Willamette Valley Harvest 2010--Thus Far

by Maggie Bernat Smith

We love wine because it tells us a story. A tale of where it was grown, different varietal expressions, what the winemaker did to it when it was picked, and how the weather was that year. Wine is a delicious voice of all these things. It’s what makes us listen to it, analyze it, debate about it, and keep going back for more.

The red wine voice of Willamette Valley Oregon is Pinot Noir. It just happens to be one of the most expressive red wines in the world. Its delicate nature and thin skin has this grape wearing its heart on its sleeve and for those of us with a love for Pinot accept it and will love her no matter what. I am here in Willamette Valley Oregon right now working this 2010 harvest where the grapes are still hanging on the vines (typically they would have been picked 2-3 weeks ago). I sought the advice of Van Duzer Vineyards winemaker Jerry Murray to help me understand and what to predict this vintage.

Despite the tough start to the year, and the rocky mid-season, the end of the season is giving us the sunshine which mother nature does not normally provide this time of year. Traditionally in Oregon, it’s a race to pick the grapes before the rainy season hits. Mother nature is being very kind to Willamette Valley right now so there’s hope to pull this vintage off yet. Jerry Murray, winemaker at Van Duzer Vineyards (one of my personal favorites) said “the problem with this season is that to get to the point of physiological maturity (100-110 days) we need to hang the grapes during a window that is typically not conducive to clean and concentrated fruit; rain and cold. We are incredibly lucky that the season has played out the way it has.” He picks exclusively on the flavor of the grapes, he says that if you relied on sugar ripeness alone, you may not get there this year but if the flavors and complexity are there then the wine will be good.

It’s extremely difficult to predict what the wines will ultimately taste like until they are maturing, most of the valley has not picked their fruit yet, but I asked Jerry what we can expect as a comparison to the 2007 and 2008 vintages which are on the shelves now. He says “these wines will obviously be low alcohol making them similar to 2007 and 2008. Unlike 2007, the wines should show good concentration because, as of yet and knock on wood, the rain hasn’t caused any dilution. I suspect that acids will be higher than the 2008’s, this season has been much cooler and the grapes are holding on to their acids. Expect classic Pinot; elegance, focus, layers. Expect these wines be rest on smaller, tighter, more compact frames than most vintages. This vintage is going to be one for TRUE Pinot Lovers, not those who prefer their Pinot’s to resemble Sumo Wrestlers in a dress.”

Sounds great to this classic Pinot Noir lover!

Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

by Maggie Bernat Smith

Since Noble Grape had to hire an entirely new staff due to all of the current employees running off to Oregon to work this years wine harvest, we thought it only proper to talk about Oregon wines for a spell and see why these wine enthusiasts would travel 2200 miles to help create wine there.

As you probably know (and probably drank), the Willamette Valley is famous for its Pinot Noir. As highly regarded as it is today, that was not always the case. Once upon a time (in the late 1960’s) a couple of smart, curious, optimistic UC Davis rebels came up to the hills of Oregon (and into what is now the Willamette Valley) to find a place to plant their beloved grape Pinot Noir. Their alma mater said it was impossible to grow vinifera (the wine grapes that we know today) vines in this state. However their spirit, instinct and smarts took them there anyway. This fairy tale blossoms in 1979 when David Lett (one of the rebels and the founder of Eyrie Vineyards) entered his Pinot Noir in the 1979 Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades and won top Pinot noir honors against France's best labels. The world stood up and took notice and the Willamette Valley became an official AVA in 1984. Even though it is mostly recognized for Pinot noir, it also consistently earns top honors for other such cool-climate varieties as Pinot gris, Dijon clone Chardonnay and Pinot blanc as well.

To put the Willamette Valley region in perspective--since Napa wins the prize for most visited wine area in the U.S.-- this region is approximately 150-miles long and 60-miles wide! I want to stress how large this AVA is because before coming here, It’s difficult to understand the scope and the “feel” that this wine country has compared to Napa Valley. If you’ve visited Napa-- which odds are you have if you love wine-- it epitomizes “wine country tourism.” There are wineries and vineyards everywhere you look. There are world renowned restaurants, shopping, picnic areas, B&B’s, five star resorts, spas, anything that you want or need to make a vacation complete. This is not the Willamette Valley. Along the main highways that run through it you will see; grass farms, straw farms, Christmas tree farms, apple and pear orchards, raspberry and blackberry fields. When you enter one of the many small towns in the area you will maybe find a humble B&B, a coffee shop, antique stores or a local pizza parlor. There are no resorts to cater to our wine-loving demographic, just humble beginnings and people that clearly care about the land on which their crops grow. (Note this is written in 2010 anyone reading this in 2020 things may have changed).

Oregon takes its pioneering spirit very seriously and has made considerable contributions to the modern success of Pinot Noir and wine in general. The winemakers here created strict labeling laws in the state which require any wine labeled Pinot Noir to be 90% Pinot Noir (California only need be 75%). The LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology Program) certification program begun in 1997 by Ted Casteel of Bethel Heights, requires designated wineries to use minimal chemical additives, no off-farm chemicals and fertilizers, and strive for maximal biodiversity.

Benton-Lane winery for instance is not only is certified by LIVE but practice, sustainable, organic and biodynamic farming as well. They not only make award-winning wines but also truly care about the land and grapes they cultivate so the vineyard land will sustain itself when passed on.

The featured Oregon Pinot Noir of the week is Benton-Lane Winery. Benton-Lane Pinot Noir recently won The San Francisco International Wine Competition which is the largest wine competition in the world, evaluating wines from 27 countries and 28 states, a total of 3,897 entries. Benton Lane was the only Oregon winery entry to win a Gold Medal for its 2008 Willamette Valley Estate Pinot Noir and 2008 Williamette Valley First Class Pinot Noir! They have also made it to Wine Spectators top 100 wines of the year 3 times in the past 5 years alone, what a truly outstanding accomplishment! You can find their Pinot at The Noble Grape which is located at 802 N. Bishop St, in the West town neighborhood.