Oregon Tastings to Enjoy!
At Evening Land
The star of our visit to the Willamette Valley was resoundingly Pinot Noir. The valley provides a rich environment for this variety to bloom – in many ways. What is it that contributes to the quality and richness of expression of this wine in the glass?
First, what is important is the soil. The volcanic rock, marine sediment, and loess (loosely compacted windblown sediment), which formed the vineyards of the valley, became marginally fertile, well-drained soils. This translates to vines which need to struggle just enough during the growing season to produce a mature grape with character and complexity.
The other important aspect is the weather. The average temperatures, along with long daylight hours during the growing season and enough annual rainfall, provide an optimal environment for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The first stop on our tasting journey in Oregon was Lingua Franca in Salem, OR. We were seated in a wonderful open tasting space with wide open views of the vineyards. A gentleman by the name of Jon led our tasting. His passion for wine and the specifics of wine growing was very evident in the way he shared information and painted a picture of each wine. He was well-versed and bright. He readily distinguished AVAs and weather impact by vintage.
At Lingua Franca, we started off with a well-crafted Rosé. It was very refreshing and expressive. I am not one for Rosé yet their Stainless Steel Rosé was captivating. We moved on to Chardonnay and Estate Pinot Noir. The most ethereal wine of the lineup for me was the 2021 Pinot Noir, The Plow. It was rich and plush on the palate, alive with blueberries and soft, well-structured tannins on the finish. Clearly this was a winning lineup.
The next stop was Evening Land, a short drive up from Lingua Franca. The setting was gorgeous as the winery sat perched on a hillside. Our host first took us on a walk to gather in the surroundings and vineyards. It was a glorious view of the area from the vantage point of the slope. On a clear day, one can see the ever-present Mt. Hood in the distance. The winery is in the process of building a structure to capitalize on the view for the express purpose of tastings.
Our tasting at Evening Land was interesting from the beginning. The wine was poured into glasses that were narrow at the top – an effort to focus on the wine’s aroma. It has been said that 80% of what you taste comes from the aroma, so it makes sense to use wine glasses that focus there. The wines themselves were svelte on the palate and very expressive. The approach here was different by starting with a little known wine titled Passetoutgrain. It was quite interesting and distinct. Found in Burgundy, it is essentially a cuvée of Gamay and Pinot Noir. From there we moved to the Pinot Noirs, which were very lovely and expressive. They were both 2022s and distinctively fresh and perfumed. They were excellent wines with great structure. After the Pinots, we then tasted the Chardonnays, which is a twist as most tastings start with the white wines and finish with the reds. The Chardonnays did not disappoint as they were bright yet elegant and refined. The wine kept calling me back for another taste. I can highly recommend the wines from Evening Land.
The final visit of the day was to Cristom Vineyards, also in Salem. Once again, the fall views we were afforded were relaxing and beautiful. The wine was in step with our first two vineyard visits. On this tasting, the standout wine was the 2022 Cristom Vineyard’s Pinot Noir Eileen. There was clearly a core of solid fruit that stood out yet it was sweetly spiced. Another beautiful presentation and collection of quality wines.
These wineries are all excellent examples of what Oregon has to offer the wine lover. Hold on for more great examples in my next post.
Enjoy!!
