As Jake Blues once famously said:
I don’t know, you should buy as many Oregon Pinots as you can
2 Likes
I’m not a huge fan of 2018. This is obviously a generalization, but most of the 2018’s I’ve tried have had brawnier, harder tannins than any other vintage in the last ten years or so. I know Marcus said his 2021’s are very tannic and will need time, but most of the 2021’s I’ve had across multiple producers aren’t as tannic as their counterparts in 2018. As a result, I didn’t buy 2018 as heavily as other vintages (so I also haven’t tasted as broadly across the 2018’s as some other vintages). But the wines from Cameron, Evesham Wood, Shiba Wichern, Vincent, Arterberry Maresh, Christom, Tim Malone, Trathen Hall, and Goodfellow that I’ve tasted have come across to me as much more tannic than the same wines I’ve tasted from 2014-2023. I found virtually all of the 2018’s hard and charmless on release. Some of them I’ve tasted in the last year or so are starting to turn a corner and soften, but they still come across to me as slightly unbalanced because of the hardness of the tannins. I don’t think 2018 will ever be among my favorite vintages. I’m pretty sure I’m an outlier on this.
I purchase from:
Goodfellow
Vincent
Perkins-Harter
Brick House
Sun Break
Martin Woods
I should probably be purchasing Patricia Green Cellers and Kelly Fox based on feedback from people who like these and also like those from my list above, but I can only purchase so many wines.
(I’m also not a fan of Ken Wright and do like Cristom so our tastes might be aligned a bit.)
3 Likes
Thanks for sharing. I haven’t tried enough Oregon vintages to have an opinion. The wines I tried I thought to be very soft, almost softer than I like (but I also prefer more powerful, structured wines generally). What I like about the couple I’ve had is this approachability and autumnal complexity on the palate that i don’t get elsewhere. New world fruit and like a Fall season sois boise… not rotten or decayed… notes of bergamot and bay leaf more than mushroom…
3 Likes
While WV has been known for Pinot, it is their Chardonnay over the last handful of years that leads the pack. While you are diving deep into great reccos of Pinot producers, there is real value for doing them same on the Chard side of things- and this is coming from a White Burg drinker.
A Pinot project (and Chard) to keep an eye on as it matures is Folly of Man.
Enjoy the journey.
3 Likes
Thanks. I enjoy Chardonnay on occasion but I don’t drink it that much. I love white burgs but usually only drink very good ones with my wealthy and generous friends. LOL.
1 Like
Could you compare Folly of Man’s style to another producer I might be familiar with? I’m always on the lookout for a new great producer.
Edit: I just looked at their website and saw their pricing. $100 per bottle for a brand new winery with no track record, using grapes from a vineyard I’ve never heard of seems… ambitious.
1 Like
I agree. Some Oregon producers are very aggressive with their pricing, considering the economic headwinds at this time. The wine industry in general is facing some tough times. Will these gambits work, or will the consumer just say to to piracy?
1 Like
I agree with Shan that the texture stands out on these, in a good way. They’re very refined. I find the wines, overall, impressive but a bit more expensive than I’m comfortable with. They are worth trying, but I wouldn’t buy multiples without tasting and, preferably, comparing to some less expensive wines.
2 Likes
More on topic with great wines under $100:
Patricia Green
Cameron
Belle Pente
Evesham Wood
Thomas
I haven’t tasted the Martin Woods wines in a few years. Back then, I thought they were nice, but I wouldn’t put them in my top tier.
I love Beaux Freres. I think they’re making some of the best wines in WV. Obviously that’s a fantastic place for a vineyard, as we can see from their neighbor next door as well. But boy, are the wines expensive. I only occasionally buy a bottle because of what I can get for less money.
1 Like
Thanks. Both of you have mentioned the price. The Avni and the Estate are $40 and $60, respectively. Was looking to start there as those seemed pretty reasonable and decent value?
Some great suggestions already, since they have not been mentioned yet I am a big fan of the Johan Vineyards Estate Pinot. Consistent every vintage, affordable, also has really cool labels on all their bottlings.
1 Like
St Innocent is always great.
4 Likes
A lot of good recommendations already but I’d also add Shiba Wichern, JC Somers, Crowley, Granville, and Ayres to the list. All of these are well below $100 (most will be $45-65). Most of them are on the smaller side so I don’t know how available they are out of state, and I would be surprised to see any of them at auction.
I would also highly recommend the Teeny, Tiny Wineries of Oregon thread that Charles recommended earlier. One of the more exciting new wineries I found out about in the last year is Jess Miller/Little Crow. Tiny production, so likely requires buying direct, but I was very impressed by the 1920 and Mermaid Cafe pinots.
3 Likes
Wines I always have at my house:
Goodfellow
Patricia Green Cellars
Kelley Fox
Arterberry Maresh
Walter Scott
Wines from Oregon I often enjoy (frequently withy my folks, who also enjoy Oregon pinot) of various styles:
Anderson Family
Bergstrom
Cristom
Martin Woods
Vincent
Nicholas Jay
Domain Drouhin Oregon
00 Wines
J.K. Carriere
Brick House
Zena Crown (those these have gotten expensive)
1 Like
Hi – the reason it is one to watch is due to both the owners previous experience at (Beaux Freres & Nicolas Jay) and pretty stellar estate fruit (they are in the process of buying back parcels for themselves). One to keep an eye on for sure.
Comparative – I can’t give you one just yet as we only tasted three wines, their initial release (which based on what I tasted is one to watch). Stylistically they are more subtle vs extracted, structure vs instant appeal- and of the two Pinots, one more feminine and the other more powerful but not to read into it as modern, extracted, etc.
Hope that helps.
3 Likes
Those are the best friends to have after ones with planes and boats… I would however suggest tasting through some WV Chards to see if any hit the same cords for you as some of the Burgs you like. Buy a few bottles and see what you think (I know it is a Pinot thread).
1 Like
Some really wonderful suggestions so far. Many wineries added to my list. Thanks alot guys.
If you run across any bottles of 1789 Wines pinot noir definitely try.
2 Likes
We have enjoyed every bottle of Longplay we opened so far.
3 Likes