2010 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

WINE TALK
1

Our cellar has just finished malos…and based on several tastings-- both solo and with valued palates-- I’m going to stick my neck out here with the opinion that 2010 may well equal or even exceed 2008 as a stellar Oregon vintage. Forget the “big, fruit-forward” thing. The aromatics are lilting…unencumbered by alcohols. Complex dark fruit and spice dominate…with long, supple tannins and deep, late harvest color. It’s all there. It’s beautiful…after all the white knuckles that accompanied one of the coolest vintages on record !

2

I’ve heard a couple of other winemakers say positive things bout 2010. I can’t wait to try a few barrel samples.

3

I’m glad you did as I had fears of being delusional! These are pretty wines and I have been sampling over the last few days. I’m in love.

4

[cheers.gif]

5

Thanks for the update doug, you think they are going to have a little more earth/forest floor than the 08’s? That was one of thing missing from a lot of the 08’s I have had. Can’t wait to try the 09 and 10 Bricks.

6

Based on what I’ve tried from barrel - one vineyard on Ribbon Ridge, three lots - it’s gonna be a good one.

7

Agreed. You’re not going to get any argument from me on the beauty of this vintage.

8

But is it as good as '07? [stirthepothal.gif]





Sorry, I could not resist. And, craving one of the ‘07 Les Dijonnais’, sitting in my basement at home, is not helping. [berserker.gif]

9

Doug/Todd/Byron,

Any thoughts as to how your whites fared in 2010?

10

Now, Come On Guys! With a little rest and cold therapy, my CC could just possibly start to cool off after the 07 and 08 campaigns.

RT

11

Hey, you have an entire vintage you can skip.

12

Doug;

Interesting you talked about dark fruit… Was talking to Dick Shea about his 10’s last week. He said that his wines were going to be predominately red fruit driven, not black fruit as is typical. Not that much dirt difference between the two of you, interesting! [cheers.gif]

13

We have many things that have not started malo and precious little that has finished. It has been sort of amazing to see the amount of change the finished wines have gone through. Wines that were shrill and had no depth now are rich and have lots of substance and complexity. It will be nice when everything is finally through.

14

Love the whites too DJ. Great acidity and fleshy, I will run them all dry- even the Riesling. It appears to be a surprisingly successful vintage. Awesome nail biter too! We picked Pinot on the 23rd and the whites came in a week later.

15

DJ, I’m thrilled with the whites, other than the yield we had on the Chardonnay resulting in less than half the production of our 2009 Chard. But it’s vibrant, with nice layers, depth and texture. My other 2010 whites are from the Columbia Valley (Oregon) AVA, and while showing unique character from the vintage, those wines (Viognier, Roussanne, Pinot gris) are surprisingly more like the 2009s in terms of size.

16

Remember La Garagistes’ take on 2010?

In the hands of people who know what they’re doing — and didn’t panic — this vintage is going to produce some disarmingly elegant wines. Will Robert Parker anoint them with high scores? Unlikely. It’ll be nowhere near the syrah-like California style he favors. But will it earn high marks from those smart enough to snap up the tragically few that make it to market? Oh, yeah.

In the end, maybe what’s scariest about this vintage is that it’s kind of a ticking time bomb for less talented winemakers and growers. Everyone’s reputation will probably survive the year, but when 2010 wines hit the shelves, there will be nowhere to hide: the true measure of talent will be unflatteringly revealed in the glass.

17

Kelley & I are really happy with our 2010s as well. Post-malo they’re showing pretty red fruit, lovely aromatics, good concentration - everything we’re looking for. I would guess that '08 may be more consistently excellent across the board, but the better '10s will equal or exceed their '08 counterparts. A pure “Pinot” vintage. Sadly, there is very little of it…

18

Jim,

I remember that take on 2010 in Oregon and thinking…wow, Parker hasn’t reviewed Oregon Pinots in over a decade, what’s he talking about?

As far as the vintage goes, we will be sitting down and tasting ours in early May for the first time seriously. I do think the changes throughout ml have been great (the malics were huge). I also know that we get our stuff exclusively from the Chehalem Mountains AVA, which is oftentimes more challenged in cooler years (IMO) that other areas but fares better in warmer vintages.

Adam Lee
Siduri Wines

19

Great sneak preview, Adam.

This early in the game, can you comment (or speculate) about the balance, which is my definitive gripe about 2007’s. (Greg’s comment made me [snort.gif].)

It sounds like it is a vintage on the (broadly speaking) feminine side. Are there vintages you think it is comparable with, at this point?

20

Don’t make me throw that red herring again, Adam. Whether you agree, you get the point being made.