WANDERING WINO: Willamette Valley is Pinot Noir

I had never been to the Oregon wine country. So this past spring as I searched the internet for “Oregon wine events,” the International Pinot Noir Celebration (IPNC) popped up and, after reviewing the program, I immediately registered for what turned out to be a spectacular wine and food extravaganza.

I’ve had the pleasure of visiting some of the world’s most heralded wine regions but, until last week, I had never ventured to Oregon’s Willamette Valley where the pinot noir produced there is considered among the best being made anywhere. While superb wine and food was the centerpiece of this educational weekend, Oregon is also a feast for the eyes with incredible natural beauty that actually rivals our own right here in “West By Golly.”

But the goal of this trip was to immerse myself ('Come on in, the wine’s fine... ') in Oregon pinot noir and the wonderfully fresh local foods prepared by an all-star lineup of chefs from some of the region’s most highly regarded restaurants. The wine makers and presenters at the event were among the most accomplished at what they do, yet their approach - to what can be a very technical and daunting subject- was very laid back and devoid of the usual wine jargon. (They actually had a session called “International Wine Jargon Jeopardy” where participants were encouraged to match their wine-geek wit against a panel of experts). If this sounds like fun, it was!

So what’s so special about pinot noir produced in Oregon? Simply put, it’s about location. The vast Willamette Valley begins near the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington border and stretches about 100 miles south to the city of Eugene. It is approximately 60 miles across at its widest point, and is an incredibly fertile area which produces a virtual cornucopia of fruits and vegetables, including wine grapes. The valley lies between the coastal mountains on the west and the Cascade Range to the east. The weather in this area consistently produces long growing seasons with warm days and cool nights . That's what is needed – meteorologically speaking – to grow good pinot noir.

The northern Willamette Valley (about 60 miles south of Portland) is where the most famous Oregon wineries are located within several American Viticultural Area (AVA’s) including Chehalem Mountains, Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge, and Yamhill Carlton. Within these AVA’s, wineries such as Domaine Serene, Argyle, Elk Cove, Ken Wright, Patricia Green Cellars and more than 200 others produce pinot noir in styles distinctly different from wines made from the same grape grown in different parts of the world. Surprisingly, pinot noir from the Williamette Valley seems to have more in common with Burgundy than it does with wine produced from the same grape in California.

Don’t assume, however, that all pinot noir made in Oregon tastes exactly the same. It doesn’t. Yet there is a taste characteristic which I’ll describe here as “earthy” that seems to be present in most of the wines. This is not to suggest that the wines taste like dirt, but rather that they exhibit a flavor nuance not unlike the taste of fresh mushrooms. This is very subtle, but is fairly distinctive. Some Burgundies have a hint of this flavor component, but they have a lighter mouth feel (generally speaking) and more acid than the wines from Oregon or California.

Anyway, it’s kind of fun to note these dissimilarities. Take California pinot noir, for example. More dramatic differences are evident when one compares Oregon to California. Whether from Carneros, the Santa Rita Hills or the Russian River Valley, these California wines are generally more fruit-forward, rounder and seem to have less balance between fruit and acid than their Oregon counterparts. The Oregon wines can be rich and round, but they have more dark fruit and earthy flavors, and generally are more balanced.

Confused? Remember, this is wine tasting here – not some precise, objective treatise by a true professional oenophile (I’m really just a jack-leg writer with a penchant to wax hyperbolically). However, having had the opportunity to sample a virtual sea of pinot noirs – particularly from Oregon – I have both a renewed respect for pinot noir and for the dedicated folks that grow the grapes and make the wine. Next time, I’ll tell you about the great food and wine pairings at the IPNC event, and of my favorite wines from the weekend.

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