Nature vs. nurture in Oregon

Sunset, Sept, 1998 by Karen MacNeil

This goes a long way toward explaining the perplexing behavior of Oregon vintners. There is probably only one group of outsiders who might comprehend the nail-biting, nerve-racking gratification of Oregon viticulture - the Cistercian monks of the Middle Ages (who, coincidentally, planted the same grapes as Oregonians do today - in the equally unforgiving climate of Burgundy).

Admittedly, Oregon wines can achieve a delicacy rarely found in other U.S. wines, and that is a compelling reward. But can results alone propel one to take on the nearly impossible? Do people climb Kilimanjaro to see snow?

Consider this basic reality: without sunlight and warmth, grapes don't ripen, and unripe grapes make mean wine. In Oregon, as fate would have it, sunlight and warmth can be in short supply. Moreover, rain (about 40 inches a year) and frost are ubiquitous threats during spring and fall, when grapes are most susceptible to rot or damage. To top it off, weather patterns here are so erratic from year to year that a given producer's wines can be great one year, disappointing the next. In short, Oregon grapes live on the edge, sometimes hanging on by the skins of their teeth.

Though seemingly counterintuitive, Oregon winemakers wouldn't have it any other way. For the vines' struggle against these harsh vagaries of climate is precisely the key to the wines' success. Grapes here cannot explode into ripeness (which often results in simple wines); they must make their way slowly toward maturity, ideally developing finesse and nuances of flavor along the way. Every year is a gamble with nature, but when the grapes (and winemaker) do win, a wine of utter beauty emerges.

A number of small wineries struggled along prior to Prohibition, but the modern Oregon wine industry was born in the mid-1960s when David Lett planted the state's first Pinot Noir, at Eyrie Vineyards in the Willamette Valley. (Eyrie still makes some of the best Pinot in the state.) Local farmers thought he was crazy. And in a way, he was possessed - by an idea. Namely, that complexity in wine is related to the marginality of the climate in which the grapes are grown; grapes that receive barely enough sun to cross the finish line of ripeness have a better chance of making graceful wine than grapes that bake in full sun.

Winemakers who followed Lett, like Dick Erath of Erath Vineyards, agreed. Today there are more than 100 wineries in Oregon, and virtually all of them grow Pinot Noir, the great red of Burgundy and one of the world's most fragile, persnickety grapes. Oregon, in fact, is the only place outside of Burgundy that specializes in this variety.

To no one's surprise, the results are mixed. Depending on the year and the winemaker's judgment calls, an Oregon Pinot Noir can be loaded with personality - or something you'd really rather pour down the drain.

Even a devastatingly good Oregon Pinot, though, is almost never powerful. Because big, syrupy flavors and textures (such as in a Zinfandel, Syrah, or Cabernet Sauvignon) are not the province of Pinot Noir. To appreciate Pinot, you must turn the binoculars around and go looking for elegance.

Oregon is also well known for Chardonnay, but the white grape that winemakers here are most smitten with is Pinot Gris, an ancestral sister of Pinot Noir, which in good-weather years is fresh, lemony, and irresistible.

Those Oregon winemakers are a story in themselves. Almost all are renegade dropouts or exes. College dropouts. Ex-professors. Counterculture dropouts. Even ex-theologians. These are the modern-day monks who have renounced easier winemaking conditions and take pleasure in the hard lessons of the greatest teacher of all - nature herself.

OREGON WINES TO TRY

There are so many great producers in Oregon - Adelsheim, Amity, Beaux Freres, Broadley, Chehalem, Cristom, Domaine Drouhin, Eyrie, Ken Wright, Ponzi, and many more - that it is nearly impossible to narrow the field to a few favorites. Experiment on your own, because every year Oregon, which is packed with small and new wineries, is full of surprises.

* Archery Summit Winery "Vireton" 1997 (Oregon), $25. A rich, intriguing white made from Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Chardonnay.

* Hamacher Wines Chardonnay 1995 (Oregon), $20. Vivid, gorgeous, and perfectly balanced. The best Chardonnay from anywhere in the United States I've had this year.

* Willakenzie Estate Pinot Gris 1996 (Willamette Valley), $15. Lovely rich pear and almond cake flavors.

* Broadley Vineyards Pinot Noir "Claudia's Choice" 1996 (Willamette Valley), $30. The intensity of fruit in this wine is stunning. Chocolate-covered cherries!

* Chehalem Pinot Noir "Rion Reserve" 1995 (Willamette Valley), $35. Rich pomegranate, cherry spice, and earth flavors.

* Eyrie Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve 1990 (Willamette Valley), $35. Owner David Lett has an intuitive ability to bring out femininity and elegance in every wine he makes.

* Thomas Winery Pinot Noir 1994 (Willamette Valley), $27. Fascinating cola, berry, and wild mushroom flavors.