I’m in Portland at Feast Portland and attended the Grand Tasting today. I guess I was not very aware of the Oregon wine scene but every producer was hawking their Pinot, both Noir and Gris. I tasted several and after a bit I was over it. Fortunately there was a Washington state contingent with some Cabernet and Syrahs. I guess Willamette Valley is Pinot central. I’m sure there was some great wine but this event was not really the place for considered tasting.
Thank goodness there’s nebbiolo!
Just out of curiosity what did you think you would taste?
Thanks for the info. I had no idea that wineries in the Willamette Valley produced pinot noir, who woulda thunk?
I reject the concept of too much Pinot. Too much happiness? Too much money? Too much love? No such thing.
Only if there can never be too much of anything.
But we know that’s not quite true.
You can have too much rain, as in a hurricane.
Too much excitement, as in an earthquake.
Too much heat, as in the raging fires that are devastating various parts of the planet at the moment.
And too much Pinot Noir as in . . . well . . . having Pinot Noir when you could be enjoying something really good!
Robert, not sure what Pinots you tasted. The Pinot Noirs (about which I know a little, tho I’m far from an expert) come in a fairly wide range of styles. So maybe there are some that you would like but didn’t get to try at this event.
this.
Robert, Oregon is to Pinot as Napa is to Cabernet Sauvignon. 
Yeah, I was just having a moment. This event was not the time to asses a wine’s virtue, with all the noise and cooking smells, after awhile everything began to taste the same and nothing stood out. The Washington State wines may not have been better but I could at least taste them. Palate fatigue is the likely issue.
FWIW, I have never found those “mass tastings” to be of any real value, either financially or educationally.
Okay everyone, make fun (and yes, it seems kind of obvious). But for me there’s something behind the OP. I get palate fatigue when tasting Pinot Noir over and over in a way that I don’t seem to get when tasting other varieties over and over.
Perhaps the challenge wasn’t too much Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, but rather that for Robert it all felt very ‘samey’. It’s a criticism I’ll sometimes lay at the door of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and blends of the two. In some regions such wines can be ubiquitous and monotonous. The more wines tasted, the more boring they feel to us. It’s like the winery feels they have to have such wines in their range, so bang it out like a commodity wine.
Mass tastings can be very useful to ‘get a feel for a region/style’, but that feel might not always be positive.
Robert, there is a potential cure, though it is still in clinical trials decades after it’s creation. If you’re willing to give it a go, I’d prescribe a daily application of Tom Hill’s ‘wee bloody pulpit’. There are side effects though, notably strong urges to plant obscure grape varieties up and down coastal America.
I’m not sure what to say, on one hand it feels a little like you’re surprised that Oregon is dominantly planted to Pinot Noir, on the other it also feels like you’re complaining that there is a lack of fuller bodied wines. I would say that I’ve read several articles that talk about how dominantly Pinot Noir is planted in Oregon. Thank goodness there are some folks that plant other wines too. If you’re looking for some Oregon wineries that focus on other varietals I’d check out Owen Roe, Sineanne, (both have contracts for fruit out of the state) and maybe Penner Ash (they used to make a Syrah…I’m not sure now). It sounds like you might be more drawn to the wines of Washington or California.
I was in Burgundy this summer and never thought once about too much Pinot. Never longed for a Bordeaux or anything else. Just was very excited to be drinking such wonderful Burgundies. My guess is you just don’t like Pinot very much and should visit regions that producer Cabernet or whatever else it is that rocks your boat.
hey now, Oregon also grows some pretty good Chardonnay.
but yeah sounds like you were just suffering from a lack of variety that surprised you more than anything. Oregon pinot is great for the fact that I can normally pick it out of a crowd cuz it has some consistent characteristics, but also can make a large tasting a little on the one-noted side.
I think Robert’s displeasure is based more on the place and format. How were the serving temperatures?
Posted without comment.
It is a boisterous and bustling place with loads of people, smells and music. Good for drinking but not for tasting if that makes any sense. I’m sure the wines are fine. I’m just not as mentally flexible as I was when younger.
I thought he was just being sarcastic but… 