Willamette is for Pinot lovers
Christine and I love wine because of how the drink is so wrapped up with the place and time, and we travel because we are interested in time and place. Pinot Noir is one grape variety that can be experienced on an axis stretching from New Zealand, to northern California, to northwestern Oregon, to Burgundy, France. Pinot Noir is also the varietal that Paul Giamatti famously lusted over in Sideways because of its mercurial nature.
The Willamette River flows in northwestern Oregon between the Oregon Coastal Range and the Cascades. Along the hills of the western bank are vineyards famous for their Pinot Noir grapes.
Thousands of miles away, Burgundy, France, is the spiritual home of Pinot Noir, where monks grew grapes for centuries. The monks discovered where the terroir (i.e., combination of soil, slope, sunlight, and climate) was optimal for Pinot. The methods and organization of Burgundy wine making and marketing are constrained by these centuries of traditions. Finding good Burgundies to buy is very difficult for those of us without in-depth knowledge and extra wealth.
The Willamette Valley AVA (i.e., American Viticultural Area) is a relative upstart in Pinot Noir. They've been growing Pinot for 50 years and began earning positive recognition in the 1980s.
Comparisons between any region growing Pinot Noir and Burgundy are inevitable. Nevertheless, modern Burgundian winemakers and investors are laying roots in Oregon, and those Oregonians lucky enough to strike Pinot gold have invested in Burgundy itself.
Oregon Pinots have less of a fruit forward taste than some Napa Pinot Noirs but less of the earthiness of the Burgundians. In Napa, the climate is warmer and summer growing days longer; more sunlight leads to more sugar development in the grapes. The Willamette Valley AVA and Burgundy are found along the same latitudinal axis. Both regions are relatively cool. Acids give way to sugars as grapes grow, so the similar climates lead to similar levels of acid as well as sugar. Nevertheless, wine production is sensitive to terroir, and the Willamette and Burgundy terroirs are different enough that these Oregonian wines are not imitations of Burgundies, even while the two regions are commonly compared to each other.
Also, Oregonian Pinots are a lot cheaper. So at Christine's and Eric's house, expect to find the Oregonians for years to come. Someday, maybe, there will be some Burgundies.
Post Script
Although Titus Andromedon was singing about peeno noir and not Pinot Noir, the song is catchy and not a bad complement to a few extra glasses of Pinot Noir.
The Willamette River flows in northwestern Oregon between the Oregon Coastal Range and the Cascades. Along the hills of the western bank are vineyards famous for their Pinot Noir grapes.
Thousands of miles away, Burgundy, France, is the spiritual home of Pinot Noir, where monks grew grapes for centuries. The monks discovered where the terroir (i.e., combination of soil, slope, sunlight, and climate) was optimal for Pinot. The methods and organization of Burgundy wine making and marketing are constrained by these centuries of traditions. Finding good Burgundies to buy is very difficult for those of us without in-depth knowledge and extra wealth.
The Willamette Valley AVA (i.e., American Viticultural Area) is a relative upstart in Pinot Noir. They've been growing Pinot for 50 years and began earning positive recognition in the 1980s.
Comparisons between any region growing Pinot Noir and Burgundy are inevitable. Nevertheless, modern Burgundian winemakers and investors are laying roots in Oregon, and those Oregonians lucky enough to strike Pinot gold have invested in Burgundy itself.
Oregon Pinots have less of a fruit forward taste than some Napa Pinot Noirs but less of the earthiness of the Burgundians. In Napa, the climate is warmer and summer growing days longer; more sunlight leads to more sugar development in the grapes. The Willamette Valley AVA and Burgundy are found along the same latitudinal axis. Both regions are relatively cool. Acids give way to sugars as grapes grow, so the similar climates lead to similar levels of acid as well as sugar. Nevertheless, wine production is sensitive to terroir, and the Willamette and Burgundy terroirs are different enough that these Oregonian wines are not imitations of Burgundies, even while the two regions are commonly compared to each other.
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| The Drouhin family made a name for themselves in Burgundy and opened a New World winery in Oregon. This map also shows the similarity of the regions' latitudes. |
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| The Dundee Hills is an AVA inside of the larger Willamette Valley AVA. This photo was taken from the Domaine Drouhin tasting room. Looks beautiful, right? |
Also, Oregonian Pinots are a lot cheaper. So at Christine's and Eric's house, expect to find the Oregonians for years to come. Someday, maybe, there will be some Burgundies.
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| At Domaine Serene in the Dundee Hills of the Willamette Valley AVA. |
Post Script
Although Titus Andromedon was singing about peeno noir and not Pinot Noir, the song is catchy and not a bad complement to a few extra glasses of Pinot Noir.
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