Oregon Orogeny

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Ian Fitzsimmons

Ian Fitzsimmons
I've been Eurosnobbing, wine-wise, for a few years now but want to shake myself up and look at U.S. wines again, starting with wines from Oregon. Notes on individual wines are dispersed about the bored, but I thought the topic could merit its own thread. Belle Pente and Eyrie are obvious favorites for Pinot, and perhaps St. Innocent. In general, who likes what from there, and why?
 
Scott Paul, for sure. DDO, with occasional caution. Moving away from pinot noir, J. Christopher.
 
I agree with Scott Paul and would add McKinlay. Inexpensive, low in alcohol, good pinot character, a pleasure to drink - what more do we need?
 
Evening Land Seven Springs and Seven Springs La Source are both great, especially now that their prices via Vinopolis are more realistic than they originally shot for. I realize there is some bad blood locally over Evening Land's acquisition of the vineyard, but I find the style much more to my taste now than anything previously made by St. Innocent, which was always much fuller and fatter. Sorry. In vino veritas and all that. As best as I have been able to piece together, the "La Source" plot is more-or-less what used to be called Anden Vineyard, and is mostly freedom pie.

I am also a big fan of Brick House and Patricia Green.

I've never had the pleasure of trying Scott Paul's wines but they've been on my wish list for awhile. Not frequently seen, alas.
 
If you are Eurocentric, definitely check out the 2007 Pinot Noirs, ignored by the pointy-heads but some excellent, vibrant wines. If you get tired of Pinots, check out what Red Lily and Abacela are doing with Tempranillo and Albarino in southern Oregon, very promising.
 
Evesham Wood, Belle Bente, Cameron, Bethel Heights. I gave up on Brick House a good ten years ago. Have the wines changed?
 
+1 on Scott Paul, Patricia Green and Belle Pente. It's been years since I've had a DDO wine, but in the past there were some that I liked. Outside of Pinot Noir, I like a lot of what Chehalem does with its white grapes (and I need to try their Grner Veltliner).

Mark Lipton
 
Just like Belle Pente, DDO's wines need 5-8 years in the cellar to settle down (so too for Brick House). I like the recent Eyrie wines too - Jason Lett is doing a great job there, as is David Page at Adelsheim. I'm interested in tasting these bottles in another decade - I think they'll evolve well. Don and Jesse Lange are doing good things with their juice and the wines are worth investigating.

Scott Paul makes excellent Oregon wines but don't look to them to give you the essence of Burgundy. Despite Scott's import business, he's making good wines with the focus on the fruit he's got rather than trying to turn it into something it can never be, ie: Vosne-Romane. I love the Stoller JV Pinot Noir for $25 (beautiful property to visit if you're ever in the area) and Evening Land lives up to its billing regardless of price.

You'd do well to find some older vintages of Elk Cove and Panther Creek at auction; they're way inexpensive and really show what Oregon wines are capable of.

FWIW, plantings of Tempranillo and Syrah are no longer limited to Southern Oregon - small plots are popping up around McMinnville and Dayton. Still too early to decide whether this is a waste of good soil though.

-Eden (Oregon Pinot Blanc still flies under the radar screen of most consumers but is worth seeking out)
 
originally posted by mlawton:
I agree with Scott Paul and would add McKinlay. Inexpensive, low in alcohol, good pinot character, a pleasure to drink - what more do we need?
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Westrey

RT
 
Good tip to search auctions for older bottles. Panther Creek has big abv's - I was hoping for more of a cool-climate approach. Many other good names.
 
Eden, you know I adore you and your driving skills, but Panther Creek? Ugh.

The warning about DDO applies more to the cuves than the regular bottlings.
 
Thor, I'm referring to pre-1994 Panther Creek. The wines I've tasted from them recently have aged nicely and don't show the big bold fruitiness the more recent vintages are known for. They're retained a nice core of fruit balanced by savory elements that make them work with food. Not Burgundian, but not bad.

-Eden (where's Vincent F to weigh in when you need him?)
 
I would also put Panther Creek Pinot Noir from 1998-2000 in the more restrained camp. I still have a bottle each of '00 Nysa and Shea Vnyds.

How are Domaine Serene's wines currently? From '00 and before, those were some of my favorite Oregon Pinots.
 
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