Wines introduced by Tom Cannavan
Oregon
lies in America’s Pacific North West, between California and
Washington
State. Most of the
vineyards are
concentrated in the Willamette Valley in the north west of the state,
between
Oregon’s largest city, Portland, and the second largest, and
the capital of the
state, Salem.
The
better vineyards are all above 100 metres where the volcanic basalt
soils are
untainted by the alluvial deposits laid down by glacial meltwaters.
This was
an interesting opportunity to taste a selection of Oregon Pinots
together,
something that is not easy to do without either a lot of shopping
around or a
visit to Oregon. All
the wines tasted
are available in the UK. How
representative they are of Oregon pinot noir is not something I can
comment on.
2006 Pinot
Noir, Oregon, Firesteed
Cellars
A minerally nose with raspberry fruit and a bit of spicy oak. On the palate,
it’s bright and youthful.
A nice wine, feeling relatively rustic, but
also at the top of its money. 88/100
2006 Pinot
Noir,
A fairly deep nose with blacker fruit, good depth, and some dusty oak. There’s a light,
slightly jammy feel on the
palate. It has a
sort of simple
attractiveness and easiness, but isn’t terribly engaging. 84/100
2006 Pinot
Noir,
A deep, rather closed nose with some berry fruit.
There’s some concentration and depth on the
palate and a nice character. A
slight
touch of alcohol on finish mars it though.
88/100
2006 Pinot
Noir, Willamette
Valley, Oregon, Domaine Drouhin
Drouhin’s vineyards are among the most densely planted in all
of America, and
are about four times more densely planted than most vineyards in Oregon.
The nose has good smoky, savoury black fruits.
On the palate, there’s a bit of a simpler feel
then the Willamette
Valley Vineyards, but more French (or do I mean more international?). It’s easier to
drink and less of a challenge
than the WMV. 87/100
2006 Pinot
Noir Cuvée Giselle,
Very deep nose with some quite black fruit and some forest floor notes. There’s sweetish
fruit on the palate with a
herbal, jammy note. A
bit unsatisfying. 86/100
2002 Pinot
Noir,
A closed nose that’s verging on the dead.
Very murky palate, but not totally uninteresting. Faulty bottle or just past
it? 82/100
I have to say that I didn't really detect an Oregon "style" for pinot noir - maybe there's a tendency to greater ripeness, manifesting itself in more black fruits character than I'd expect from pinot elsewhere?
Some
of
them I thought were decent, though pricey (they range from
£14 for the Firesteed
to an eye-watering £52 for the Lachini Cuvée
Giselle), but I think I shared the
view of most of the room that we had yet to be convinced. I
thought most of the Californian pinots I tasted in February 2007 were
rather more interesting.
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Last updated: 30 December 2008