What vintages in the last 20 years would be best for a Burgundy lover?
What producers would be best for a Burgundy lover?
Ive been wanting to explore the region but a little bit of a framework would be helpful.
'07, '10 and '11 in no particular order. There are some lovely '99 and '02s but in fairly short supply. Sporadic aged beauties dot the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s…Eyrie mostly, some Ponzi and others.
There’ve been tons of threads on OR controlled style producers. My current favs: Belle Pente, Cameron, Evesham Wood, Matello, Patty Green, Scott Paul,
Thomas and Westrey. Definitely some nods to a number of others: Bethel Heights, Brick House, Cristom (when not too ripe), DDO, Evening Land, Eyrie, Hamacher. Ayres, Arterberry-Maresh, Biggio Hamina, Crowley, 7 of hearts/luminous are still getting their footing IMHO. A number of others have AFWE leanings and can do some lovely juice. Based on rumors, the '10 and '11 Bergstroms might be back on target.
Come to IPNC. You’ll learn a boatload in a short time.
RT
Berry
I think it’s a more difficult question, and you’re right to start with vintages I think. I agree with Rich on recent ones to look for.
That said, I do think Oregon has a very different mix of fruit and earth than the vast majority of burgs. I would say when I open an OR pinot hoping for burgundy, I’m disappointed more often than not…
I would agree in general with the many lists of more dilute oregon producers, though you should know that some (like Patty Green in particular) make a huge range of wines, many of which strike me as far from the norm in burgundy. I would start with some mid level Evesham Wood, or Scott Paul and see what you think, as they strike me as the closest I’ve found. Thomas too, though hard to find and priced above many of the others. I wouldn’t list Cameron, Patty Green, or Belle Pente as places to start if looking for burg-like experiences, not to say they never are similar…
Just saying I would disagree here. Our wines tend to be among the higher acid, lower fruit concentration-centric wines around. Are they delicate? Probably not in the sense that one would perceive Evesham Wood or Scott Paul wines. I would say the same thing (if for vastly different reasons than our wines) about both Cameron and Belle Pente. However not all (or even most) Burgundies are delicate or even really close to that.
Berry,
The only tidbit I’d add to the excellent advice you’ve gotten already is that once you pick a core set of “burg like” OR producers to try (that’s such loaded phrase I had to use quotes), I’d jump in at the mid-range of price, like at an AVA level designation. I have found that even the more refined producers often have a pricey wine in their stable that is built for age and as such has levels of oak or size/intensity that is up a notch from most of their wines and wouldn’t strike the newly acquainted as very “burgundian”. That being said, sticking with the right years, as others noted, will minimize the likelihood of this occurring. Cheers!
Berry,
A ton of spot-on vintage analysis has been kicked around already, and a ton of solid winery suggestions have already been presented. I think that 2011 will be burg-friendly. I think that 2010 probably will be to some degree. 2007 is very acid driven, but I’d stick with better producers and a higher-end bottling. 2008 is massive. Some of the wines are incredibly structured, but also thick and a touch jammy. For instance, Cristom’s Louise, usually a stunning bottling, came in at over 14.5% abv. That’s atypical. 2011 will be more acid driven than 2008-2010, but perhaps with a bit more fruit density than 2007, which can be green at times. I’ll leave the earlier vintages to others. Avoid 2006.
I’d like to address one winery that’s never mentioned in the burg conversation, and that’s Beaux Freres. Beax Freres is Robert Parker’s venture with his brother-in-law, as you probably know. Regardless of your thoughts on Bob, Beaux Freres makes damn good wine. In some years it has a bit more density than the Brick Houses and Scott Pauls of Oregon, but can show really amazing secondary notes that remind me far more of burgundy than the vast majority of wines from the Wilamette. I strongly suggest hunting down some of Beaux Frere’s 2007s, 2008s, 2010s, and 2011s. They seem to age fairly well, and are really pretty fantastic wines. We popped a couple at a blind tasting recently, and a number of francophiles blinded the 07 Upper Terrace from Beax Freres as GC burg.
Avoid Domaine Serene, Penner Ash, Archery Summit, and Bergstrom prior to 2007 if you’re seeking to avoid extracted beasts.
Hard to go wrong with that list. I could have written it myself.
Others to check out: The resurgent Kramer, Vincent, Helioterra, Division, Bow and Arrow, Teutonic, Walter Scott, J. Albin, LaBete, Kelley Fox, Grochau.
Just had a 94 BF that was amazingly good. My WOTY so far. Had it side by side with the 98 and would say the 98 is more “burgundian”. Might also seek out the 2000 BF.
I would say around '99 there was a shift in the BF wines. They lost a lot of the muscle and mass and density in favor of more supple, complete and sublime wines. We see that in our neighboring vineyard that the younger vines (anything really 15 years or less) tend to produce bigger, richer, more tannic, more highly pigmented and more full throttle wines than the vines with more age. Certainly we get greater refinement and complexity in other vineyards as the vines mature but nowhere else do we see this striking change as the vines hit a certain age. The soil and its relative softness, porousness and shallowness certainly contribute to this phenomenom. I think the BF BF wines are generally brilliant.
Concur, this 94BF just rocks.
Thank you everyone for the advice.
Knowing your palate Berry I suggest picking up a 2010 St. Innocent. The 2010 Oregon Pinots I’ve had so far are scary-similar to 2010 Burgundies. The region certainly seems to, ahem, suffer from the same extreme vintage variation we know and love. 2008 is more like 2009 Burgundy IMHO, 2011 like 2008 Burgundy from what I hear.
Nailed it…and nailed it.
Some great suggestions here.
Berry after you get your feet wet you should head up the 5 to Willamette Valley. I have driven alone from Reno to Eugene in a long day of driving. Should be no problem with 2 drivers from Sacramento.
I don’t often buy American Pinot (perhaps 1 bottle for every 15 bottles of Burgundy), but when I do, it’s ALWAYS Oregon, and almost always Patricia Green. Their wines seem quite inline with the OPs preferences.
My experience with Patty Green is limited to 07 and 08, but I’ve really enjoyed a couple of different bottlings from both vintages. There is a structure and acidity in these wines that I rarely find in American wine. Considering the prices (really awesome QPR) I’d recommend giving the Patty Green wines a whirl as they are definitely some of the best, balanced wines being made in Oregon.
Berry,
I think you have gotten some great suggestions in the posts above. I have huge respect for Mike Etzel and the Beaux Frere wines are beautiful and ageable. The winemaking is topnotch but the ground probably deserves some credit as well.
Every year I bottle a single vineyard wine from the Whistling Ridge vineyard and it is the most “old world” fruit I work with. It’s the backbone of my tete de cuvee, “Souris”, and has the tannic structure balanced with delicate fruit that I enjoy in Burgs. The vineyard is contiguous with the Beaux Frere estate vineyard, there isn’t even a fence between the two vineyards. Directly adjacent is Patricia Green’s estate vineyard as well. While there was some commentary, and Jim Anderson is pretty knowledgeable about the wines 
, no one mentioned which of them might best fit the style you are inquiring about. I would humbly offer up the Old Vine Estate bottling as an excellent one to try.
Also, while you received some spot on vintage advice I am a bit surprised no one mentioned the 05 vintage. I would call it a vintage not to be missed.
Good luck!
Vintage variation is where it’s at! Otherwise I’d to find another manner to make myself crazy.
Amen brother. If I wanted to drink the same OR Pinot Noir every year I’d buy exclusively from, well, you know. ;-}
…Kelley Fox? “The perfect pinot”…
I concur with Marcus on the '05s - they are drinking beautifully right now, and are a really pure expression of what true cool-climate Pinot Noir can do in the northern Willamette Valley…