help me differentiate '14 and '15 wines in Oregon

This came up in a recent thread about 2017. I haven’t tasted much or compared the two vintages. I recognize the 2016s haven’t been released but if you’re a winemaker and have some insight about 2016, too, that would be great. Much appreciated.

I was able to taste some of both when we visited WV about a month ago. They are both very warm vintages. However, when put side by side, I preferred the '14s in general. The '15s were just a little bigger and the fruit had a sappy almost candied quality to it, which I didn’t find in the '14s. All the wines I tasted had decent balance - meaning I didn’t find anything overly heavy or thick or alcoholic. But there was just a sweet/ripe quality to the fruit in the '15s that was a little much for me.

My opinion only - others here have already disagreed. I think you’ll have to taste for yourself to decide.

Speaking for our wines only, in a word I’d say '14s are “forward” and '15s are “structured.” If I had to do the same for '16/'17, I’d say “bright” and “pretty/classic,” respectively. I have a feeling there is much variation out there for each of these vintages. People made different decisions with the fruit, no question.

If the conclusion turns out to be that there are no generalizations about the vintages that hold up (aside from them being warm years relative to the past), that’s fine. If this thread can reinforce the notion that warm-ish years shouldn’t be discounted or generalized too far, that’s good too. I recall hearing that winemakers keep getting better at making restrained wines in warm years, so maybe it’s time for a change in mindset. But until I taste more of those wines I cannot say a whole lot.

You’ll like the 14’s more Ron. Of the triple of 14/15/16 the 14’s will provide some nice mid term aging whereas the other two are on the sappier side (so will sell better). There you go, sweeping generalizations.

Good thread Ron.

For our vineyard, I think Michael Sterling nailed it. I might have expanded the description of 15 from ‘structured’ to ‘structured with depth and balance’. I prefer 15 (and early looks at 16) personally (sorry Todd!); I’ve tasted more somewhat ponderous 14s than 15s. Some really exciting 13s out there too (Brick House comes immediately to mind).

Final comment of course is that vintages 14-16 certainly allowed winemakers to make “their style of wine”. Those who aim to make bigger, bolder pinots could crop the vineyard to lower yields and pick later without pressure of rain, rot or birds. Those who prefer racier, fresher pinot noir could hang more fruit, pick earlier etc.

I like 15 of the 14/15/16 trio. All warm years but 15 was cooler at the beginning of harvest and the wines in my cellar anyway have more tension and freshness. I really like the year.

It’s easy to like the 15’s. But Ron wanted to know the difference and having sold him many cases of wine I have a rough idea of his range. Both 15 and 16 will, as a whole, not make Richard Trimpi happy. 14 maybe. I don’t see any of them as long term agers, which is fine because 17 will do that for those who seek some age worthy wines.

Positive wishes for 14 - 16. Hope they were great for all our resident Oregonian growers and winemakers. Still, it’s a streak in need of a respite…Come 'on 17! [wink.gif]

RT

I liked Jim’s quote related to this issue from a while back, paraphrasing: Imagine playing a particularly tricky golf course (2014) for the very first time. Invariably, if you play it again (2015) the next day, you would make some adjustments and likely achieve a better outcome.

Last night my GF suprised me with my first 15. It was Marc Mondavi The Divining Rod. It was poured blind and my first thought was it tastes like OR PN so it was a good first impression. Overall a nice OR PN for $15. Balanced with good texture and earth notes.

Happy to make sweeping generalizations on a Friday. 2015s have been making me very happy while the 2014s have not. They generally have had more spine/structure/brightness/balance in my opinion. My last trip out to Oregon in August resulted in multiple cases of 15s being purchased. I did not buy a single bottle from the '14 vintage.

Had my first '15 last weekend - Crowley WV Pinot. I was pretty disappointed. Very hollow mid palate and generally unexciting. I expected much more.

Bummer.

Opened a McKinley '15 WV last night and drinking it tonight. While I find the '14s very enjoyable with chewy fruit, this one has a bit less fruit with more acid and stony mineral.

Not sure about Crowley’s regimen but many WV bottlings include press wine. I wouldn’t judge the wintage by that bottle.

As part of my information gathering process I opened one '15 Evesham Wood Eola-Amity pinot, and another '15 Evesham Wood La Grive Bleue.

Both had a pretty similar aromatic profile; red plum, floral notes, cherry, maybe a hint of strawberry. No reductive qualities whatsoever; no funk or overt earthiness. On the palate the Eola-Amity’s fruit was fresh but had a slight dried fruit and leafy character that the La Grive Bleue (LGB) did not. The LGB was slightly more intense with perhaps a touch more acid and the only wine with a bit of tannin on the finish.

I enjoyed both wines, especially for the price (about $22 and $25 each) I paid. They would kill just about any pinot in that price range at just about any grocery store. Huge QPR. But they didn’t have a lot going on in the mid palate and just not a lot of energy/verve/intensity that I have seen in many '10, '11, and '13s. They are pretty wines though and worth buying if you see them.