Oregon pinot noir drinks with the charm of France

In 1944, the University of California at Davis published a grape map meant to help reboot a wine industry still struggling to recover from Prohibition. This map showed which grape varieties should be planted where in California for best yields and results. The university took it as a given that California was the single best place in the country to grow every single wine grape simply because its climate could ripen them reliably.

In the late 1960s, a group of UC-Davis students on a quest to make great pinot noir came to believe that this theory was wrong, that California was not the right place to grow the great red grape of Burgundy. They challenged their agriculture school’s assumptions and scoured the country for a place where climate conditions, terrain, and soil types most closely matched those of pinot noir’s native region of Burgundy in France. They landed on the Willamette Valley of Oregon, an area south of Portland dominated by walnut orchards and the timber trade. A half-dozen of these idealistic UC-Davis students packed up their families to take a stab at pioneering a new wine region.

Oregon proved ideal for pinot noir, of course, and the rest is fine wine history. One of these young Californians was Dick Erath, who went on to produce the Willamette Valley’s first commercial pinot noir. The winery has since changed hands, but still makes reliably delicious pinot noir that seeks to evoke the tart red berry flavors and earthy charm of French Burgundy. This wine is their entry-level cuvée, loaded with sour cherry and cranberry flavors that make a terrific accent for both lighter meats and savory seafood dishes.

PLCB Item #6593

Sale price through 3/28 — regularly $19.99

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