Southern Oregon 2021: Vintage report

The region’s vintners welcomed the 2021 vintage after what was a cataclysmic year in 2020, marred by wildfire smoke. The heat dome phenomenon was the signature event of the growing season. Yet, as in the Willamette Valley further to the north, it occurred early enough in the summer not to impact the vintage’s final wines. Yields were below average, and the dry conditions marked the beginning of a drought that is still ongoing in this part of Oregon.

Overall, the wines from 2021 in Southern Oregon are riper in style, and the white wines show brilliant balance. While many of the red wines have yet to be released, they are tending towards opulence and ripeness overall.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 21 top wines from Southern Oregon in 2021

Warm but not hot

‘The 2021 growing season started somewhat inauspiciously in the Applegate Valley,’ said Nate Wall, winemaker for biodynamic Troon Vineyard. ‘We had a cool March, which ended with a late April spring frost. We prune our vines quite late, at the very end of winter, in an attempt to delay bud break for this exact reason.’

‘The good news here was the cooler spring also delayed bud break in most varieties,’ Wall continued. ‘There were only a handful of vines susceptible to the effects of the frost when it occurred. We had a much drier than normal spring, leading to a slightly drier than normal summer. This really kept disease pressure low, so we could slightly back off on our already minimal organic spray program.’

‘The vintage was one of the five warmest on record in the region,’ commented climatologist and owner of Abacela winery, Dr Greg Jones. ‘It was also very dry, starting the slide into drought conditions we have seen over the past couple of years, and that continues today.’

‘The major weather event of the 2021 vintage came over three days in late June. A heat dome over British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest,’ Jones continued. ‘All-time temperature records were broken by 5-10 degrees. Weather stations throughout Southern Oregon broke records during this time as well, with temperatures reaching 45-47°C.

‘Fortunately, the plant growth and fruit development stages at the time [post-flowering] were such that there was not as much damage to the vines or developing berries as anticipated. Plus, growers were well aware of the coming heat wave from forecasts and used irrigation to hydrate the vines during the event.’

The growing season settled in nicely after the heat dome with steady, somewhat cooler temperatures than average in Southern Oregon.

‘From mid-August until late September, the weather was steady and seasonal, with an average high of 28° C and no major heat spikes. Weather during harvest was dry and allowed for the picking of clean fruit of excellent quality. We saw moderate alcohol levels and good acidity overall,’ Brian Gruber of Irvine & Roberts Vineyards reports.

The resulting wines

‘The conditions of 2021 resulted in slightly more hedonistic wines,’ Wall reported. ‘That cooler summer allowed for really nice ripening, so we had these ripe, concentrated fruit flavours with more approachable tannins. This was due to more phenolic ripeness and slightly less whole cluster tannin.’

‘So the wines, on the whole, have been very well received. I am not sure if there will be a slight sacrifice to the long-term ageability of these wines because of this amalgamation of factors – time will tell.’

Southern Oregon 2021: Top-wines tasted

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