I read a lot on this board about burgundy “dumb phases”, cellaring for 20+ years to achieve optimal drinking, etc. Knowing it’s difficult to apply a common standard to all wines, what’s your opinion on how long to cellar a good Cali or Oregon PN?
Tough question. Do you prefer primary (very fresh fruit) or tertiary (very aged fruit) or some combination? I’ve had dead Cali PNs that were 10 - 15 years old and others that were lovely after 20 to 30.
Oregon is much more vintage dependent. For the most part…properly aged OR PNs from 1993 - 2002 are doing nicely. There are a handful of producers with 25 - 30+ year wines showing very well now. I suspect an appreciable number of OR 08s will last for 20+ years. I’m also not convinced that domestic pinots need to be tannic and bulky to age well with brightly acidic lighter wines having a fighting chance too. No one really knows…fun to speculate.
I’ll consume the vast marjority of my CA and OR pinots < 10 years. There are a number that I hope to check in on in 20+, but they’re certainly the exceptions.
RT
Can’t speak to Cali, but I think Richard is correct that in Oregon ageability is very vintage (and producer) dependent.
Eyrie Vineyards has the longest (and arguably best) track record when it comes to aging Oregon Pinot. David Lett did not make tannic or bulky wines. His son, Jason, continues to interpret the bright, complex, food-friendly style his father established in the early 1970s.
Definitely no hard and fast rules from my experience. Producer and vintage. I have been surprised by some California pinot that I thought would be gone that were great at 15+.
Curious if those of you with a lot of experience with Oregon pinot see the wines shut down? I can’t say that I’'ve felt California examples shut down quite the same as burgs.
It’s definitely on a case-by-case basis. In general, good California pinots age longer and better than most of wine geeks realize or acknowledge, but it depends on the producer and wine, and of course whether you personally like them younger or older.
The good news is that California pinots almost never go through a dumb phase, so at least you don’t have to worry about that when opening a medium-old one.
With regards to shutting down, Oregon seems to be in crossover territory between Cali and Burgundy. Producer style certainly comes in to play. I wouldn’t expect most 06s and 09s to ever shut down. I’ve noticed a number of '10s tighten up, not to mention variable levels in 05s and even 07s. 08 is probably OR’s poster child for “let sleeping dogs lie”. Not to say there aren’t exceptions. It’s not unusual for Pinot to be be exceptionally moody…extroverted dominatrix one day, shy church mouse the next.
RT
IMO, 95% of CA Pinots should be consumed by eight years of age.
They may change, but very few improve…
TTT
IMHO - In general, the uber fruity, somewhat flabby examples excepted, I would treat Oregon Pinot more like Burgundy that California Pinot. (At least the ones that I buy.) In other words, I would age a good solid Oregon pinot for 20-30 years without any worries, California maybe 10 with a few exceptions.
Agreed, but let’s hope some of the pinots from the more recent generation of producers might lower the percentage.
I wonder how much the effect of lowered expectations clouds the perception that actually Pinot improved with age rather than maintained or declined gracefully?
I think I’d prefer some combination or both, depending on what mood I’m in. Interesting that folks suggest Cali pinots don’t shut down - I assume that’s the fruit forward nature. I’ve never had a 20+ year old burgundy, so have no comparative (it’s on my list!).
I start drinking at 5 to six years and go from there.
Jeez, I didn’t start drinking until I was 18! 
Agree that the vast majority should be consumed within about eight years of vintage date. Same with CA Merlot and Zinfandel.
Don’t think you should consider CA and OR pinots as the same. Most CA pinots can be consumed within first year after release and then for 6-8 years. Some, like Arcadian, can got for 10-15. In general, I think OR pinots need more time than CA pinots - start at 3-5 years and drink thru 12-15.
One of the best Pinots I’ve ever had, FWIW, is the 1973 Sterling.
Overgeneralizing, I agree with Rick and other posters that differentiate the “average” CA and OR pinots in terms of aging. In my cellar, with the exception of perhaps Rhys and some Williams Selyem stuff, most is pretty big and fruit forward. I’ve had more than my fair share of these jump off the cliff by 5 years. I can’t recall having that experience with any OR pinot in my cellar.