WINE: Willamette Valley, Oregon
Simply put – Oregon is awesome!
When it comes to domestic wine, nobody does better and with more class. Of all the regions I have had the privilege of visiting, the Willamette Valley ranks among the best and single-handedly takes the cake of top US wine regions. The wine itself is fantastic, but what really separates it from the rest is the culture.
Most of the Willamette Valley properties are on the small side, especially by California standards. Wineries producing under 10,000 cases are the norm. Luckily, this is not a place for factory wineries and it clearly reflects in the overall quality of the wine. Smaller estates = more TLC = better juice = higher consumption of Willamette juice in my world.
The region itself is tiny and consolidated with hundreds of producers, much like that of the Côte d’Or of Burgundy. Numerous small
estates contained within a confined area is a recipe for either disaster or greatness.
Fortunately for Willamette (and for the wine drinking public), greatness. In addition to simply producing great wine, I’ve never seen such camaraderie anywhere else. Heralding only naturally produced products that are created with soul, the producers of the Willamette Valley are the epitome of a united front with a global conscience and wine is merely one component of this philosophy.
Even though Willamette is best known for their Pinot Noirs, they also have a nice range of other great wines such as Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay, Gewurtztraminer, etc. Here are some of the best producers in the Willamette Valley.
Belle Pente
Brick House
Evesham Wood
Montinore
St. Innocent
words: Brad Ball, sommelier
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