Oregon Pinot: Amazing And Now Affordable

"God made Cabernet.  The Devil made Pinot Noir"

I recently began teaching a community learning class at the local community college.  The course is an introduction to wine appreciation and involves the tasting, analysis and scoring of about a dozen wines.  Because it is an introductory class, I try to focus on the basics of wine tasting and the “big name” grapes.  Thus, we taste the obligatory cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, merlot, pinot noir, syrah and sauvignon blanc. 

In selecting the wines, I try to give the students as broad an experience as possible by choosing bottles from a variety of regions.  But I also have to stick within a fairly tight budget.  For most of the varietals, this is relatively easy.  I’ve written before about the ease of finding affordable California cabernet and merlot or cheap-but-good syrah from Australia (usually called Shiraz).  But, as I’ve also written here before, pinot noir has traditionally been a tricky one. 

One of the greatest winemakers to ever live, Russian immigrant Andre Tchelistcheff, summed it up succinctly in speaking about the difficulties of making wine from the pinot noir grape:  “God made Cabernet.  The Devil made Pinot Noir.”

He is also reported to have said that he made dozens of outstanding cabernet sauvignon wines in his lifetime, but that he only ever made one outstanding pinot noir wine.  This is particularly interesting because many other winemakers came to him for advice on making pinot noir.

The problem is that the pinot noir grape is temperamental.  It is picky about where it will grow.  It is picky about how much water it wants.  It’s picky about how much sun it needs.  It’s picky about how it is handled in the vineyard, during picking and during the winemaking process.  All this means that it is really hard – and therefore generally really expensive – to make good pinot noir.  Red wines from France’s Burgundy region, which are made from the pinot noir grape, are the measuring stick for all other pinot noirs.  And yet, despite being an avid wine lover for more than 15 years, I’ve had fewer than a handful in my life because they tend to start at about $50 to $100 in price.  The very best ones are more than $1,000 per bottle.

So, how do I find an affordable pinot noir for my class?  Well, it is relatively easy if you look to California.  Growers and winemakers there have been making pinot noir for a long time and have begun to successfully identify those locations where the grape thrives.  This has enabled the planting of some larger tracts of pinot noir vineyards, which enables growers and makers to take advantage of economies of scale in order to create (relatively) affordable wines.

But the problem is that I’m teaching my class at an Oregon community college.  My students and I live in Oregon.  And Oregon has become famous for world-class pinot noir.  So how can I teach my class using a California pinot noir?  Until recently, I had despaired of finding affordable Oregon pinot noir.  Decent ones usually start at about $35 per bottle and go up from there.  The very best ones cost between $60 and $150 per bottle.  (The makers can get that type of money because Oregon pinot noirs stack up remarkably well against Burgundian wines, and, as noted above, the Burgundies are so expensive that they make the Oregon pinots seem like a bargain!)  That’s the reason I rarely write about Oregon pinot noir in this column. 

But in an effort to diversify the offerings in my wine course, I recently decided that it was time to undertake yet another search for affordable, quality Oregon pinot noir.  To my great delight, I discovered that things are changing here and that we are starting to see good Oregon pinot noir that is less than $20 per bottle.  I wanted to share a few with you.  The ones I recommend here are not all available locally, but they are all available at multiple stores in Central Oregon.  (Note that the following are in alphabetical order and not in order of preference.)

A to Z Wineworks Oregon Pinot Noir.  The winemakers at A to Z are amazing in their ability to make quality, affordable wines year after year.  I love their Riesling and their pinot gris.  Their pinot noir is yet another reason to appreciate these folks.  The flavors are quite true to the grape with strawberry and cherry flavors.  The finish is longer than you would expect for a $17 bottle of pinot noir.  The year doesn’t matter on this wine; it’s good every year.

Blue Pirate Pinot Noir (2008).  Grab this one as quickly as you can.  Many experts believe that 2008 may be the greatest vintage ever in the history of Oregon pinot noir.  So not only is this a well-made, affordable ($12) wine, but it’s from one of the greatest years.  It tastes of the classic strawberry flavor, but also violets and raspberries.  There is a lot going on in this glass for a relatively small amount of money.  Check out the story on the label about the naming of the winery.  It will charm you so that the wine tastes even better!

King Estate Acrobat Pinot Noir (2009).  This one also shows classic pinot noir flavors such as strawberries, cherries, vanilla and cedar.  It would be great with grilled salmon.  It’s about $17 per bottle.

Rascal Oregon Pinot Noir (NV).  At about $10 a bottle, this is definitely the best deal among the “affordable” pinot noirs that I have discovered.  Although it is not super complex, it does have very nice pinot noir flavors and aromas (cherries, strawberries) and a decent finish.  It’s a terrific sipping wine, and if you want an affordable wine that you can serve to a diverse group of individuals without offending anyone, this is perfect.

Whether you live in Oregon or not, you’re probably like most of us right now – budget conscious.  But you don’t have to let that stop you from discovering what all the fuss about Oregon pinot noir is about.  Do yourself a favor and go find and try one of these affordable Oregon gems.  I predict that once you do, you’ll have a new bargain wine favorite!