On April 2nd, 54 Willamette Valley winemakers arrive in Washington DC to host
Pinot in the City, a wine tasting event held at the
Long View Gallery from 6-9pm for $75 a ticket. During the event, consumers will have the opportunity to learn more about what the Willamette Valley has to offer - directly from
winemakers by hearing their individual stories.
Pinot Noir is the most important grape variety in the region and accounts for approximately 70% of plantings. Pinot Gris is the next largest at about 15%, followed by Chardonnay (5%) and Riesling (4%). Since Pinot Noir will be the primary focus of the event, I asked three of the participating winemakers what differentiates Willamette Valley Pinot Noir from Burgundy and California's Russian River Valley? The consensus: expect very fruit forward wines with an acidic backbone.
Harry Peterson-Nedry of
Chehalem Winery:
First and foremost differences are climatic, with Oregon’s Willamette Valley a bona fide cool climate and therefore similar to Burgundy, but like California dry during the growing and ripening season. Soils for all areas are different, so show nuance differences. More tightly wound and acid structured wines can be seen in Oregon and Burgundy, more overt fruit in Oregon and California. Oregon’s fruit is vibrant, fresh fruited and forward, with acids for great ageability and for the table.
David Adelsheim of
Adelsheim Vineyard
The short, simplistic answer is that no other place in the world has the combination of intense fresh fruit, backbone of acidity, and the specific flavors and tannins of the various Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs.
Alex Sokol Blosser of
Sokol Blosser Vineyards
The main differences are the soil, sun, and growing degree days. We have very similar growing degree days as northern Burgundy but less than Russian River Valley. We have very similar sun hours as southern Burgundy and different than the RRV in CA.
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theCompass View
of Oregon Wine |
All three winemakers agree that Pinot Noir will maintain primacy in the future, whereas Chardonnay and Riesling could overtake Pinto Gris. Other cool climate grapes such as Gruner Veltliner or Pinot Blanc may find homes, but "only Pinot Noir will be synonymous with Willamette Valley".
Like Virginia and Maryland, wine tourism is a growing component to Willamette Valley wine sales, yet it can't rely on casual or day-trip tourists from neighboring metropolitan areas. Instead, the Willamette Valley is becoming a wine destination attracting tourists who spend several days touring various wineries. This is a result of the high quality of the wines, or as David Adelsheim states, "the Willamette Valley first developed around very high quality wines; tourism came much later".
I've been thinking of planning a trip to Oregon wine country and I'm sure Pinot in the City will entice me further. I recommend readers do the same - at a minimum you will taste some extraordinary wines. Cheers.
David Adelsheim feels it's time for the Chehalem Mountains to take it's place among the great grape growing regions in Oregon, "We believe it is one of the very best regions in the Willamette Valley (and perhaps the world) to produce Pinot Adelsheim Vineyard is releasing Breaking Ground, a 2014 Chehalem Mountains AVA Pinot Noir ($45). The Adelsheim's commitment to the Chehalem Mountains started in 1971 when the family purchased their first property and established the area’s first winery. Located in the northern Willamette Valley AVA, the Chehalem (pronounced Sha-HAY-lum) Mountains AVA is 20 miles long and 5 miles in width and it's mountains and ridges comprise three major soil types: volcanic basaltic (southeast), ocean sedimentary (northwest), and loess (northeast). The grapes for Breaking Ground were sourced from LIVE (Low Input Viticulture & Enology) certified vineyards among each of these three soil types. The wine is smooth, juicy and lively as blackberries and dark cherries roll into a dusty black tea flavor. Simply delicious.
