Advocate Jan 2014

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46 VOL. 72 PART 1 JANUARY 2014 THE ADVOCATE western territory and find a route to the Pacific coast, which they reached in 1806. But for wine lovers the important pioneers came much later: the families Lett, Sommer, Erath, Ponzi and Adelsheim, among others, purchased land in the north part of the Willamette Valley in the mid 1960s and early 1970s, planted Pinot Noir and started to develop what would later become a respected region known for wines in the Burgundian style. There are many events that brought recognition to Oregon wines, but a few are notable. Eyrie Vineyards’ 1975 Pinot Noir won second prize in a blind tasting of top French Burgundies at the Gault/Milau “Wine Olympics” in 1979. In 1987, Robert Drouhin, of the Beaune-based winemaking family, purchased land in the Dundee Hills, appointing his daughter Véronique as winemaker and lending validation to the notion that fine Burgundies could be produced in Oregon. In 1985, wine critic Robert Parker Jr. visited Oregon and is said to have “discovered” it in his influential magazine, the Wine Advocate. But this probably gives too much credit to wine critics and not enough to the wine makers. (Note that Parker owns, with his brother-in-law Mike Etzel, an interest in Les Beaux Frères vineyard near Newberg.) Currently, there are about 400 wineries in Oregon. The state has four main American Viticultural Areas, or “AVAs”: Columbia Valley, Snake River Valley, Southern Oregon and Willamette Valley. As the premier AVA in Oregon, the Willamette Valley has been divided into six sub-appellations: Chehalem Mountains, Eola-Amity Hills, Dundee Hills, McMinnville, Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill-Carlton. The Willamette Valley is cooler and wetter than most grape-growing regions. Its “growing degree days” (a climatological measure of heat during the grape-growing season) are similar to those in the northern part of the Okanagan Valley, but far less than those in the southern Okanagan, Sonoma or Napa. Hence it has become known as a place where an early-ripening and difficult grape (Pinot Noir) is grown under difficult conditions. But Oregon isn’t just about Pinot Noir. It also produces Chardonnay and Alsatian varietals such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürtztraminer and Riesling. If wine tasting in the Willamette Valley is on your itinerary, you will travel southwest from Portland on Highway 99, where vineyards, wineries and tasting rooms are clustered in and around the towns of Newberg, Dundee, Lafayette and McMinnville. In less than 45 minutes, you will arrive in the Willamette, and when you do, you may well ask yourself why you’ve not travelled there before. With its bucolic blend of lush evergreen forest, fertile farmland and rolling hillside vineyards, it is a feast for the eyes. Unlike other wine regions, the Willamette
THE ADVOCATE VOL. 72 PART 1 JANUARY 2014 47 is not primarily focused on wine production and wine tourism. The vineyards are ever so present, but they are small and intermingled with stretches of fields and groves devoted to a large variety of other crops. This may be a function of the relatively early stage of the wine industry in Oregon, but when you are there you get the distinct sense that the Willamette is striving to be different. You will be hard pressed to locate a tour bus, but you’ll have to be on a constant lookout for slow-moving farm vehicles on the country roads. And those country roads will not always be paved, so you can expect your urban vehicle to be in dire need of a wash when you return home. Drive through Newberg into Dundee and then wind your way up Worden Hill Road and Ribbon Ridge Road to take in some of the beautiful vistas that the region offers. Along the way, you will see vineyards planted predominantly with Pinot Noir, that ever-so-fickle and difficult grape that somehow finds its ultimate expression in the Willamette soil and climate. The Pinots of the Willamette are indeed impressive, and the folks in Oregon are serious about them and understandably proud of their product. Almost always served in appropriate larger-bowled Burgundy glasses, these Pinots show their distinctiveness immediately in their fruit-filled and floral bouquet. The flavour of expressive fruit and spice and the velvety texture of the liquid tell you at once that this is where Pinot Noir belongs. As in any wine region, there is variation in the quality of wines from producer to producer. However, there is more consistency of quality in Oregon than is found elsewhere. A visit to the wineries is a must if you are travelling through. Many have regular tasting hours, and others are by appointment only. Alexana Estate Vineyard and Winery on Worden Hill Road in Newberg was one of the first on our tour. Founded by Dr. Madaiah Revana, the winery was the culmination of a dream to produce wines of Burgundylike quality. Dr. Revana sought out and hired one of the top winemakers of the area, Lynn Penner-Ash, and now produces several single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, as well as a crisp and delicious Riesling. All of the wines we tasted were delicious. The Willamette Valley is one of those places where the person pouring your wine in the tasting room may well be one of the winemakers, and that was the case when we visited White Rose Estate Winery. Nestled near the top of the Dundee Hills, the property provides spectacular views of the valley and is home to one of the oldest vineyards in the region, known as the White Rose Vineyard. We were the only visitors at the time and were greeted in the tasting room by the head winemaker, Jesus Guillen. He proceeded to describe the many single-vineyard wines produced on site as he poured a few selections for our enjoyment. All were beautifully aromatic
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Because not everyone is this lucky.
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Advocate Jan 2014

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