Oregon’s Willamette Valley 2021: Vintage report and top-scoring wines

 ‘The resulting wines are brilliant. They offer great concentration, wonderful lift and freshness and such fine tannins… the top producers have made wonderfully collectable wines that will age 15 to 20 years. A five-star vintage for the Willamette Valley’

The 2021 growing season was memorable, most notably for the heat dome the region experienced in late June when temperatures reached up to 47.5°C (117.5°F). That heat spike set new records by 3°C to 6°C (5°F to 10°F) across the Pacific Northwest. While there was plenty of crop damage, grape vines seemed to come through unscathed.

Many Willamette Valley winemakers I spoke with described 2021 as ‘easy’ and, largely, it was. Particularly in the context of the heartbreaking 2020 vintage – a year which saw unprecedented smoke damage, resulting in many producers not even making red wines. By contrast, 2021 felt largely normal, particularly as growing seasons continue to warm up year on year.

Scroll down for tasting notes and scores of the top Willamette Valley 2021 red and white wines

2021 Willamette Valley red wine of the vintage

Martin Woods, Hyland Vineyard Pinot Noir, McMinnville

2021 Willamette Valley white wine of the vintage

Bethel Heights, Casteel Estate Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills

Climatic dramatics

As the vines went dormant towards the end of 2020, the region’s autumn temperatures remained warm, and conditions were relatively dry. The Willamette Valley’s first dramatic weather event of 2021 happened in February. While the snow and ice storms wreaked havoc with travel and power outages, they had no effect on the dormant vines.

Budbreak occurred across the valley in mid-April, with an early bloom occurring in the first part of June. It was to be the vintage’s most dynamic month, with two significant events having an impact on the final wines: heavy rain and the heat dome.

Heavy rain on 13 June following bloom impacted overall yields, which varied throughout the Willamette Valley. Yields in some places were about 75% of the average. Ironically it may have been rainfalls that allowed the vines to pull through what was the vintage’s signature event. A record-shattering heat dome brought several days of unseen temperatures, with highs of 42.2°C (108°F) on 26 June, 44.4°C (111.9°F) on 27 June and 46°C (116°F) on 28 June.

See all 180 Willamette Valley 2021 tasting notes and scores

Nature’s balancing act

‘After the heat dome, we saw real resilience in the vineyards,’ says Grant Coulter of Hundred Suns Wine. ’Fortunately, the event occurred so early in the growing season, and thanks to the rains, there was plenty of water in the ground to sustain the vines.’

Ian Burch, the winemaker at Archery Summit, added: ‘It takes five times longer to heat up wet soil than it does dry soils, so those rains really helped us stave off any problematic heat dome issues.’

The normally ill-timed rain helped the Willamette Valley’s vineyards make it past the record heat unscathed, and because the spike happened around bloom, the grapes hadn’t begun ripening. Perhaps the vines sacrificed yield to guard against something more pernicious?

While the heat dome drove up the data on things like ‘degree days’, and it was a dramatic event impacting people’s lives throughout the Pacific Northwest, because of the timing and the previous rains, the vines really didn’t notice.

See the Willamette Valley 2021 score table

Willamette Valley vintage ratings

2021 5/5

After a challenging 2020, growers and winemakers were rewarded with a vintage of outstanding quality, albeit with slightly lower yields. Up and down the Willamette Valley and across different grape varieties, wines show ample ripeness and freshness, and there is plenty of elegance from top producers.

2020 2/5

A picture-perfect vintage all but destroyed by wildfire smoke from the high pressure and wind event around the Labor Day weekend (5-6 September). Many wineries did not even produce red wine in 2020; those that did saw varied impact from smoke taint. There were some well-made white wines, Chardonnay in particular.

2019 5/5

While yields were lower, 2019 was a throwback to the classically cool and elegant vintages that made the Willamette Valley’s Pinot Noirs famous. For the first time in recent memory, temperatures were lower than the year prior and there were late rains. For long-standing winemakers, it was return to the good old days.

2018 4/5

A warmer-than-average year, with few heat spikes and an overall balanced growing season, resulting in what many growers and winemakers called ‘ideal conditions’. Wines were lush and balanced thanks to late-season cool temperatures that tempered ripeness and alcohol.

Coasting to the finish

After a dramatic June, it was relatively smooth sailing. A shift to cooler temperatures in September and October meant phenolic ripeness was able to catch up with the sugar levels. There was also the first noteworthy rain in more than 90 days – more than 2.5cm (one inch) of rain on the weekend of 18 September. Most winemakers and viticulturists referred to the state of the fruit at harvest as nearly perfect. The vintage produced both fantastic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The resulting wines are brilliant. They offer great concentration, wonderful lift and freshness and such fine tannins. This is a cellar-worthy vintage, and the top producers have made wonderfully collectable wines that will age 15 to 20 years. A five-star vintage for the Willamette Valley.

‘It was a gift,’ says Jason Lett, owner and winemaker at The Eyrie Vineyards. ‘We had a long picking window that was integral to fruit integrity. The grapes had an ideal chemistry at that point, and the acidity and phenolics will warrant long ageing. These wines are wonderful!’

Willamette Valley 2021: the top scoring wines

The following wines scored 95 points or above and are listed white then red in score order.

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