Thank you for the well-thought response. It’s great to see people like you and Adam posting in this. Thank you for the reminder of J. Christopher. I haven’t had some of their wines since the 2004/2005 vintage and that’s worth going back and checking out again. You’ve mentioned a lot of producers…it took me quite some time to rule out wineries that just didn’t make wines I’m interested in. Archery Summit, Domaine Serene, Bergstrom, and Beaux Freres (I’d even include Ken Wright…but the McCrone bottle seems to not be just this side of not too much for me)…all seem to have a style that was more “heavy handed”, over-extracted, or “spoofed” given my exposure to Burgundy and other producers that lean toward a more elegant style they just don’t fit what I want in wine. I’ve only had a few bottles of White Rose…that’s a producer I’ll gladly re-explore. Thank you again for the time and recommendations. It’s quite a bit to digest.
I got a little carried away with the comparison. I don’t have much to add to the discussion regarding specific Oregon producers. I think the issue I was trying to raise is that Oregon must be very different from California if there are producers from each AVA that can serve as the paradigmatic example of that AVA in terms of terroir and winemaking. Since I know California much better, I tried to think about what I would say applying the question there. While the wineries I listed all make good wines, I’m not sure the best way to experience the different terroirs of California would be to pick one producer from each AVA. I’d almost be tempted to say that someone would be better off sticking with one producer – like Williams Selyem – that makes wine from almost all of the major growing areas, so that you can control for winemaking and stylistic choices.
But maybe Oregon is completely different. I’ll just say that the bottle of 2007 Belle Pente that Doug brought to our tasting last fall made me a convert to Oregon Pinot. Whatever AVA it was from, I think I like it!
For Eola-Amity I’d stay away from Evening Land. Not to dis the wines, but they are undergoing a lot of change and so won’t be apples to apples over the years, so kinda misses the point. Evesham Wood is fantastic stuff, but requires aging. Also, while it expresses Eola-Amity, it also tastes of itself as much as the AVA.
Anything Temperance Hill is exquisite, though the vines are younger now after being replanted post-phylloxera. St Innocent 2011 Temperance was as good as it gets.
Bethel Heights is always a contender. They own/have primary dibs on Justice vineyard, which while youngish is excellent. They are all estate now too and very good and taste very much of Eola-Amity.
Brick House basically owns Ribbon Ridge IMHO. And do not forget about Amity Vineyards, the best in Eola-Amity. As far as Dundee Hills, there is magic in that Maresh vineyard.
I get what you’re saying…but I’m starting to reach a point where balance in the cellar demands a little more focus for me. I have Cameron, Arterberry Maresh, Thomas, and other producers…and I really appreciate them all. However, I have a greater interest in focusing on a few keep producers that work well for me year in- year out. I’m not saying I’ll never try producers from AVA’s that I have favorites it…I’m just trying to narrow down what I’m looking at. Ribbon Ridge is a great example…I believe that the Etzel Block from PG is a great wine that showcases what I expect from the AVA given my experiences tasting from other producers and different vineyards in the AVA. I’ve tasted most vintages of Beaux Freres going back to 93 (I think) and I’ve had the Etzel block back to 2002. I’ve had other producers wines form this AVA…clearly not all of them. However, to me…Patricia Green’s Etzel Block is the clear & consistent winner in representing what I want to drink and typicity for Pinot Noir grown in the Ribbon Ridge AVA. I’m hoping to find this in each AVA. To it’s counterpoint…I think Domaine Serene’s wines strike me as the most “Caymus-Esque” wines in their AVA. As wines that are more like a science project and less like “real wine” (that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it from time to time…yet I sometimes like snow cones too; they both have too much sugar and taste almost the same year after year).
I guess you’re totally forgetting about Patty Green, Beaux Freres, and Ayres, all of which I would put above Brick House personally for Ribbon Ridge wineries/vineyards.
Have you had any recently? I really think this will go the same way as Bergstrom for you. All of KW’s wines seem like pretty much the opposite of the style you usually like.
I had the 2008 last summer and I liked it. I think it can age, and I think it will improve with age. I haven’t liked any of his other wines…but this is a wine I tend to like. I think it leans more to the dark fruit side of Pinot with notes of Black Cherry, boysenberry, and a more Brambly vision of what Pinot can be. Maybe like the difference between Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin. Both still Pinot Noir but showing very different characteristics.
But so ripe and SO much oak (speaking generally; I don’t think I’ve had the '08)! I know we just disagree on this wine. We might have fun debating it over some comparative tastings in years to come. I need to be buying more Belle Pente for the cellar.
Belle Pente rules Yamhill-Carlton…BP Vineyard and Estate Reserve Pinots. One could argue for Lemelson, Willakenzie, Shea and others…but few express their location as well. There are plenty of newer producers still establishing track records.
Producer still trumps AVA (i.e.: Penner-Ash for Y-C), likely because so many of the vines and producers are still VERY young/new or the winemakers have developed a relatively distinctive house style.
I’ve really appreciated all the comments here. It’s been a good reminder to the producers I need to give more attention to…and a call to check out some producers I haven’t been checking in on for awhile.
Interesting. I like this approach. I need to give this some thought.
Hard to go against Belle Pente.
For Eola-Amity, I think St Innocent is making phenomenal wines. Recent vintages have been the best yet. But certainly worth considering Evesham Wood (newish wine-maker).
A name not mentioned yet but worth exploring is Marcus Goodfellow’s new label, Goodfellow. No website yet so I can’t say for sure what AVAs he currently has.
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