What are the characteristics of an Oregon Pinot Noir?
Light to medium-bodied, Oregon Pinot is more finely boned than California Pinot, and displays a wide, aromatic range of flavors including strawberry, raspberry, delicate floral notes, and earthier notes like mushroom and truffle.
Why is the Willamette Valley good for Pinot Noir?
The Willamette Valley AVA is a fertile triangular region of more than 100 miles long and up to 60 miles wide. The Valley climate provides an elongated grape-growing season that is said to be ideal for Pinot Noir. Winter is typically cool, wet and mild. This inherently requires that they grow their grapes naturally.
Which red grape variety is the Willamette Valley in Oregon best known for?
This allows a wide variety of grapes to be grown in the Columbia Gorge. The region has nearly 40 vineyards, growing a wide variety of grapes, including Syrah, Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot gris, Riesling, and Sangiovese.
What wines is Willamette Valley known for?
The Willamette Valley became an official AVA in 1983. Today, it is recognized as one of the premier wine producing areas in the world. It is most widely known for its award winning Pinot noir, but consistently earns top honors for other such cool-climate varieties as Pinot gris, Chardonnay and Pinot blanc.
Why is Pinot Noir from Oregon so good?
The grapes are lower in sugar, and therefore the wine is less alcoholic than other red wines, coming in around 12% alcohol by volume. It’s known for its fruity aromas, which provide its sweetness yet still has a lightly dry finish, and as Pinot ages, the wine develops the “barnyard” aroma of a fine wine.
What is the general style of Pinot Noir from Oregon?
Although there is a characteristic style to Oregon Pinot, one best summed up as fruit forward with a satiny, supple texture and crisp but well balanced acidity and ripe tannins, those traits are by no means universal within Oregon or even within the North Willamette Valley.
Is Eugene considered Willamette Valley?
Eugene (/juːˈdʒiːn/ yoo-JEEN) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest. It is at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about 50 miles (80 km) east of the Oregon Coast.
What is the highest rated Oregon Pinot Noir?
Best Overall: 2017 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir
- Region: Oregon, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley.
- ABV: 14.1%
- Tasting Notes: Black Cherry, Orange Peel, Bramble, Rhubarb.
Which of the following AVAS is best known for Pinot Noir wines?
A cool-climate (Region 1) region, the Carneros AVA is best known for growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir for both fine table wines and méthode champenoise sparkling wines.
What is considered mid Willamette Valley?
The valley may be loosely defined as the broad plain of the Willamette, bounded on the west by the Oregon Coast Range and on the east by the Cascade Range. Sometimes the area around Albany and Corvallis and surrounding Benton and Linn counties is referred to locally as the Mid-Valley.
What regions produce the best Pinot Noir?
Today pinot noir is grown all over the world. In France, its greatest concentration is in Champagne, then Burgundy, Alsace, and the Loire. it’s also grown in other European countries, most notably Germany, Switzerland and Northern Italy.
What is the difference between California and Oregon Pinot Noir?
In the wines, this mild climate makes Oregon Pinots lighter in color, and more delicate in structure. California Pinots, which ripen easily thanks to California’s constant sunshine, tend to be darker and more purple in color (think about someone who lives by the beach vs. In the glass, the color difference is striking.