Oregon trail

You don't have to be crazy to make great pinot in the Northwest, but it helps

Uncorked by David Marglin

Oregon wine has a lot going for it. Personally, I love discovering new and promising wines -- of which Oregon offers many -- but as a wine writer, it's almost more exciting to learn tidbits of information to pass along.

Here are some of the tidbits I know about Oregon: around 1960, there were no more than four wineries in the state, and all those are now closed. In 1967 a pioneer named David Lett arrived in Oregon and decided to plant pinot noir in the Willamette Valley. As I've mentioned before, pinot noir is the most difficult variety to grow, and one of the hardest to make into good wine. It needs the right combination of soil, altitude, weather, temperature, light, moisture, and luck to ripen properly -- and even then, the wines don't just make themselves. Some need to be filtered; some racked (racking is shifting wine from vat to barrel, or from barrel to barrel, to remove sediment and to get the wine into the right maturing environment). One Oregon winemaker, John Paul of Cameron Vineyards, believes that because of lunar effects on air pressure, wines should be racked only during the waning moon.

Making wine by the light of the moon may seem like lunacy, but given the quality of the wines coming out of Oregon, who's to argue? The state is thriving. Oregon now has more than 120 wineries, which sold some 750,000 cases of wine in 1996 -- making it the third-largest wine producing state, behind California and New York. Pinot noir is its hallmark, and pretty much everyone believes that Oregon pinots are giving red Burgundies a run for their money and will continue to do so.

Embracing the theory that if you can beat 'em, it's better (and more profitable) to join 'em, Drouhin and Bollinger, two French winemaking powerhouses (the first a leading Burgundy producer, the second known for its excellent Champagnes) have established wineries in Oregon, and more major wineries will likely follow. Why? Because the conditions are so good for growing great grapes, especially those varieties -- such as pinot noir, pinot gris, and chardonnay -- that can tolerate a shorter growing season and cooler weather. In my last column, I mentioned the lovely Willakenzie Estate pinot gris, which is one of the best examples of that varietal produced in this country, but other wineries are making decent pinot gris, too -- notably Ponzi, Flynn, and King Estate. So far, chardonnay hasn't really thrived in Oregon, but many winemakers have come to believe they've been using the wrong chardonnay clone (the 108, imported from California), and now, with better-suited Dijon vines planted, many of the cognoscenti believe that Oregon chards will soon flourish.

Winemakers in Oregon exhibit a much more communal spirit than do their neighbors in the rather incestuous and fiercely competitive Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Oregon winemakers -- many of them, at least -- are characters. They share their (sometimes quirky) knowledge, and in general appear to believe that a rising tide lifts all boats. John Paul, the one with the moon theory, is also reputed to believe that the smell of the caves where the wine sits in barrels has a profound effect on its flavors -- and that having mold on the walls of your caves is crucial to getting the right smell. (If you don't have the proper mold growing naturally, he claims, you can always spray fizzy beer on the walls. Presto -- instant cave mold!)

Now that I've raved about Oregon, allow me to offer a few warnings. Some years are definitely better than others, especially for pinot noir, which depends heavily on weather for proper ripening: 1994 was a superb year and 1996 may wind up to be as good or better, but 1995 left a lot to be desired, owing to wet weather (it rains a lot in Oregon, and too much can be disastrous). Not all the '95s were busts (I've had a wonderful St. Innocent Freedom Hill Vineyard and a terrific O'Connor Vineyards, and the Domaine Serene Reserve is also lovely), but the good ones tend to be on the pricier side.

What makes my heart sing about the 1996 vintage is that there are a number of affordable wines of excellent quality, including the Willakenzie Estate pinot gris; a melon de bourgogne from Ken Wright Cellars (made from the same grape as Muscadet, but far fruitier than its Loire Valley counterpart, with succulent hints of apricot); and a tremendous number of pinot noirs.

It's important to ask your wine merchant or sommelier about the vintage of a particular wine, but, as a general rule, if it's a '94 or '96, buy away. The '94s are starting to open, but many of the '96s are still a little tight, so you may want to sit on them for a time. (Pinot noirs have this thing where they kind of go into hibernation after a couple of years, then reemerge after four or five years fully matured, ripe and round.) But buy now, because the good Oregon wines from 1996 will soon be gone, laid into cellars alongside all those delectable '94s. And the following wines are far too special to be Ore-gone before you've had a chance to appreciate them.

*** Bridgeview 1996 Pinot Noir ($10.99, Marty's)

A steal. This wine attacks with bright fruit, loads of fresh cherry, and tender yet enticing hints of cedar. A treat -- and plenty ready.

** Bethel Heights Vineyards 1996 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ($11.99, Wine & Cheese Cask)

Smooth, silky, supple, not brimming with fruit flavors but highly approachable -- the kind of pinot that marries well with gentle flavors but is pleasant (if somewhat unassuming) on its own. A good training pinot for those wanting to get acquainted.

**1/2 Willamette Valley Vineyards 1996 Pinot Noir ($13.99, Marty's, Wine & Cheese Cask)

Fully developed fruit with plenty of raspberry and hints of red currant. A splashy partner for spicy foods, and quite a good value.

*** Adelsheim Vineyard 1996 Pinot Noir ($19.99, Wine & Cheese Cask)

Lush and vital, with plenty of plum and even a whiff of papaya. This is a powerful, vibrant wine with lots of balance that is fine now but will soften with some time in the bottle.

David Marglin can be reached at wine[a]phx.com.

---

The Uncorked archive

---