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FeedThe Willamette Valley is beautiful. Stretching south from the Washington-Oregon border to just past Eugene, it is green in both appearance and spirit, full of the lush, rolling hills and picturesque small towns that make city folks vow to quit the frenetic pace of their lives. And the valley’s growing wine industry only heightens the attraction. The Willamette Valley has recently gained recognition as one of the premier places in the world to grow pinot noir.
The region is dominated by small wineries. The fact that pinot noir—one of the toughest grapes to grow well—doesn’t easily lend itself to large-scale winemaking combines with the famous independent streak of residents to keep local wineries small. Though their backgrounds are as diverse as their winemaking experiences, the people behind Willamette Valley’s wineries are invariably passionate about making great pinot noir—and sometimes a couple of other varieties. The wineries’ small scale allows this passion to shine, providing personality that adds to the quality of the wines.
Belle Pente, Soter Vineyards and Boedecker Cellars are three wineries that exemplify the unique character and enthusiasm of this region.
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Two miles east of the town of Carlton, Oregon, on a picturesque, south-facing hillside, sits the estate vineyard of Belle Pente Vineyard and Winery (503-852-9500). Here on their belle pente (French for “beautiful slope”), owners Brian and Jill O’Donnel make wine in a style that emphasizes “elegance, focus and finesse over sheer size and power,” Brian explains, adding that they hope to strike a balance that provides early appeal as well as longevity. “The wines are pure expressions of the time and place in which they are made,” he adds. They are also a hit with consumers: The winery’s total production of 5,000 cases often sells out within a few months of release.
When Brian and Jill met, they were high-tech employees in Silicon Valley. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, the couple resolved to start a small, high-quality vineyard and winery. In 1994 they purchased 70 acres outside Carlton in the Willamette Valley because it was “ground zero for new-world pinot noir: [an] exciting, vibrant, up-and-coming wine region [with] great affordability for good vineyard land,” Brian says. In 2005 the area in which their vineyards lie was further distinguished as part of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA (one of six new viticultural areas within the Willamette Valley).
Brian cites a number of winemaking influences, including the Burgundian ideal that “great wine is made in the vineyard and merely nurtured in the winery.” In addition to Willamette Valley pinot noir and red Burgundy, Brian also loves Alsace wines and believes that “the underlying minerality that we get from [Belle Pente Vineyard] sedimentary soils is reminiscent of that characteristic in Alsatian wine.”
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One mile north of Belle Pente lies Mineral Springs Ranch—200 acres of forest, grasslands and vineyards—the home of Soter Vineyards (503-662-5600).
Owner Tony Soter (with his wife, Michelle) says that the most important aspects of his wines are the emotional impact, visceral reaction, immediate attraction and what he terms “compulsive drinkability.” “Our wines come from a place that makes you stop to wonder at its beauty—and you can recognize that beauty in the glass,” Tony says.
Tony worked in Napa for more than 20 years, and he and Michelle purchased their first Willamette Valley property in 1997, less than a year after they were married. “Both of us are native to Oregon, and we were looking to return to raise a family and raise some world-class wines,” Tony says.
Although they love Napa wines, the Soter household’s tastes run firmly toward red Burgundy. And though their Willamette Valley winery is nearly 5,000 miles away from that esteemed wine region, Tony points out similarities, including latitude, weather and grape varieties. In addition, both areas have cool climates that require the full length of the season to ripen the crop. “There is rarely any excess of sun or heat and always the threat of rain,” Tony says. “The seasons have a telling contribution to the character of the wines each year, and my sense is that this is never truer than in Oregon and Burgundy when speaking of pinot noir. This lends an element of fascination that is hard to see replicated elsewhere.”
 A barrel sample of Boedecker pinot noir. |
“Stylistically, our wines are bright; [they’re] dancing-on-the-tongue wines that are built for cellaring,” says Stewart, who compares their style to that of Rieslings from the Mosel Valley in Germany.
“The Mosel Rieslings always feature fantastic depth of flavor with laserlike acid structures. We both love how the bright acid structure extends the finish of the wines and helps them hold up to food,” he says. “This characteristic is as important in pinot noirs and chardonnays from Oregon as it is in Rieslings from Germany. If the fruit is picked too late, the deep, rich fruit [flavor] is still there, but the wines will fall flat and short on the finish.”
The pair take winemaking very seriously, but they don’t always agree. So they make wines they like individually. “The separate Stewart and Athena bottlings are no joke,” Stewart says. “If we had to compromise, neither of us would be excited about the wines, and the wines wouldn’t be as good.”
These wines don’t just taste good; each product is the result of the place from which it comes and the people creating it. “Our wines are reflections of our own personal taste,” Athena Pappas of Boedecker Cellars explains. “We don’t expect everyone to agree with us, but we’re out to make great wines we love.”
Winemaking on a small scale is crazy from a business perspective, she allows: “You have to love the wine you’re making and the people you’re working with in order to convince yourself to put in the time, focus and energy to make truly exceptional wines.”
Wines to try from these Oregon winemakers:2006 Belle Pente Belle Pente Vineyard |
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