L to R: Guillaume Large, Ryan Clark, Thibault Gagey.
The invitation promised more than a dinner. It offered a passage across time and place. On one side of the Atlantic, Burgundy, where centuries of patient stewardship have made Pinot Noir a language all its own. On the other, Oregon’s Willamette Valley, younger but no less compelling, carving out its own expression of the same grape.
At the heart of it all were two guides: Guillaume Large, winemaker at Résonance, and Thibault Gagey, third-generation steward of Maison Louis Jadot. Their presence was felt from the moment they entered the room: Guillaume with a warmth shaped in the vineyard, Thibault carrying the weight of legacy.
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Barrel tasting with winemaker Guillaume Large.
Each time we visit Guillaume Large at Résonance Wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, there’s a quiet certainty in the cellar. The barrels may hold the stories of different years, but the thread that ties them together is unmistakable: precision, patience, and an unwavering pursuit of expressing place.
Since Maison Louis Jadot established Résonance in 2013 as its first project outside Burgundy, the goal has never been to recreate Burgundy in Oregon, but to apply Burgundian sensibilities to the singular terroirs of the Willamette Valley. Under the meticulous hand of winemaker Guillaume Large, the wines have not only proven their consistency year after year but continue to show a deepening complexity and confidence with each vintage.
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Guillaume Large sampling Pinot grapes at Résonance vineyard.
I had the privilege to spend a day with Guillaume Large, the winemaker at Résonance Wines, a project from Louis Jadot based in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Having admired his wines since he transitioned from being Cellar Master at Jadot in Beaune to lead the winemaking at Résonance, I was thrilled when he invited me to experience a day of harvest at his winery.
Knowing I was working at a smaller production facility for my own harvest internship, it was fascinating to witness a winery producing nearly ten times the amount of wine. The scale difference was eye-opening and offered a different perspective on managing a larger operation.
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Winemaker Guillaume Large.
It was 2019 when we discovered Résonance Wines, the Oregon outpost of Burgundy powerhouse, Maison Louis Jadot. We were preparing to do a series of articles on Willamette Valley wineries that had Burgundian roots. Our research uncovered the relatively little-known winery located in Yamhill-Carlton that has rapidly become one of the most talked about in Oregon.
That conversation has been uniformly filled with praise and the scores of their wines from the major publications have echoed our own: excellence across the board.
Always a great visit at Résonance Wines.
Since that first meeting, we have made it a point to stop in at Résonance each time we go to the Willamette Valley; either to interview their very talented winemaker, Guillaume Large, or to at least stop by one of their tasting rooms, enjoy a glass, and of course, buy a few bottles.
With this year’s visit we have seen a continuation of the innovations and the acquisitions as well as the development of their wines as the vineyards have moved into a more mature phase. Like their wines, this story just keeps getting better with time.
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The Yamhill-Carlton Estate Vineyard.
Our first visit with Résonance Wines took place in 2019. It was a fantastic visit and we vowed that we would go back every year. Well, pandemics have a way of changing plans on you. But finally being able to return after 3 years, we were very well-rewarded for our wait. Résonance is going from strength to strength and is asserting itself as making some of the best wines in the Willamette Valley as well as having one of the best tasting rooms to visit.
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