By: Becky Garrison

Article published in The Grapevine Magazine

In 1961, Richard Sommer planted pinot noir vines along with other varieties at the HillCrest Vineyard in Roseburg in Southern Oregon, thus establishing HillCrest as the state’s oldest currently operating estate winery and vineyard. UC Davis graduate David Lett followed suit four years later by planting both pinot noir and pinot gris at The Eyrie Vineyards in McMinnville, situated in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

  Since then, pinot noir grapes have emerged as the dominant wine grape grown in Oregon. According to the Institute for Policy Research and Development at the University of Oregon’s 2022 Oregon Vineyard & Winery Report, 26,648 acres of pinot noir grapes were planted out of a total of 44,487 acres. From these plantings, the Willamette Valley produced 61,928 tons of pinot noir fruit, with the Rogue and Umpqua Valleys producing 14,490 tons. (The Oregon Wine Board underwrote and managed this report on behalf of all Oregon wineries.)

Terry Brandborg of Brandborg Vineyard & Winery (Elkton, Oregon) offers a succinct summary of this elegant grape that originated in the Burgundy region in France:

  “Pinot noir has everything you could want in the glass — great red fruits, ripe cherries and raspberries with red plums. The color is typically not dark red, but in the mouth, it always surprises with its full body, flavors and textures. One writer once described our pinot noir as “elegant and seductive with a feminine grace.” It is a great accompaniment to a great variety of foods, including cheeses, grilled salmon, lighter meats and savory brined pork”. 

The Growth of Oregon’s Pinot Noir Wines

As Karen McNeil reported in The Wine Bible (Workman Publishing, 2022, 3rd Edition), one of the key drivers behind the vast improvement in Oregon wine in the 2000s was the widespread implementation of so-called Dijon clones. “Named after Dijon, the city in Burgundy where France’s ONIVINS plant materials laboratory is located, the numerous Dijon clones (with exciting names like 115, 667 and 777) are heralded for their complex flavors and ability to ripen fully in cool climates. In addition to Dijon clones, Willamette Valley pinot noirs are also often made from the Pommard clone, another well-suited clone from Burgundy.” Other clone varieties planted in Oregon include Wadenswil and Mariafeld.

Blending Pinot Noir Clones

The specific clones tend not to be listed on a bottle of pinot noir, though one’s skill as a winemaker can be seen based on the selection and blend of the specific clones used in a given release. On their website, WSET (Wine & Spirits Education Trust) states that the world’s greatest winemakers relish the opportunity to blend wines from different grape varieties, vineyard parcels, and barrels each year. “Masterful blending is an art form comparable to a Michelin star chef creating the perfect dish or an elite conductor crafting an exquisite symphony. It lies at the heart of the world’s greatest wines, from Bordeaux and Champagne to Rioja and Super Tuscans.”

As a means of educating consumers about the blending process for pinot noir wines, Willamette Valley Estate Vineyard in Turner, Oregon decided to give consumers a very hands-on tangible blending experience through their blending machine that shows them how different wine profiles can be. The unique system was invented for Willamette Wineworks in Folsom, California, and modified by Willamette’s Research & Development Manager David Markel. It was a hit at their Folsom location, so they adapted the fun to their Salem Hills and Vancouver Waterfront locations. In their estimation, “Blending adds texture and complexity to wine and allows winemakers to balance wines with body and acid, a hallmark of Oregon wines. Blending can help to maintain consistency so wine enthusiasts can rely on flavor profiles from their favorite wine producers.”

Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs

Initially, skeptics dismissed Lett’s initial planting of pinot noir grapes. The prevailing wisdom at this time viewed this region as unsuitable for growing this particular varietal.

According to a much-touted popular myth, the Willamette Valley emerged as a premier location for producing pinot noir grapes because it sits on the same latitude as Burgundy, replete with a similar cool climate. Mallory Smith, co-founder of Sunday School Wine, debunks this myth by pointing out that the Northern Rhône is the region in France that sits at a similar latitude to the Willamette Valley, not Burgundy. Hence, it’s not the latitude but the combination of the climate, the soil and the dedicated winemakers that combine to produce world-class Willamette Valley pinot noir wines. Smith opines, “Why do we still feel the need to rely on a Burgundy story (and an untrue one at that) to validate our wines? Let Oregon be Oregon!”

This region, which stretches from north of Portland to just south of Eugene, is protected from the extreme heat via the Cascade Range to the east (and cooled by the Van Duzer winds through the corridor straight off the ocean) and the Coast Range Mountains on the east producing rainstorms with cooling breezes emanating from the Pacific Ocean. Overall, the region experiences a long and gentle growing season due to warm summers that cool down in the evening, followed by relatively mild winters and long springs. Also, most of the rains tend to fall when these vines are dormant. This slow ripening coupled is key for producing top-notch ripe and fruity pinot noir grapes. As evidence of this area’s commitment to sustainability practices, the Willamette Valley is home to the largest concentration of B Corp Certified wineries than any other region in the world.

Since the formation of the Willamette Valley AVA in 1984, this region has grown to encompass 1,116 wineries and 1,476 vineyards, with a total planted area of 27,202 acres out of a total area of 3,438,00. To acknowledge the unique characteristics of smaller regions within the Willamette Valley AVA, six nested AVAs were formed in 2002, and the 11th nested AVA was established in 2022. Pinot noir grapes dominate the vineyards, accounting for 70 percent of all grapes grown in the WV, followed by pinot gris (16 percent) and chardonnay (7.5 percent).

Joe Wright, winemaker for Left Coast Cellars (Rickreall, Oregon) has done 28 vintages working with fruit from both the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon. He produced his first vintage for Willamette Valley Vineyards in 1996 before starting his winery, Belle Vallé, and transitioning to Left Coast in 2011. While the Willamette Valley produces some of the most complex and interesting wines, Wright adds that this region also presents endless challenges in the vineyard. “Winegrowers sit at the edge of our seat every week and month of the growing season anticipating the rise and fall of each vintage, ultimately embracing what’s been given to us…it’s not for the faint of heart.”

  Wright has observed how, in the past ten years, temperatures over 90°F have increased exponentially from, on average, 12 to 20 days per growing season to 20 to 35 commonly taking place now. Also, days of over 100°F were zero to one over the growing season but are now commonly two to five days on average, occurring later into the season. In addition, precipitation has seemingly lessened in the spring and fall on average. Wright can see how these factors take a toll on fruit set and fruitfulness, fruit integrity and disease resistance.

  Aaron Lieberman, Winemaker for Iris Vineyards (Cottage Grove, Oregon), has also made wine with fruit from many of the AVAs in Oregon. Beyond the normal challenges inherent to growing pinot noir, Iris Vineyards Estate is a cool site that can be susceptible to frost damage in the spring. The estate vineyard is located in the coastal mountain foothills at about 1,000 feet elevation.

Following the 2020 vintage, the price per ton of Willamette Valley pinot noir grapes increased substantially. Iris Vineyards saw an opening in the market for a Rogue Valley pinot noir that could retail between $22 to $24 and still be profitable. General manager David Cordtz looked to source fruit from some of the finest Vineyards in the Rogue Valley. This venture allowed them to grow their overall production sustainably by sourcing fruit. “We have been sourcing fruit from all over Oregon for years.   We sourced pinot noir from Rogue Valley so we could produce a different style of pinot noir, something between Willamette Valley and California, at a price point to fulfill a wholesale opportunity both in Oregon and in many of the 20 states we offer Iris Vineyards wines,” commented Cordtz.

“These grapes are unique to us for their warm climate provenance. The pinot noir produced from Rogue Valley is a little fuller bodied than most of our Willamette sourced wines and has a bolder flavor profile,” Lieberman observed.

Southern Oregon Pinot Noirs

Established in 2005, the Southern Oregon AVA may be known for growing warmer-weather grapes, though certain locations within the Rouge Valley and Umpqua Valley sub-AVAS have ideal microclimates for growing pinot noir and other cool-weather grapes.

For example, Stephanie Pao, winemaker for Foris Vineyards (Cave Junction, Oregon), found their location on the west side of the Rogue Valley AVA at 1400 feet elevation affords them a long, warm growing season that is ideal for early ripening varieties like pinot noir. The specific sites where their grapes are planted are in well-draining alluvial soils that are primarily gravelly or rocky, which restricts growth and tends to produce wines with greater intensity and character. Depending on the timing of phenological events, the wines tend to be fruit-forward (black or red, depending on the vintage) with lower natural acidity than the northern part of the state.

Rob Ikola of Whitetail Ridge Vineyard (Roseburg, Oregon) and Chris Hudson, Umpqua Valley Association President and owner of Lexème Wines (Elkton, Oregon), observe how the Umpqua Valley AVA enjoys enough heat degree days to fully ripen yet achieve long hang time to develop complex wines such as pinot noir. This AVA has a long frost-free growing season with light rains, a large selection of soils, and valleys with a variety of growing conditions. Small, unique microclimates (called the 100 valleys of the Umpqua) create very diverse and unique differences even though the same varietal is grown within a few miles of each other.

According to Brandborg, pinot noir grapes and other cool varieties thrive in the northern area around the town of Elkton due to the cool, marine-influenced climate. His vineyard receives around fifty inches of annual rainfall, making irrigation unnecessary. Also, the central area to the northwest of Roseburg has a transitional intermediate climate where both cool and warm varieties do quite well.

In Brandborg’s view, site selection is very important. “Pinot noir is a thin-skinned variety and requires attention in the vineyard, with fungicide spraying as needed to avoid problems. If all of these factors work out together in harmony, world-class wine can be produced,” he reflects.

Scott Kelley, co-owner/winemaker of Paul O’Brien Winery (Roseburg, Oregon), notes how pinot noir in the Umpqua Valley is a spectacular representation of the best of Oregon. “The balance of power and elegance we showcase in Umpqua Valley pinot noir is rarely seen in other regions. There are so many great vineyard sites yet to be planted,” he observes.

The Rise of Pinot Noir Rosé

In recent years, pinot noir rosé wines from Oregon have risen in popularity. These wines offer a cool, crisp taste with a refreshing, clean finish that stands out from the sweeter rosé wines on the commercial market. As an example of the range of wine styles that can be made from pinot noir grapes, Brandborg produces a white pinot noir, red, rosé of pinot noir, a methode Champenoise pinot noir and a port-style dessert pinot noir. “People are on a path of discovery about all pinot noir can be and bring,” Brandborg opines.