Pinot, Pinot, and more Pinot!

A couple of Willamette Valley ‘07’s and an intro to an ‘08

I promised myself I wouldn’t use this blog to rant on and on about my thoughts around the endless stream of negative comments about Willamette Valley Oregon’s 2007 vintage, so I won’t. Sparing you said endless rant, I do need to say this, you are a fool if you believe that everything that came out of ’07 is bad.  I encourage you to not write off an entire vintage because of a few generalizations about it.  I have had my fair share of beautiful Pinot Noirs from ‘07, and yes, I’ve also had my fair share of bad ones.  But isn’t that the story with any vintage, whether it is hailed as a “good” or “bad” vintage? You’re always going to have some shining stars, as well as some flops.  When it comes to this subject, I simply encourage the discerning consumer to find reliable sources for recommendations on good wines. Or, if you can, go taste them for yourself and make your own judgment call.
Ok I’m done.  Managed to do that in a paragraph.

That being said, I recently sat down and tried three Pinot Noirs from Willamette Valley Vineyards from 2007 and 2008 all expressing some promising characteristics for their respective vintages.

Founded in 1983, Willamette Valley Vineyards was among roughly two dozen wineries in Oregon at the time.  Fast forward more than 25 years later, with now over 400 wineries in the state, they are not only one of the largest producers, but founder Jim Bernau is also a strong advocate for legislative decisions that impact the Oregon Wine Industry.

Their mission, according to their website, “in growing cool-climate varietals is to create elegant, classic Oregon wines from the Willamette Valley Appellation. As native Oregonians, we treasure our environment and use sustainable practices in growing and vinifying our winegrapes.”  This mission is expressed in their commitment to sustainability.  

All of the vineyards, the Estate Vineyard, Tualatin Estate, and Elton vineyard, have been certified sustainable through LIVE (Low Input Viticulture and Enology) and Salmon Safe programs since 1997.  Ten years later, in 2007, they became the first winery in the world to use sustainable cork stoppers certified by the Rainforest Alliance and Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.  Not only are they practicing sustainable practices in their vineyards and winery, but they encourage employees to partake as well.  In 2005, Bernau launched the employee biodiesel program; offering fifty gallons of biodiesel a month to each employee, at no cost.  This seems pretty darn cool to me!  

But what about the wines?
  

2008 Whole Cluster Fermented Pinot Noir

As opposed to 2007, early reports are hailing the 2008 vintage as one of the best in a decade.
Only time will tell as wineries start to release their Pinots from this vintage. This particular wine was very light in style. 

Concentrated ripe and expressive strawberry, cranberry, and raspberry fruit on the nose with similar characteristics on the palate. Very light bodied wine yet still lively with a fun personality.  Young and fresh.  In style, this wine was very Beaujolais-like to me with its light body, low tannins, bright fruit, and easy drinking nature.  I can see this being a nice summer sipper and the kind of wine that will be good on a warm summer day when you’re just not in the mood for white wine. 

Appellation:  Willamette Valley
Grapes:  Pinot Noir
Retail:  $19
Alcohol:  12.5%

2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Tart cranberry and raspberry fruit on the nose with a touch of light funk, earth, toast, and spice.
In the mouth the wine evolved with more tart cranberries along with soft tannins and more toasty oak spiciness.  Light body in style with delicate fruit and spice balance.  I think this is a nice representation of a light and delicate ’07 Pinot from the Willamette Valley in the $20-$30 price range.

Appellation:  Willamette Valley
Grapes:  Pinot Noir
Retail:  $25
Alcohol:  13%

2007 Tualatin Estate Vineyard

Light in color with graham, spice, and concentrated cherry, raspberry, and cranberry fruit on the nose along with some floral qualities.  The wine opens up with plenty of tart cranberry and cherry fruit along with vanilla, spice, graham, and barrel toast on the palate with lingering spice and vanilla on the finish.  Another delicate and balanced representation of the vintage.
When looking in the $40 price range, however, there are a lot of producers to choose from and I would say this wine is on the higher end of the price range that I would prefer to pay for this particular wine.   

Appellation:  Willamette Valley
Grapes:  Pinot Noir
Retail:  $40
Alcohol:  13.8%

These wines were provided as
media samples for review.