Oregon winemakers beaver away on Pinot Noir
Should life be thought of as a quest, then for many wine aficionados Pinot Noir is the holy grail. Perhaps no other variety is as revered and admired, but it is also a troublesome and quarrelsome little grape.
Winemakers often refer to this thinskinned red variety as the heartbreak grape. Pinot Noir is notoriously sensitive to excessive heat, wind, frost, planting density, pruning procedures, fermentation methods, yeast types and just about every other aspect of winemaking. The variety is also quite susceptible to pests and diseases and prone to vintage as well as bottle variations.
It’s often said that one must be somewhat of a masochist to make Pinot Noir wines, but over the past millennium winemakers in France, elsewhere in Europe and now the New World have endeavored to unlock the intrinsic beauty of this elusive variety.
Pinot Noir is an ancient grape that’s most likely genetically only one or two generations removed from the wild. The first historical mention of the grape dates back to the 1st century AD in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir is believed to be the father of the Pinot family that includes the genetic mutation descendants Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.
The three grapes are so closely related that only a single gene mutation of the outer skin differentiates them. The ancestral home of the Pinot family is believed to be Burgundy, where the earliest records of Pinot Noir being cultivated date back to 100 AD.
During Medieval times, the variety was widely cultivated by Catholic monks and along with still wines of Champagne were the preferred drink of the French nobility.
Pinot Noir wines reached a new zenith of popularity and quality during the period of the Dukes of Burgundy from 1364 through 1477.
This is sometimes referred to as the golden age of Burgundy when the magnificent court of the dukes rivaled that of the kings of France and the succession of dukes actively promoted the wines of Burgundy.
From the Renaissance to modern day
the commercial success and prestige of Pinot Noir wines from Burgundy has continued to grow, and today many consider Burgundy Pinot Noir the apex of winemaking.
Over the past half century, a handful of regions in New Zealand and Oregon State are challenging the supremacy of the Pinots of Burgundy by producing some world-beating wines of their own. I have written copiously on Kiwi Pinots and other wines but not on the excellent wines of Oregon. In this week’s column, I make amends.
Cool evenings prolong ripening
The unofficial nickname of Oregon is The Beaver State, but it could also be called the Pinot Noir State as many of the best US-made expressions of this variety are made here.
Commercial winemaking started about 50 years ago and today there are 19 AVA wine regions in five diverse areas of the state.
More than 80 grape varieties are cultivated with the big three being Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The nearly 800 wineries are mostly familyowned and operated.
Oregon is the fourth largest wineproducing state following California, Washington and New York.
The northerly latitude of Oregon wine regions means longer days and more sunshine in the growing season allowing the grapes to optimally ripen. The
Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay are the most cultivated varieties in Oregon.
Varieties:
Heady in the wine world is used to describe wines containing higher alcohol.
Key term:
cool evenings prolong the ripening season and help impart freshness, vitality and elegance to the wines.
This ideal winemaking climate has also allowed the majority of wines to be organic.
Like the wines of neighboring Washington, the overall quality of wines produced in Oregon is exceptionally high.
Unlike many of the world’s most famous regions in France, Italy, Spain and Australia where excellent but also pretty awful wines are produced, it’s very hard to find a bad Oregon wine.
The combination of earthiness and freshness make Oregon Pinots perfect partners to a host of the state’s iconic dishes including wild mushrooms, salmon and elk as well as locally produced lamb.
Fortunately for those of us living in China, the wines are also natural companions to a wide range of Chinese dishes like BBQ Mongolian lamb, Beijing duck, Sichuan-style pig’s foot and Cantonese roasted pigeon.
To ensure optimal wine performance allow 30 minutes to an hour for breathing and serve about 16 degrees Celsius.
One of my favorite Oregon Pinots is the Elouan Pinot Noir, a wine made from grapes sourced from three premium wine regions. This is an exceptionally pure wine with ripe plum flavors with mocha notes and mouth-coating soft tannins and a long finish. I particularly admire the desirable yet difficult-toachieve combination of robustness and elegance.
Another premium yet eminently affordable Oregon Pinot of note is the Erath Pinot Noir that features loads of cherry and red berry aromas and flavors along with a sexy tannic finish.
In addition to the wines of Elouan and Erath, other recommended Oregon Pinot producers with wines available in Shanghai include Castle Rock, Willakenzie Estate, Lingua Franca and King Estate.
Exceptional Oregon Pinot Noir vintages to look for are 2016, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2010 and 2008.