Oregon: An Embarrassment of Riches and Richness

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | JUNE 13, 2019

Two thousand sixteen is yet another link in an unprecedented chain of outstanding vintages in the Willamette Valley that began in 2014 and has now extended to 2018. Compared to the ‘14s and ‘15s, the ‘16s, while on the rich side for Pinot Noir, show more freshness than wines of the previous years at a similar stage.

A Lot of Wine in 2016, Much of It Outstanding

The 2016 vintage in Oregon’s Willamette Valley was yet another for the record books in terms of quality. The Pinots in this report are bound to make Oregon fans extremely happy. Even better, the crop was abundant, meaning that even some of the most in-demand or allocated wines will be easier to hunt down than usual.

The winter of 2015/2016 was marked by steady rain, which benefitted the groundwater and set the stage for thriving vines. Budbreak occurred anywhere from two weeks to a month earlier than normal. The warm spring that followed pushed the fruit along. Favorable weather extended through a dry summer that experienced only a few, virtually insignificant and brief heat spikes. Harvest began in many vineyards in late August, by early September things were in full swing across the region. The grapes were exceptionally clean and rot-free, not to mention the berries’ small size gave higher than normal skin-to-juice ratios. That said, I seldom encountered wines that showed uncommonly high tannin levels or astringency, instead I found a huge number of generous but well-balanced, energetic wines where silky, well-knit tannins are the rule. The best examples, and there a lot of them, should provide pleasure throughout their lives. I also get the sense that those lives will be long because of the wines’ concentration and fruit intensity.

Afternoon at Brick House vineyard, one of the first in the United States to be farmed biodynamically.