (Extra Good White) uses some old-vine fruit, and the superb Freya Hermann Cuvée is a single-vineyard wine from Seven Springs Vineyard. The style of the wines is slightly reductive and generously wooded. The whites are inspired by Coche-Dury, while the delicious Pinot Noirs pay homage to Domaine Leroy.

Antica Terra

Winemaker Maggie Harrison, formerly of Sine Qua Non, takes the lead on this Oregon project. She uses Chardonnay sourced from the Shea Vineyard and four other sources to create a luxurious, exuberant style. She makes a strict selection of the fully ripe fruit, presses gently, and carefully ferments in cask, through full malolactic and generous ageing. The top wine, Aequorin, is rare but worth the search. Pinot Noirs are equally hedonistic – and just as sought after.

Bergström

Oregon local Josh Bergström completed wine studies in Beaune before returning to establish a vineyard with his family. Today they own nearly 30ha of vineyards in the Ribbon Ridge, Chehalem Mountains and Dundee Hills AVAs, all biodynamically farmed. There is no sulphur used in the winery and very little new wood. The style is pure, clean and fresh.

Domaine Drouhin

Véronique Drouhin was one of the original Burgundian pioneers of the Willamette Valley, arriving in 1986. She still makes the wines, and her brother Philippe manages the vineyards – more than 50ha, all certified as sustainably farmed. The whites are whole-cluster-pressed and gently fermented, half in cask and half in tank. For the Domaine Drouhin bottling, the malolactic fermentation is blocked for the tank-fermented portion so that the wine retains a vibrant freshness. The red wines, as in Burgundy, are destemmed and gently extracted before ageing in cask.

Domaine Serene

The Evenstad family initially won acclaim for their Pinot Noirs from the Dundee Hills. With the purchase of the Côte Sud vineyard in 1997, this renowned producer launched its lauded Chardonnay program. Now Domaine Serene has nearly 30ha planted to this grape. The wines are produced in a dedicated gravity-flow winery and include a full complement of single-vineyard wines from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, in addition to wines blended from various estate vineyards. The style is lush, sensual and substantial.

Evening Land

Initially planted in 1984 with own-rooted vines, Evening Land has been considerably retooled by sommelier Raj Parr, winemaker Sashi Moorman and their partners. The Chardonnay from their iconic Seven Springs Vineyard in Eola-Amity Hills AVA is a reference throughout the state. Their two single-parcel bottlings, La Source and Summum, are as close to the concept of lieu-dit as you will come in Oregon. Pinot Noirs are equally precise. Superb value in Oregon wine.

Lingua Franca

Master Sommelier Larry Stone has set up shop across the street from Evening Land in Eola-Amity Hills. The Janzen Ranch that he purchased in 2012 is adjacent to the Seven Springs Vineyard and shares a similar terroir. Dominique Lafon joined as the consulting winemaker in 2014, with Thomas Savre working alongside him locally. The wines are crisp, precise and as thrilling as anything in the region. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are equally successful at this solid address.

Walter Scott

Walter Scott is the thriving new venture launched by wine salesman-turned-vintner Ken Pahlow and his wife Erica Landon. The pair started in 2009 with 600 cases, and now they source 10 times that amount from some of the most prestigious sites in Oregon, including Seven Springs, Freedom Hill and others. The Chardonnay style here is concentrated and citrusy, with strong saline notes – the most Chablis-like wine you will find in the Willamette Valley – while the Pinot Noirs are structured, firm and dense.

Oregon Pinot Noir: Charles Curtis MW’s pick of the top wines to buy

Related content

Christophe Baron: from Cayuse back to Champagne

NBA star CJ McCollum buys Oregon vineyard property

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir Auction 2021 raises over $700,000