Black becomes deliciously red
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Technically speaking black is not a color but is the absence of color with no hue or wavelength of light.
Nonetheless, humans perceive black as a color and through the ages it has represented the most evil, mysterious and sophisticated of human emotions. In the wine world, there鈥檚 no such color prejudice and one of the world鈥檚 nobliest varieties is named black grape or Pinot Noir.
Perhaps no other variety is as revered and admired, but Pinot Noir is also a troublesome and quarrelsome little grape. The grape is notoriously sensitive to excessive heat, wind, frost, planting density, pruning procedures, fermentation methods, yeast types and just about every aspect of winemaking. The variety is also quite susceptible to pests and diseases and prone to vintage as well as bottle variations.
Pinot Noir is the father of the Pinot family that includes the genetic mutation descendants Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. The three grapes are so closely related that only a single gene mutation of the outer skin differentiates them. The ancestral home of the Pinot family is believed to be Burgundy where the earliest records of Pinot Noir being cultivated date back to AD 100.
During Medieval times, the variety was widely cultivated by Catholic monks and was the preferred drink of the French nobility, while the Age of the Dukes of Burgundy (1364-1477) further established the reputation of the wines. From the Renaissance to modern day, Pinot Noir wines from Burgundy have been considered the apex of winemaking.
Over the past half century, a handful of regions in New Zealand and Oregon State are challenging the Burgundy supremacy by producing some world-beating wines of their own. With all due respect and admiration for Kiwi Pinots, this week I鈥檒l delve into the delicious world of Oregon Pinot Noirs.
The unofficial nickname of Oregon is The Beaver State, but for US wine-lovers it鈥檚 the Pinot Noir State as many of the best USA-made expressions of this variety are made in the state.
Today, Oregon boasts 19 AVA wine regions in six diverse regions that grow over 80 grape varieties. The big three are Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay. The nearly 800 wineries are mostly family-owned and operated. Oregon is the fourth largest wine-producing state following California, Washington State and New York.
The northerly latitude of Oregon wine regions means longer days and more sunshine in the growing season allowing the grapes to optimally ripen. The cool evenings prolong the ripening season and help impart freshness, vitality and elegance to the wines. This ideal winemaking climate has also allowed the majority of wines to be organic. The diverse, mostly nutrient poor Jory, marine and volcanic soils are also eminently vine-friendly.
The overall quality of wines produced in Oregon is exceptionally high. Dissimilar to most wine regions in the world where both excellent and abysmal wines are produced, Oregon produces precious few inferior wines. One Oregon wine region in particular is producing exceptional Pinots.
Willamette Valley
The most famous wine region in The Beaver State is Willamette Valley that stretches from Portland for nearly 200 kilometers along the river valley. Wine is produced throughout this elongated region with the greatest concentration of vineyards nestled in the hills southwest of The Rose City.
Commercial winemaking in the Willamette Valley began in earnest about 50 years ago when wine students from the University of California Davis started looking outside the traditional growing regions of California to northern, cooler climates more suitable for Pinot Noir. They found their holy grail in the southern reaches of the Columbia Valley where Oregon meets Washington State.
The region quickly built a reputation for excellent Pinots and to a lesser extend Chardonnay and Pinot Gris wines. Napa Valley鈥檚 eureka moment was in 1976 at the Judgement of Paris where Napa reds beat the best of Bordeaux, while Willamette Valley鈥檚 coming out party was at the 1979 Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades where the region鈥檚 Pinots bested top Burgundy counterparts.
Willamette Pinot Noir wines typically have dark red-black colors and exhibit elegant sensation of dark and red fruit with good acidity and soft tannins.
One aspect of the wines that I particularly admire is the desirable, yet difficult to achieve, combination of robustness and elegance.
The combination of earthiness and freshness make Willamette Valley Pinots perfect partners to a host of the state鈥檚 iconic dishes including wild mushrooms, salmon and elk as well as locally produced lamb. Fortunately for those of us living in China, these Pinots are also natural companions to a wide range of Chinese dishes like BBQ Mongolian lamb, Beijing duck, Sichuan-style pig鈥檚 foot and Cantonese roasted pigeon. To ensure optimal wine performance Oregon Pinots allow up to an hour for breathing and serve about 16 degrees Celsius.
Top Oregon Pinot Noir wine producers with wines available in Shanghai that have fruit solely or mostly sourced from Willamette Valley include Beaux Freres, Ponzi Vineyards, Lingua Franca and King Estate. Willamette Valley weather can be every bit as variable as Burgundy so search out the good to excellent vintages of 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2014, 2012 and 2010.
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