Category Archives: USA – Oregon

Vino Vasai, Laurelwood District – Chehalem Mountains (Willamette Valley, Oregon) Pinot Noir “Barrel Select” 2021 

($48):  Vino Vasai is Italian for Potter’s Wine and explains why the latter is what you see when you pull the cork.  Bill Sanchez, the winemaker and owner with his wife, Sandy, is a potter.  Sandy explains that they had trouble when they tried to trademark Potter’s Wine, so, given her Italian heritage, they opted to name it in Italian. Read more

Vino Vasai, Laurelwood District – Chehalem Mountains (Willamette Valley, Oregon) Pinot Noir Estate Reserve 2021 

($58):  Co-owner Sandy Sanchez, describes the Estate Reserve as their top wine.  Certainly, it’s more concentrated and denser with more apparent oak character compared to their Barrel Select bottling.  At this stage, it’s also has a slighter sweeter profile, presumably from what I assume is more substantial oak aging. Read more

Nicolas-Jay, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Chardonnay “Affinités” 2020

($45):  Jean-Nicolas Méo of burgundy’s Domaine Méo-Camuzet, joined forces with Jay Boberg to establish a Willamette Valley winery in 2014.  To limit capital outlay, they initially bought grapes, and still do, for some of their wines, like this one.  This Chardonnay, a blend from several sites throughout the Willamette, is a smashing success for the 2020 vintage, a vintage for the reds that was mostly destroyed by smoke taint from the devastating wildfires. Read more

Nicolas-Jay, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Chardonnay “Affinités” 2020

($45):  Jean-Nicolas Méo of burgundy’s Domaine Méo-Camuzet, joined forces with Jay Boberg to establish a Willamette Valley winery in 2014.  To limit capital outlay, they initially bought grapes, and still do, for some of their wines, like this one.  This Chardonnay, a blend from several sites throughout the Willamette, is a smashing success for the 2020 vintage, a vintage for the reds that was mostly destroyed by smoke taint from the devastating wildfires. Read more

Bells Up: A Tiny New Oregon Estate

With only a 600-case annual total production, Bells Up is tiny, but their wines tell me their imprint will be huge.  Bells Up is a musical term, and since I know little about music, I will quote from their website: “‘Bells Up’ refers to a dramatic moment in classical music where the composer instructs French horn players to lift the bells of the instruments up and project sound with maximum intensity. … Read more

Résonance, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2017

($37):  Résonace is just another example of how the Burgundians believe in the potential of the Willamette Valley, especially for Pinot Noir.  Drouhin started what is now a trend with establishment of Domaine Drouhin Oregon three decades ago.  Maison Louis Jadot, another stellar Burgundy producer, purchased the 20-acre Resonance Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in 2013 and expanded by buying the Découverte Vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA. Read more

Naumes Family Vineyards, Rogue Valley (Oregon) “SMP” 2018

($40):  While Naumes’ GSM, a traditional Mediterranean blend, their SMP (Syrah, Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah) is more unusual.  Replacing Grenache with Petite Sirah changes the character entirely, creating a muscular, black-fruited wine.  Naumes, as always, avoids getting carried away.  They’ve created a bold, yet not overdone, red that delivers a wonderful combination of plum and pepper notes wrapped in fine tannins. Read more

David Paige Wines, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Chardonnay 2018

($29):  The cooler Oregon climate likely explains why most Chardonnays from there are typically more understated than most California renditions of Chardonnay.  Finesse-filled and restrained, but certainly not lacking a presence, the 2018 David Paige Chardonnay fits that profile.  A real plus is its below-$30 price tag, unusual for a Chardonnay of this stature. Read more

Naumes Family Vineyards, Rogue Valley (Oregon) Viognier 2019

($30):  This is the third consecutive year when Naumes Family Vineyard has hit the mark with Viognier, a notoriously difficult grape to tame.  I could easily cut and paste my reviews of their 2017 and 2018 for this one.  But, frankly, it is worth repeating because although balance is always key in wines, it is especially important with Viognier, whose window of ripeness is narrow. Read more

Résonance, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2018

($35):  In 2013, the venerable Beaune-based négociant, Maison Louis Jadot, made their first acquisition outside of Burgundy when they purchased the 20-acre Resonance vineyard located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA.  It was a unique site since it had been planted almost exclusively to Pinot Noir, and had always been farmed organically and without irrigation, according to Pierre-Henri Gagey, the President of Maison Louis Jadot. Read more

A Rogue in Oregon

One definition of rogue is “something out of the ordinary.”  It is fitting, then, that the Naumes Family Winery is located in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, because they certainly do something out of the ordinary.  Ordinary, in terms of Oregon wine, is pretty clear: superb Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and notable Pinot Gris. Read more

Siduri Wines, Willamette Valley (Oregon) Pinot Noir 2018

($35):  Siduri, named for the Babylonian goddess of wine, specializes in Pinot Noir, especially single vineyard bottlings.  According to their website they make only single vineyard wines from a total of 20 vineyards throughout California and Oregon.  Fortunately, they have expanded their production and now produce blended wines from three appellations: Willamette Valley in Oregon, plus two from California, specifically, Santa Barbara County, and the Russian River Valley. Read more

Penner-Ash, McMinnville (Oregon) Old Vine Riesling Hyland Vineyard 2017

($35):  Many consumers shy away from Riesling because it comes in a range of sweetness, which is not always apparent from the label.  Penner-Ash uses the scale developed by the International Riesling Foundation on the back label that indicates this wine is “medium dry” on the scale that goes from “dry” (the least sweet) to “sweet” with “medium dry” and “medium sweet” in between. Read more