Oregon Pinot Noir: The Exceptional 2014s
and Often Surprising 2013s

BY JOSH RAYNOLDS | DECEMBER 15, 2016




















In the wine world, it is easy to become inured to vintage
hype, but in 2014 the enthusiasm is warranted. Other than some rain early in
the season that reduced fruit set in some vineyards, the growing season was
pretty much a cakewalk, with hot, dry weather extending from July until the
harvest. Thanks to the benign weather, producers were able to pick as they
pleased and work with the fruit that they
wanted, rather than deal with what Mother Nature handed them, which means were
not forced to make harvesting decisions and winemaking adjustments that might
not fit their personal styles. With the 2014s you’re going to taste winemakers’
Platonic Pinot Noirs—perfectly clear representations of their respective philosophies,
albeit mostly emphatically fruit-driven wines from a warmer-than-average
season.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1481772440556-A+young%2C+densely+planted+experimental+site+in+the+Maresh+vineyard+copy.JPG">A young, densely
planted experimental site in the Maresh vineyard

If I had any initial trepidation regarding the 2014s, it
was that the wines might be a bit too opulent, which has turned out to be the case
for some of the ripe, fleshy 2012s. But as the ‘14s have evolved, they are
generally showing a lively core of acidity that a number of 2012s lack, which gives
them a more energetic, redder-fruit character than most 2012s show today.
That’s by no means a knock on the ‘12s but rather an observation that those who
fear that 2014 is simply a vintage of large-scaled fruit bombs are going to be
pleasantly surprised—even thrilled, in most cases—by the wines’ energy and
clarity. Note that a handful of top producers, including Belle Pente, Amalie
Robert, Soter, Adelsheim, Shea, J.K. Carriere, Antica Terra, Ponzi, Domaine
Serene and Eyrie, had not released their top 2014 bottlings by press time.
Those wines will be covered next year.
The Often Overlooked
2013s


























Oregon’s 2013s are a classic example of a vintage largely
lost between two better and more consistent years, with two more potentially
superb vintages coming down the pike with 2015 and 2016. As I reported <a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/oregon-pinot-noir-the-2013s-and-2012-late-releases-oct-2015">last
year</a>, 2013 is a wildly variable vintage.&nbsp;What was shaping up to be a warm vintage, with
the potential for healthy, ripe fruit, went south quickly thanks to heavy rains
during the last week of September. It’s a wildly variable vintage, with quality determined mostly by when a
vineyard was picked—either before the late September deluge, perhaps even during the week-long, heavy
rain, when the fruit often was not yet fully ripe. Many of the resulting
wines can come off as lean and
screechy, while some truly superb wines were made from fruit that was picked
afterward, well into October, when many sites finally attained full ripeness at
moderate sugar levels.&nbsp;Not surprisingly, the 2013 vintage has divided
Oregon Pinot fans, with one side lauding the wines’ mostly racy, low-octane
personalities and the other camp criticizing bottlings for being deficient in
fruit, texture and weight.
















<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1481772480259-Early+August+in+the+Dundee+Hills+copy.jpg">Early August 2016
in the Dundee Hills





































If there was ever a set of wines to try before you buy,
this would be it. One should have plenty of opportunity to do so as even the
best 2013s are likely to move slowly through a market that was already a bit
spent by the enthusiasm for the ‘12s and was then rejuvenated by feverish
anticipation of the ‘14s. Most of the 2013s included in this report are late
releases, thus normally the producers’ best efforts. Many of these wines are of
exceptional quality but it’s the rare example that’s opulent, round and deeply
fruity in character. Rather, these are mostly wines of structure and detail,
the style that will appeal to fans of Oregon Pinot in its graceful, less
opulent guise, à la 2011 or 2007. &nbsp;

A Brief Word on
the 2015s






















I tasted a number of unfinished 2015s from barrel in
Oregon in August and also had the chance to try a handful of early-bottled
wines in November in New York. Generally speaking, the wines look to be cut
from similar cloth as the 2014s, but with some of the more pronounced opulence
of the 2012s, coming as they do from one of the driest and hottest vintages in
the State’s winemaking history. The growing season got off to a very fast
start, with budbreak taking place about two weeks ahead of schedule. That pace
was maintained through the harvest. Irrigation was essential in many young
vineyards and rigorous canopy management was essential to protect the fruit
from the sun throughout the summer. But there was no disease risk, just the ongoing
pressure of keeping yields down and the grapes well shaded. Other than that,
2015 was, as more than one producer described it, a “pinch me: I think I’m
dreaming” type of year. Stay tuned.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1481772523282-The+Beaux+Freres+vineyard%2C+in+the+Ribbon+Ridge+AVA+copy.jpg"> 

The Beaux Frères
vineyard, in the Ribbon Ridge AVA&nbsp;

Oregon Pinot Noir
in Today’s MarketWhile a number of Oregon’s best Pinots are produced in
good quantity and are in relatively wide distribution in the U.S., the
frustrating reality is that most of the best wines are made in often pitifully
small quantities. As enthused as I am by so many 2014s, that excitement is often
tempered by their minuscule production numbers. We’re talking production on the
level of Grand Cru Burgundies—as in four barrels (i.e., about a hundred cases
of wine) or less for a fairly large number of wines. Whenever possible, we have
included case production for these wines, so for particularly scarce objects of
your desire, you may want to contact the wineries directly.&nbsp;
The French Connection






























Speaking of Burgundy, compared to the prices being asked
for those wines today, Oregon’s best Pinots are delivering astounding value.
Astronomical Burgundy prices are largely a function of the extreme weather
events and subsequent very low crop levels that much of Burgundy has suffered through
the last several vintages. And it’s not just the wine that’s gotten expensive,
as land prices on the Côte d’Or are at sky-high levels now and most small,
independent Burgundy growers have simply been priced out of their own real
estate market.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1481772570629-The+Bishop+Creek+vineyard+in+Yamhill-Carlton%2C+now+owned+by+Nicolas-Jay+copy.jpg"> 

The Bishop Creek
vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton, now owned by Nicolas-Jay




















Nature—and wine production—abhors a vacuum and a growing
number of Burgundy producers have been dipping their toes into the Oregon Pinot
pond over the last couple decades, and especially since the turn of the new
century. Domaine Drouhin took the lead, producing their first Oregon wine in
1988, and in recent years serious projects have been established by big names
like Louis Jadot, Dominique Lafon, Méo-Camuzet, Liger-Belair and Domaine Marc Roy.
In addition, a number of highly talented and experienced Burgundy-trained
winemakers such as Isabelle Meunier (Lavinea), Thomas Savre (Lingua Franca) and
Jacques Tardy (Torii Mor) settled in Oregon and have been producing wines that,
unsurprisingly, lean in an Old World direction. Their wines have only served to
increase the diversity of styles available to consumers. I expect this trend to
accelerate in the coming years as the wider wine world becomes aware of the
enormous potential that’s offered by—and increasingly realized in—Oregon.


















Many of these wines were tasted at producers’ wineries
during my annual trip to Oregon in August as well as in New York this fall.

You Might Also
Enjoy

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/oregon-pinot-noir-the-2013s-and-2012-late-releases-oct-2015">Oregon
Pinot Noir: The 2013s &amp; 2012 Late Releases</a>, Josh Raynolds, October 2015

<a target="_blank" href="http://vinous.com/articles/oregon-pinot-noir-update-jul-2014">Oregon
Pinot Noir Update</a>, Josh Raynolds, July 2014

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Content

Engage

Vinous

Social