Inspired by the thread on burgundy alternatives, but with a specific focus on U.S. pinot (e.g. California/Oregon), I was hoping to put together a list of U.S. pinot to go out and seek. E.G., U.S. pinot made in a more Burgundian style (although they may not exactly be Burgundies). Tried to come up with some guideposts below (not all of which are Burgundian, and some of which are personal, e.g. wines that tend to be more cherry than cranberry):
(a) Sappier with a touch of sweetness over tartness, with savory fruit and balanced acidity (not overripe/jammy/cloying/flat/flabby)
(b) Medium/medium+ acidity; not high acidity or high toned
(c) More cherry than cranberry, more red than black, but red/black OK
(d) More crystalline/clean/pure+mineral vs. inky/fuzzy/cloudy/extracted+monolithic
(e) Has tannin
(f) Has complexity (earth, bramble, black tea, pine, tobacco, flowers), although I don’t enjoy menthol, cinnamon notes as much
(g) smooth (no heat/alcohol/cinnamon poking out on the palate/finish)
(h) Some oak OK for texture/tannin or that integrates over time, but not pronounced vanilla/dill/woodiness
(i) Under 14.5% alcs (ideally < 14.0%)
(j) Can be aged/cellared, picking on more complexity over time
Those are the attributes I am hoping to find. But perhaps one can create a whole list of producers and producer styles as a ‘sticky’, similar to what has been achieved for nebbiolo (modern vs. traditional) etc.
I don’t pretend to have extensive tasting experience across all producers but some which I like a lot and might fit your criteria include
Kelley Fox
Goodfellow
Arcadian
Vincent - I don’t have any experience with aging these though they seem like they should do well. Unfortunately they’re so good young that I haven’t found out.
Scherrer (IMO particularly the Sonoma Coast and the Platt)
Marcus Goodfellow’s pinots capture a-d of your criteria better than any other Oregon producer imo.
My experience is more limited with them but the few Arterberry Maresh pinots I’ve tasted have also had beautifully pure red fruit.
As much as I enjoy Walter Scott, Evesham Wood, and several other top Eola Amity AVA producers, the terroir there doesn’t produce wines with the sappy red fruit character in your criteria. They tend to be darker fruited but they do possess cool climate elegance and minerality. Ribbon Ridge and Dundee Hills AVAs tend to produce more red fruited pinots.
I disagree regarding Goodfellow. In terms of your a) b) and c) I would describe them as tart, high acid, and cranberry.
I can agree with other recommendations and would add Biggio Hamina and Belle Pente. Although pay attention to vintage - those both can be darker depending on vintage. Oregon has had a run of warm vintages. I think 2017 leans back toward normal from what I’ve heard but haven’t tried any yet.
I opened a 2017 Goodfellow Whistling Ridge last night. It was in no way tart or cranberry. Very floral while also having a forest note. If you wanted a fruit I would say cherry or strawberry. The aromatics were off the charts. The acid was certainly there but I wouldn’t consider it high. I purchased the bottle at a tasting with Marcus and Megan this fall and it was better than the wife and I remembered.
My brother was staying with us for the night as he passed thru town. He only drinks Burgundy (not cru, just solid domaine) which is why I opened it. He couldn’t believe how good it was and compared it to his favorite Burgundy wines.
…Pinot Noir. Hard to pin down. There are plenty of my wines that I would agree with Ryan, and quite a few that I feel match the criteria for the OP. Sometimes even the same wine on different days.
Based on the criteria, I would highly recommend our wines from 2016, specifically the Whistling Ridge and Durant, also the Heritage wines from those vineyards in 2016.
These match the criteria, IMO, and would be a good bellwether regarding whether you want to walk further out the Goodfellow plank, or whether a slightly less aggressive producer would be your preference.
I would also really recommend the 2017-Durant and Whistling Ridge. Also the smaller Block bottlings from Whistling Ridge. I would avoid the Heritage #10 for now.
2015-Whistling Ridge and Fir Crest only.
One of my favorite things is steering people to the wines they want, even if it’s not mine(and Kelley Fox is a great recommendation, some Franny Beck wines as well, some of the Flanuer wines, and some Arterberry Maresh as well). I’m happy to guarantee the wines I recommend myself and that come direct from my winery(I am not guaranteeing other winemakers wines, even if I do recommend them). We also maintain a vintages page on the website to attempt to offer insight on how the various wines are drinking(although it’s Pinot Noir so YMMV).
+1
A lot of criteria to look through when you can just go to burgundy and get what you are looking for.
Plenty of awesome Oregon pinots… not sure any producer really truly hits the same way as a Burg. For me that’s perfectly fine as well.
Yes. When I want something that tastes like Burgundy, I buy burgundy. If I want to spend less money, I get wines from the Cotes de Chalonese or Bourgogne Rouge or villages like Savigny les Beaune, Chorey les Beaune, Pernand Vergeleses, Santenay, etc.
Exactly. I would think it should be considered a failure for an Oregon wine to taste like Burgundy. How can a Pinot based wine be really good if it is not true to its terroir?
The Burg/Pinot bug bit me pretty hard 15+ years ago. I’m an avowed Burg-lover, but pricing and availability have largely pushed me elsewhere…primarily OR. After lots of blind tastings, I discovered that it can be pretty difficult to reliably (don’t fool yourself that your palate is constant) distinguish Burgundy from Burgundian CA and OR. For US Pinots, there’s a lot of hit and miss, one vintage might taste quite Burgundian, and another not. There are a lot of variables. Over time some producers/bottlings develop a recognizable style that, on average, isn’t a replacement for Burgundy…but is a Burgundian expression of an underlying character that’s more about Oregon (or CA). AVA’s are still getting dialed in IMHO and there’s a lot of variability.
There’s no substitute for a lot of tasting.
In OR. Try the Goodfellow wines. Also Kelley Fox. I’d also add Cameron, Patricia Green and Eyrie…that will get you started. You might notice…not a single French (Burg producer in OR) recommendation…and there are quite a few.
In CA. Prices get a bit spicy. I’ve had decent luck with Kutch and Cobb and hit/miss with Rhys and Hirsch.
In NZ, Bell Hill (pricey) and Rippon, A bit hit/miss with Felton Road which is usually tasty either way.
There aren’t true replacements for Burgundy…but some OR and CA Pinots can scratch the itch. YMMV.
