Recent vintages in the Côte d’Or have produced spectacular wines. But how ‘Burgundian’ are they? The qualities people look for in great Burgundy – elegance, finesse, perfume – are more elusive than ever as wines from classic appellations become darker, richer, more tannic and more concentrated.
The July 2022 International Pinot Noir Celebration in Oregon’s Willamette Valley not only provided an informal platform for producers to collaborate on producing coolclimate Pinot Noir but showcased some thoughtprovoking examples from regions once considered too marginal to make great wine.
The time has come to open our perspectives and rediscover how delicious Pinot Noir can be, no matter what part of the world it is from.
OREGON
A logical place to start our search is in Oregon, as the US state has been linked to Pinot Noir since its founding as a wine region in the 1970s. The late David Lett at The Eyrie Vineyards and other pioneers started in the warmer, southfacing slopes of Willamette Valley’s Dundee Hills. An alternative to this is the cooler climate found to the south in Eola-Amity Hills AVA, where the vineyards are refreshed by bracing ocean breezes from the Pacific ocean through the Van Duzer gap.
Ted Casteel at Bethel Heights was one of the pioneers here in the late 1970s, and his son Ben is still making outstanding wines.
CALIFORNIA
Down the Pacific coast in California, many well-known regions are too warm to consistently deliver the finesse and elegance that lovers of Pinot Noir crave. But even here, elevation and location can provide
