2008 Oregon Pinot Noir Report - August 2010

By Ryan Seward (Director of Education) and Eric Genau (President/Wine Director)

Vintages are a funny thing.  Some people couldn’t care less and will buy their favorite producers regardless of the reports, and others will stay away from an entire region like the black plague has struck if they hear that a vintage is getting bad press.  Many times we hear conflicting opinions about a vintage, where some producers and critics love it, and others think the wines are too extreme or perhaps have lost some sense of terroir.  But every once in a while there are vintages that just about everyone loves!  A few recent examples are 2007 Napa Cabernet, 2007 Sonoma Pinot Noir, 2005 Bordeaux, 2005 Burgundy, 2007 Southern Rhone (some controversy here, but overall an exceptional vintage), and now we can safely add 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir to that consensus list.

The 2008 Vintage in Oregon is widely considered one of the best vintages in memory for New World Pinot Noir.  The season started out slow with late bud-break and cool weather through June and July, and very little rain through the summer months.  From July 1 through August, the Willamette Valley only received an inch of rain.  In September and early October before harvest, the temperatures increased and conditions became perfect for making great Pinot Noir.  Days were warm and nights were very cool, sometimes with as much as a 50 degree difference, which allowed the grapes to fully ripen while maintaining great acidity.

At a recent tasting, Mark Vlossak, winemaker at St. Innocent, told us that "you had to really screw up to make bad wine in 2008."  Wine Spectator gave the vintage a rating of ‘A’, and the early scores for Willamette's Pinot Noirs reflect this great vintage, earning 90+ scores pretty much across the board.

Always committed to judging wines for ourselves, our staff at City Wine Merchant have already tasted quite a few of these Pinots and we couldn’t be happier with the ripeness and balance of the wines overall.  The consistency of quality is higher than we have ever had from Oregon, and we are pleased to offer you our picks from this gret vintage.  As always, we make every effort to taste through these wines either prior to or just following release, and our goal is to select the wines that we feel present the best combination of quality and value.  We will continue to update this list as wines are released as tasted.  Please call us or email eric@citywinemerchant.com or ryan@citwinemerchant.com for the most up-to-date availability.  Here are some of our initial picks from this great vintage...

St. Innocent Shea Vineyard Yamhill-Carlton District 2008
The 2008 St. Innocent Shea is a tribute to what a great vineyard can achieve in an excellent vintage. Its nose is complex with a potpourri of red raspberry, black raspberry and blackberry fruits, fresh and dried red roses, and hints of sweet spice and white pepper.  In the mouth it is full of intensely rich raspberries, black raspberries, and a dense floral perfume with hints of sweet herbs and an undertone of forest floor. Complex texturally, it is captivatingly interesting in the mouth. Structured for long term aging. Its level of concentration, perfect ripeness, and backbone of acidity will evolve slowly over the next 6-12 months and will probably peak in 10-15 years.  This is a wine for those who seek Pinots with multiple layers of flavor and aroma while revealing the details of this great terroir.

St. Innocent White Rose Vineyard Yamhill-Carlton District 2008
Mark Vlossak’s description of the White Rose says it all - “St. Innocent White Rose Pinot Noir is my most hedonistic wine.  It is my one wine where an intellectual approach to the details of aroma and flavor are not helpful in explaining its true nature.  Instead, this wine is very much about pleasure.  It is drop dead gorgeous. It is what I drink when I want to relax and just enjoy the moment.  This is our last ever wine from this site high in the Dundee Hills planted with very old vines. This time it is truly amazing. Dense red raspberry aromas with layers of rich floral scents, it has very deep flavors of berries and a textural weight that is usually reserved for Justice Pinots. This is a mouth full of wine that is elegantly balanced.  I am really in awe.”  This is St. Innocent's most limited 2008 release.

Patricia Green Eason Vineyard 2008
The 2008 Eason is a hearty, dense, rugged style. The fruit has the Dundee Hills’ sweetness to it but with a distinct darker-edge than any of Green’s other bottlings from this appellation in 2008.  The tannins are substantial but ripe so while it is chewy right now, this will meld into richness over time.  Only 285 cases produced.  This is a great wine for those who enjoy dark, tannic Pinots with lots of secondary flavors.

Ken Wright Canary Hill Vineyard 2008
Located at the southern end of the Eola Hills and faces southeast.  This is one of Ken Wright’s richest vineyards.  Wine from Canary Hill is typically very forward, with aromas of black cherry and cola.  Approximately 625 cases are produced.  This wine really captures the depth of 2008, with lots of secondary flavors and aromas, and great structure.

Holloran Vineyards Stafford Hills Eola-Amity Hills 2008
One of the best values we have tasted from this vintage.  The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is located 20 miles south of Dundee Hills.  The vineyards here have volcanic soils, and strong cooling marine influences, producing wines with great acidity and vibrant red fruit flavors. The Stafford Hills Pinot Noir is made using organic farming and Burgundian techniques, resulting in an Old World style Pinot Noir.  Well balanced with lively acidity and an attractive mid-palate of cherry, raspberry and spice.  Amazing value!

Evening Land Oregon 2008
One of the greatest Pinot Noir values we have ever tasted from any region or vintage.  The 2008 Evening Land is rich and ripe with dark cherry, smoke, and cola notes on the nose.  It has a silky, mouth-filling texture and explodes with ripe berry on the palate. The finish is long and balanced, with great acidity to match the rich frame.  A seriously delicious wine, and an outstanding effort at this price point.  Given the quality of this "intro wine" we can’t wait for the single vineyard wines from Evening Land to arrive!