Download - Oregon Wine Accolades
OREGON WINEACCOLADES
UPDATED 2.21.17
Table of ContentsOregon ....................................................................................... Slide 8
Pinot Noir .................................................................................. Slide 16
Chardonnay ............................................................................. Slide 25
Syrah .............................................................................................. Slide 29
Vintages ...................................................................................... Slide 31
Willamette Valley ................................................................ Slide 43
Southern Oregon ............................................................... Slide 48
The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater .............. Slide 55
Columbia Gorge ................................................................... Slide 59
Sustainability .......................................................................... Slide 64
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
“CAPTIVATING.” “EXCEPTIONAL.”
“ADVENTUROUS.” “WORLD-CLASS.”
We’re not doing it for praise—we’re just obsessed
with quality. But when you have a cast of
characters who are so in love with this pursuit;
who are this creative and willing to take risks…
well, with great risk comes great reward.
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
A COMMITMENT TO QUALITY
The attention and care given by Oregon's grapegrowers and
winemakers from vine to bottle are reflected in their consistently
high-quality wines.
Oregon's share of Wine Spectator's 90+ scores on domestic wine in 2015 and 2016
20%Oregon's share of domestic wine production
1%
Sources: Wines and Vines, May 15, 2014 / Wine Spectator, February 28, 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
AMONG THE WORLD’S BEST WINES
The world of wine is vast and Oregon wines are rising to the top.
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2016
No. 3 2014 Beaux FrèresThe Beaux Frères Vineyard Ribbon Ridge Pinot noir
No. 2 2014 Domaine SereneEvenstad Reserve Dundee Hills Chardonnay
DELIVERING PEERLESS VALUE
Among the top wine regions of the world, Oregon provides
an unparalleled value.
Wine Spectator, February 2017
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
France California
$100
$84
Italy
$73
Spain
$60$52
Oregon
How Much Does 90 Points Cost?
The average price for a wine which Wine Spectator awarded 90 or more points in 2016, in leading regions.
Hood RiverColumbia Gorge
2017 Wine Enthusiast Best Wine Travel Destinations
AshlandSouthern Oregon
2016 Wine Enthusiast Best Wine Travel Destinations
Willamette Valley 2016 Wine Enthusiast Wine Region of the Year
STATE-WIDE ACCLAIM
Many are recognizing what we’ve long known:
Oregon is a premier destination for wine and travel.
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
OREGON
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– HARVEY STEIMAN
Wine Spectator
What makes the wines so good? Start with the vines
which seem to like Oregon's combination of soils and
climate. Growers and winemakers have climbed a steep
learning curve, largely while sharing their expertise with
one another. They learned how to coax the character and
personality from grapes capable of greatness.
December 2012
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– JULIA CROWLEY
Snooth
But what has me most enamored and captivated
with the wines of Oregon are the many talented
vintners that have the spirit and drive to turn vintage
variation and (what could be) tribulation into vintage
sensation with inspiration.
October 2015
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– GREGORY DAL PIAZ
Snooth
I can't think of another region that is
producing such a compelling collection of
pure, vibrant, varietally correct wines that
excite the palate and please the
pocketbook.
November 2013
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– GREGORY DAL PIAZ
Snooth
Today we are celebrating Oregon's diversity and
its emergence in particular as the country's top
source for white wines... I know that when I look
for a domestic white wine, more often than not
I reach for something from Oregon.
November 2013
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– HARVEY STEIMAN
Wine Spectator
A series of good to spectacular vintages have Oregon on a roll.
February 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– ROBERT M. PARKER, JR.
Food & Wine
Oregon is finally fulfilling its vast potential.
February 2013
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– PAUL GREGUTT
Wine Enthusiast
Oregon’s modern winemaking era recently
passed the half century mark, and it’s really just
in the past two decades that its industry growth
has accelerated… Oregon’s grape growers and
vintners have accomplished near miracles in a
very short time.
January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
PINOT NOIR
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– HARVEY STEIMAN
Wine Spectator
Pinot noir from Willamette Valley stands out, with many of the best selling for
less than $50.
February 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– MATT KRAMER
Wine Spectator
Here again, it seems like Oregon Pinot Noir has been a
train forever pulling into the success station. But 2016
promises to be more than merely a breakout year.
Rather, it will likely be the year when Oregon Pinot Noir
institutionalizes itself on wine lists everywhere, as well
as in many wine drinkers' private cellars.
January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– MATT KRAMER
Wine Spectator
The overall quality of winemaking skill in Oregon
has increased dramatically in the past decade.
The odds of landing on a reasonably ripe-tasting,
well-made, not excessively oaky Oregon Pinot Noir
are far better today than ever before.
January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– JOSH RAYNOLDS
Vinous
It’s still possible to buy some of the state’s best Pinots
for $50 or less, and that’s something that no other
world-class region that grows Pinot can claim.
In a world in which $50+ village-level Burgundies and
$150 premier cru wines (let’s not even talk about grand
crus) have become the norm, Oregon’s best examples are
looking like outright steals these days.
October 2015
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– LETTIE TEAGUE
The Wall Street Journal
The Pinot Noirs that I tasted from some top
producers [in Oregon] ranged from good to
exceptionally good.
The overall quality was impressively high.
March 2013
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– ERIC ASIMOV
The New York Times
…the Willamette Valley is a place where
the pinot noir ideals of finesse and grace
can be consistently met, even in
entry-level wines.
October 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– ERIC ASIMOV
The New York Times
Many other wine regions around the world have
staked their claims as suitable homes for pinot
noir. Not all have been consistently successful, but
the Willamette Valley of Oregon, in its roughly
50-year history as a wine region, has proved to be
one of the best.
September 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– CHRISTY CANTERBURY, MW
A Tim Atkins MW Special Report
I believe Oregon will prove to be the
best Pinot Noir terroir in the US,
especially where age-worthiness is
taken into account.
July 2014
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
CHARDONNAY
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– GREGORY DAL PIAZ
Snooth
It's a very exciting time to be a fan of Oregon's
Chardonnay. These are bright wines, transparent and
driven by terroir. It's a market segment that the new
world has been lacking, and Oregon is getting ready
to make some big noise here. So get on this boat
before it leaves the dock.
August 2014
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– HARVEY STEIMAN
Wine Spectator
The interplay of vivid flavors against a razor-sharp,
mouthwatering balance has emerged as the signature
style of Oregon Chardonnay, while more and more
versions hit the sweet spot of vibrancy and character.
January 2014
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– NEAL MARTIN
The Wine Advocate
Oregon Chardonnay – I love Oregon Chardonnay! Give
us more! They seem to have just the right climate to
produce top-class wines full of tension and
complexity, yes, quite Burgundy-like in style.
June 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
SYRAH
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– JOSH RAYNOLDS
Vinous
I have become increasingly enthused by Oregon’s performance with Syrah, especially
because so many of the wines are being made with a strong nod to the northern Rhône.
January 2017
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
VINTAGES
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– PAUL GREGUTT
Wine Enthusiast
Consumers need no longer worry about whether or not this
year, or any year, was a “good” year [in Oregon]. Because in
every year good, sometimes great, wines are made.
In more challenging vintages, such as 2011 and 2013, the
wines hew closer to a European model, with higher acids,
lower alcohols and complex aromatics. The best examples
have the structure to age longer and develop more
refinement than wines from warmer, riper years.
February 2017
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
Wine Spectator
The 2014 growing season… was warm, yielding rich reds and whites that
deliver immediate pleasure.
February 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– MATT KRAMER
Wine Spectator
The 2012 and 2014 vintages in Oregon's Willamette Valley saw exceptional
sunshine, creating ripe-tasting, rich Pinot Noirs that will be crowd-pleasers.
November 2014
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– ANDREW ADAMS
Wines & Vines
Oregon wine grape growers appear to have enjoyed back-to-back harvests of excellent
quality and quantity [with the 2014 and 2015 vintages].
January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– HARVEY STEIMAN
Wine Spectator
The best [2014s] have a surprising transparency, and openness to their textures, rather than the density of recent hot vintages
such as 2009, 2006 and 2003.
February 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
December 2016
– JOSH RAYNOLDS
Vinous
2014 heralds what by all indications will be an
unprecedented run of three exceptional vintages for
Oregon Pinot Noir. Now that I’ve had the chance to
taste finished 2014s from most of the best producers, I
can say with confidence that this is the strongest and
most consistently pleasurable vintage, overall, that I’ve
tasted in my 31 years of following Oregon Pinot Noir.
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– JAMES SUCKLING
Asia Tatler
Grapes picked in near perfect conditions [in Oregon in 2014] produced wines with a
generous richness yet an underlying freshness, wines destined to be huge
November 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– JAMES SUCKLING
Asia Tatler
With a trio of superb consecutive vintages [2014, 15 and 16], you can buy Oregon's wines with little hesitation over the next few years.
November 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– JULIETTE POPE OF GRAMERCY TAVERN
The New York Times
[The 2013s] were more savory than sweet, with lots of tension, which is
what Oregon’s all about.
January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– HARVEY STEIMAN
Wine Spectator
[Oregon's 2012s] have tremendous richness, suppleness and presence
without going over the top.
October 2014
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– ERIC ASIMOV
The New York Times
Sometimes a particular vintage stands out, either because
it is so unusual or because its character somehow
impresses itself indelibly on the wines. Such is the case
with the 2011 pinot noirs from Oregon… People like me who
love pinot noirs of finesse and restraint will adore the 2011
vintage. The best wines are clear, focused and vivacious.
December 2013
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
WILLAMETTE VALLEY
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– HARVEY STEIMAN
Wine Spectator
Pinot noir from Willamette Valley stands out, with many of the best
selling for less than $50.
February 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– DAVID LYNCH
Bon Appétit
Look to Oregon’s Willamette Valley for the best American Pinot terroir.
November 2015
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– MATT KRAMER
Wine Spectator
[The Willamette Valley] satisfies the Golden Age
prerequisites: an abundance of adventurous
producers, a willingness to pursue ever-more rigorous
grapegrowing and winemaking practices and, not
least, a new level of accomplishment that proves
they're on the right track.
January 2013
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– ERIC ASIMOV
The New York Times
The issue is finding a place with the soils, climate,
elevation and exposition that permit those sorts of
wines to be made: terroir, in short. In a general sense,
the Willamette has what it takes. The particulars will
only reveal themselves with time.
October 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
SOUTHERNOREGON
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– NEAL MARTIN
The Wine Advocate
It seems clear to me that Southern Oregon is the right climate for producing
top grade Rhône blends.
July 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– PAUL GREGUTT
Wine Enthusiast
Be on the lookout for racy Rieslings and
Gewürztraminers in cooler locations [of Southern
Oregon]. Rhône and Bordeaux varieties thrive, as
do Chenin Blanc, Dolcetto, Mondeuse, Petit Sirah
and even Zinfandel.
January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– LETTIE TEAGUE
The Wall Street Journal
Looking for a wine-country trip without the
overpriced tasting rooms and crowded restaurants?
Go west, young tourist. The Willamette Valley, near
Portland, is home to more than just America’s best
Pinot Noir—from truly great eats to accommodations
in a converted silo.
September 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– LETTIE TEAGUE
The Wall Street Journal
This DIY philosophy is part of the fabric of the
Willamette Valley wine community, going back to its
beginnings in the mid-1960s and early ’70s, when a
group of vintners decided to try growing Pinot Noir in
the inhospitable, rainy climate. Like those who make
it to the region at the end of the computer game
“The Oregon Trail,” they were a hardy bunch.
September 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– PAUL GREGUTT
Wine Enthusiast
The story of Oregon wine no longer begins and ends with Willamette Valley Pinot
Noir, as many of the state’s most exciting new offerings hail from Southern Oregon.
January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– RACHEL LEVIN
Sunset Magazine
Roam from the Rogue Valley to the Applegate Valley, all
the way north up Interstate 5 to the Umpqua Valley, and
you’ll find about as many types of good wine as you
would in your beloved bottle shop. Good wine. Albarino,
Tempranillo, Chardonnay, Syrah, Viognier, Cab Franc,
Malbec, and yes, plenty of Pinot Noir too.
October 2015
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
THE ROCKSDISTRICT OF
MILTON-FREEWATER
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– HARVEY STEIMAN
Wine Spectator
The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater is the most distinctive AVA in the
Pacific Northwest.
September 2015
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– KEVIN POGUE
The Somm Journal
The Rocks District perfectly fits the spirit of an AVA. You can hop across the line and see rocks on one side and wind-blown
loess on the other.
December 2015/January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– JADE HELM, DWS, CS, CSW
The Somm Journal
Some have compared the Rocks District to the
rocky soils of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
The rocks of the Southern Rhône however, are only
two to three feet deep, as opposed to 200 or 300
feet deep in the Rocks District.
December 2015/January 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
COLUMBIAGORGE
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– EMILY SIEGEL
Maxim Magazine
What makes the Columbia River Gorge such an interesting
place to grow grapes is the presence of mountains, which
divide the region into two distinct climates. There are high
altitude rain-lands to the West, and arid, almost desert-like
conditions to the East — within five minutes of each other.
The difference in altitude, rainfall and temperature
between vineyards continues to have a strong influence
on the wines they produce.
June 2015
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– PAUL ZITARELLI
Seattle Magazine
Tucked away in a cranny between the Columbia and
Willamette valleys, the Columbia Gorge American
Viticultural Area (AVA) is a little wine-tasting
paradise that looks more like Germany’s Mosel wine
region than it does anyplace in the Northwest.
August 2012
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– PAUL ZITARELLI
Seattle Magazine
[The Columbia Gorge] is still better known as a
destination for windsurfers and Lewis and Clark Trail
buffs, but lovers of pure fruit, nervy acid and low
alcohol are quickly discovering this AVA’s
cool-climate charms and natural beauty.
August 2012
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– JON BONNÉ
San Francisco Chronicle
About 75 minutes due east of Portland, this is the heart of
the Columbia Gorge, one of the world's most climatically
diverse places. Here, the mighty Columbia River cleaves
Washington from Oregon. This is an astonishingly fertile
spot for wine. Among the area's 30 wineries you'll find
some of the Northwest's most daring winemakers, many
committed to organic and biodynamic farming.
May 2014
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
SUSTAINABILITY
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board
– MEG HUSTON MAKER
Maker’s Table
When I visited in 2014, […] I found a lot of first- and
second-generation makers working in [an] old-fangled
way. Many seem as passionate about ecology and human
systems as they are about the wine itself. They truly care
how their wine comes to be. They respect both the land
and the people working it, because both are their legacy,
and both are their (and our) future.
February 2016
ACCOLADESOregon Wine Board