Certainly one can’t talk about Oregon wines without mentioning Dick Shea’s iconic Shea Vineyard or Ken Wright’s high standards for wine-making, but there are also others that have developed deep roots in the Willamette Valley: Evening Land, which began making wine in 1984; Beaux Freres, who started with 8 acres of Pinot Noir in 1988, or Bergstrom Vineyard which planted their first 13 acres in 1999. Traditionally, big earthy Pinot Noir was the cash crop of choice in the Willamette Valley, but recently many have introduced Chardonnay into the mix. Over time, I strongly believe the restrained, yet well balanced features of some of the best Chardonnay, will rival those produced in Burgundy. With varying degrees, most will leverage the rich, rocky volcanic soils to produce very rich and expressive Pinot Noir without overly leveraging fruit and/or oak, producing a product that at its best will be very rich and complex. The only exception to this rule is the Beaux Freres Winery, whose focus is on amplifying the expressiveness of the fruit in their Pinot Noir partially by using new French oak barrels.
For those traditional Oregon Pinot lovers, Shea and Ken Wright produce some great Pinot, especially Dick Shea's Homer (Reserve). Fruit lovers will be drawn to Beaux Freres, and time will tell if the new French owners bring any changes to this winery. Evening Land seems to bring a greater amount of "spice" to the party for both Pinot Noir and their Chardonnay. Be sure to keep an eye out for their La Source Pinot and Summum Chardonnay, which are typically hard to get. Bergstrom is most notable for a delicious Chardonnay, especially their top-of-the-line Sigrid, which could be a great wine over time.
Let's start with Shea Vineyards. It is important to understand that they still predominantly focus on selling their grapes (approx 75% sold by last count), so a considerable focus in on the vineyard. In addition, Shea produces a highly extracted and full bodied Pinot from several blocks. A reserve is also produced, which is now labeled "Homer." We tasted both 2014 and 2015 wines and not surprisingly we found 2014 much more approachable than 2015, which was one of the hottest years in recent memory. The Homer 2014 was found to be a good expression of classic Oregon earth tones, showing both a sturdy body and strength at this young age. Next we tried the 2015 North Block, which had some nice spice and fruit on the nose. This particular wine seemed to have a good balance of fruit and earth tones and although it had a fast start, it did have a pleasant lingering finish. The 2014 Pommard Clone seemed to have a bit more forward expression of fruit and was very open for a 2014 vintage, having a rich start but a fast finish. On the whole, Dick Shea makes the best from the thin layer of topsoil that dominates the area, which rests on a subsurface of fractured sandstone. All of his wines have a lot of body and are rich and powerful. My preference is the Homer (reserve), which is finished in wood vs. stainless steel, unlike the rest of his Pinot.
Ken Wright first moved to the Willamette Valley in 1986 from California and focuses on the production of single vineyard Pinot Noir. Ken relies on ownership, long-term leasing and acreage contracts to control his crop, with each vineyard separated by unique clones and fermented in small 1 1/4 ton open vat fermenters, then pressed and aged separately. While Ken is also known for the art work placed on his labels, produced by the local artist David Berkvam, each of Ken's separate Pinot vineyards have its own unique characteristics which help each stand out in its own right. On the whole, we found Ken's wines very approachable, even for the current 2015 release. I hope this is a function of the current vintage and does not detract from the expressiveness of the wine over time. I have tasted many of Ken's Pinots over the years and each has shown different elements and qualities over the space of 5 to 8 years. On this particular visit, we focused on the Guadalupe (2014) and Shea (2015) varietals. Both of these wines were very dark in appearance. The Guadalupe produced a fair amount of wood and earth on the nose, while Shea had hints of rich earth and fruit. At this stage of development we found Guadalupe to have some fruit and earth tones, but perhaps was more closed than open. On the other hand, Shea was showing power of both its earth and mineral elements, giving one a good sense of the structure that was present, even at this early stage of development.
Evening Land largely focuses its efforts in its Seven Springs vineyard, although they are expanding elsewhere as well. Most of the wines produced here are approachable, young and have a bit more fruit than some of the other producers, but this wine is all about the spicy expressions that are present. We tried the 2015 La Source Pinot Noir, which is from Dijon clones and sourced from the top of the upwardly sloping vineyard. First harvested in 2007, La Source has a healthy nose that is dominated by spicy minerals and fruit. This was further displayed on the palate with rich quantities of both. This wine also had elegant tannins and a long finish; no doubt this wine will develop some interesting qualities and flavors in time.
However, the most interesting part of this winery visit was the opportunity to sample the three Chardonnays produced at the Seven Springs vineyard: Seven Springs, La Source and Summum. At the low-end of this group, Seven Springs is produced at the bottom of the Seven Springs vineyard and was somewhat lighter than the other two Chardonnay's. It had a light appearance and a modest nose. It also had citrus hints with some tannin and was well balanced. While it had a fast finish, I think that will mature nicely over time. Recently I sampled a 2013 Seven Springs Chardonnay, which after breathing presented spicy fruit, some hints of vanilla and a much longer finish. Next was the La Source Chardonnay (2015). This middle Chardonnay offered some floral tones along with some fruit on the nose. These qualities also expressed on the palate, had a good, creamy texture along with some spice and a nice touch of oak, although they became less expressive at the back patate. Finally, we tasted the top Chardonnay, which is called Summum and is sourced from some of oldest vines at the top of the vineyard. This 2015 was a bit light on the nose and had a good amount of body, minerality and spice. It had a fine finish and presented an almost Burgundian creamy texture and a good amount of oak. Recently, Evening Land brought in a French Winemaker, the top Burgundian producer Dominique Lafon, to consult specifically on their Chardonnay. As a result, I think we will have to keep an eye on Evening Land's Chardonnay in the future.
Beaux Freres debuted its first vintage in 1991 and it is all about the fruit, by design and preference. However, in early 2017 a majority stake in the winery was purchased by the French wine company Maisons & Domaines Henriot for an undisclosed price. While Henriot was the most like-minded of the potential buyers to express interest in buying the stake in the winery, time will tell if the style of the wine changes. For this tasting, we tried several wines. We found the Upper Terrace had some fruit on the nose and a good even palate. It had good structure, was very concentrated and had a nice long finish. The Beaux Freres Pinot was light in appearance and had some good earthy qualities on the nose. It presented smoky fruit and a good back palate. This wine had some complexity with a substantial fruit-base.
Bergstrom was the last but not least of the wineries we visited. Started in 1999 by Josh Bergstrom, this 13-acre south facing winery has some good Pinots and a very interesting Chardonnay. Starting with the Pinot, we tried the Shea (2016), which was a bit more fruity than some of the other Pinots we have had from Shea vineyards, and was smokey with hints of oak. At this early stage the wine had some complexity and was lively on the palate. However, the real story at this vineyard was their top Chardonnay, Sigrid. Named after the owner's Swedish grandmother, it is produced in a Burgundian style. The 2015 had a nose that would remind anybody of fine White Burgundy and showed good promise but was not that expressive at this stage. However, I had the opportunity to taste a 2012 Sigrid in New York recently. Unlike the 2015, this wine was very open. It had a subdued nose that was somewhat sweet with hints of wood and later also developed some musty tones. While it was somewhat front-loaded, it presented a classic Burgundian creamy texture that also contained some of its own unique elements. During the tasting it developed a much fuller and rounder body, with a reasonable amount of complexity and structure, ending with a nice long finish. I'm looking forward to my next tasting of Sigrid!
For those traditional Oregon Pinot lovers, Shea and Ken Wright produce some great Pinot, especially Dick Shea's Homer (Reserve). Fruit lovers will be drawn to Beaux Freres, and time will tell if the new French owners bring any changes to this winery. Evening Land seems to bring a greater amount of "spice" to the party for both Pinot Noir and their Chardonnay. Be sure to keep an eye out for their La Source Pinot and Summum Chardonnay, which are typically hard to get. Bergstrom is most notable for a delicious Chardonnay, especially their top-of-the-line Sigrid, which could be a great wine over time.
Let's start with Shea Vineyards. It is important to understand that they still predominantly focus on selling their grapes (approx 75% sold by last count), so a considerable focus in on the vineyard. In addition, Shea produces a highly extracted and full bodied Pinot from several blocks. A reserve is also produced, which is now labeled "Homer." We tasted both 2014 and 2015 wines and not surprisingly we found 2014 much more approachable than 2015, which was one of the hottest years in recent memory. The Homer 2014 was found to be a good expression of classic Oregon earth tones, showing both a sturdy body and strength at this young age. Next we tried the 2015 North Block, which had some nice spice and fruit on the nose. This particular wine seemed to have a good balance of fruit and earth tones and although it had a fast start, it did have a pleasant lingering finish. The 2014 Pommard Clone seemed to have a bit more forward expression of fruit and was very open for a 2014 vintage, having a rich start but a fast finish. On the whole, Dick Shea makes the best from the thin layer of topsoil that dominates the area, which rests on a subsurface of fractured sandstone. All of his wines have a lot of body and are rich and powerful. My preference is the Homer (reserve), which is finished in wood vs. stainless steel, unlike the rest of his Pinot.
Ken Wright first moved to the Willamette Valley in 1986 from California and focuses on the production of single vineyard Pinot Noir. Ken relies on ownership, long-term leasing and acreage contracts to control his crop, with each vineyard separated by unique clones and fermented in small 1 1/4 ton open vat fermenters, then pressed and aged separately. While Ken is also known for the art work placed on his labels, produced by the local artist David Berkvam, each of Ken's separate Pinot vineyards have its own unique characteristics which help each stand out in its own right. On the whole, we found Ken's wines very approachable, even for the current 2015 release. I hope this is a function of the current vintage and does not detract from the expressiveness of the wine over time. I have tasted many of Ken's Pinots over the years and each has shown different elements and qualities over the space of 5 to 8 years. On this particular visit, we focused on the Guadalupe (2014) and Shea (2015) varietals. Both of these wines were very dark in appearance. The Guadalupe produced a fair amount of wood and earth on the nose, while Shea had hints of rich earth and fruit. At this stage of development we found Guadalupe to have some fruit and earth tones, but perhaps was more closed than open. On the other hand, Shea was showing power of both its earth and mineral elements, giving one a good sense of the structure that was present, even at this early stage of development.
Evening Land largely focuses its efforts in its Seven Springs vineyard, although they are expanding elsewhere as well. Most of the wines produced here are approachable, young and have a bit more fruit than some of the other producers, but this wine is all about the spicy expressions that are present. We tried the 2015 La Source Pinot Noir, which is from Dijon clones and sourced from the top of the upwardly sloping vineyard. First harvested in 2007, La Source has a healthy nose that is dominated by spicy minerals and fruit. This was further displayed on the palate with rich quantities of both. This wine also had elegant tannins and a long finish; no doubt this wine will develop some interesting qualities and flavors in time.
However, the most interesting part of this winery visit was the opportunity to sample the three Chardonnays produced at the Seven Springs vineyard: Seven Springs, La Source and Summum. At the low-end of this group, Seven Springs is produced at the bottom of the Seven Springs vineyard and was somewhat lighter than the other two Chardonnay's. It had a light appearance and a modest nose. It also had citrus hints with some tannin and was well balanced. While it had a fast finish, I think that will mature nicely over time. Recently I sampled a 2013 Seven Springs Chardonnay, which after breathing presented spicy fruit, some hints of vanilla and a much longer finish. Next was the La Source Chardonnay (2015). This middle Chardonnay offered some floral tones along with some fruit on the nose. These qualities also expressed on the palate, had a good, creamy texture along with some spice and a nice touch of oak, although they became less expressive at the back patate. Finally, we tasted the top Chardonnay, which is called Summum and is sourced from some of oldest vines at the top of the vineyard. This 2015 was a bit light on the nose and had a good amount of body, minerality and spice. It had a fine finish and presented an almost Burgundian creamy texture and a good amount of oak. Recently, Evening Land brought in a French Winemaker, the top Burgundian producer Dominique Lafon, to consult specifically on their Chardonnay. As a result, I think we will have to keep an eye on Evening Land's Chardonnay in the future.
Beaux Freres debuted its first vintage in 1991 and it is all about the fruit, by design and preference. However, in early 2017 a majority stake in the winery was purchased by the French wine company Maisons & Domaines Henriot for an undisclosed price. While Henriot was the most like-minded of the potential buyers to express interest in buying the stake in the winery, time will tell if the style of the wine changes. For this tasting, we tried several wines. We found the Upper Terrace had some fruit on the nose and a good even palate. It had good structure, was very concentrated and had a nice long finish. The Beaux Freres Pinot was light in appearance and had some good earthy qualities on the nose. It presented smoky fruit and a good back palate. This wine had some complexity with a substantial fruit-base.
Bergstrom was the last but not least of the wineries we visited. Started in 1999 by Josh Bergstrom, this 13-acre south facing winery has some good Pinots and a very interesting Chardonnay. Starting with the Pinot, we tried the Shea (2016), which was a bit more fruity than some of the other Pinots we have had from Shea vineyards, and was smokey with hints of oak. At this early stage the wine had some complexity and was lively on the palate. However, the real story at this vineyard was their top Chardonnay, Sigrid. Named after the owner's Swedish grandmother, it is produced in a Burgundian style. The 2015 had a nose that would remind anybody of fine White Burgundy and showed good promise but was not that expressive at this stage. However, I had the opportunity to taste a 2012 Sigrid in New York recently. Unlike the 2015, this wine was very open. It had a subdued nose that was somewhat sweet with hints of wood and later also developed some musty tones. While it was somewhat front-loaded, it presented a classic Burgundian creamy texture that also contained some of its own unique elements. During the tasting it developed a much fuller and rounder body, with a reasonable amount of complexity and structure, ending with a nice long finish. I'm looking forward to my next tasting of Sigrid!