Lenné Estate
If you were to ask virtually any winemaker what makes good wine, his or her answer will likely be that it starts with good fruit. Ask what is needed to grow good fruit and the answer will be poor soil. Poor defined by a wine grower is rocky soil, even better if it’s on a slope. Both allow for drainage which makes vines struggle to gather both nutrients and water, which in turn results in concentrated, flavourful and high-quality berries. Tucked at the top of a hill in Oregon’s Willamette Valley sits Lenné Estate—a winery that lives, and almost died, because of its poor soil.
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Guillaume Large
Oregon is now squarely on the radar of top winemakers from Burgundy. Domaine Drouhin Oregon started it all when Burgundian powerhouse Maison Joseph Drouhin acquired property in 1987 in the Willamette Valley and started producing wine. Since then, several big names in Burgundy have started or make wine at wineries in Oregon: Evening Land and Lingua Franca are both projects started with Dominique Lafond of Comtes Lafond; Isabelle Dutarte of Burgundy makes the wine at Oregon’s DePonte Cellars as well as running her own label Callabus Cellars, a project she shares with Domaine Drouhin’s Veronique Boss-Drouhin; and Bruno Corneaux who studied enology and viticulture at the University of Burgundy in Dijon with Veronique Boss-Drouhin has started Domaine Divio. In 2013 a big event happened when another Burgundian powerhouse, this time Maison Louis Jadot, purchased two vineyards in the Willamette Valley and created Résonance. On a recent trip to the Willamette we heard the Résonance story firsthand from its very talented winemaker, Guillaume Large.
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Alloro Vineyard
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is widely considered one of the world’s premier Pinot Noir producing regions. Among its 7 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) is the Chehalem Mountains AVA which sits just under 20 miles southwest of Portland, stretching 20 miles long and 5 miles wide. 53 of the Willamette Valley’s 700+ wineries live here including such well-respected names as Adelsheim, Ponzi and ROCO. A recent new discovery for us was Alloro Vineyard, a winery on a living farm that brings the best things in life to the table along with an invitation for anyone to come have a seat.
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Welcome to Brick House…
Driving up the road to Brick House Vineyard in Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a journey away from people and into civilization. As you approach the winery you notice the land becomes more rural which accounts for the wonderful feeling of seclusion you feel when you are on the property. Paradoxically, it feels very civilized to be away from the crowds and cars and noises and just take in the calm of this beautiful farm.
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Tasting through the lineup at Youngberg Hill.
One of the best descriptions of a well-made wine is when it is said to be in balance. At Youngberg Hill in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, this description holds true not only for the finished product, but also in their approach to the entire farming and winemaking process. Fully organic and biodynamic, they are solely focused on finding harmony with Mother Nature and the results definitely speak for themselves.
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