There are so many wonderful boutique Oregon producers that admittedly it is sometimes difficult to keep track of the movement. I have had the chance to review the last two sets of releases from Open Claim Vineyards, a new Oregon winery that specializes in high quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Founded by Marnie and Brett Wall, Open Claim Vineyards first released their wine with the 2014 vintage. These are complex, rich and captivating wines that have tons of cellaring potential.
The more Oregon wines I review I am becoming increasing convinced that nearly everything that Tony Rynders touches turns to gold. One of the eminent winemakers in the Pacific Northwest, Tony not only makes his wines under his Tendril label but consults for a plethora of great Oregon producers. The 2016 Open Claim ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 94) is dense and highly complex, showing Burgundian earthy tones and tons of red fruits. This gorgeous effort is one for any serious collector of Oregon Pinot Noir. Learn more about these beautiful wines at http://www.openclaimvineyards.com/ Here are the brilliant 2016 releases by Open Claim.
2016 Open Claim ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay- The 2016 Open Claim ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay is another fantastic release by the talented Tony Rynders. The wine was aged for sixteen months in 33% new French oak prior to bottling. The nose shows gorgeous Meyer lemon zest with toasted brioche and hazelnuts. The palate shows a good combination of richness and freshness with a marvelous texture. Vanilla cream, lemon oil, honeydew melon and Marcona almond flavors all come together to create some beautiful complexity. Refined and rich, this is a fantastic new bottling that will cellar well for the next decade. Drink 2019-2029- 93
2016 Open Claim ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir- The 2016 Open Claim ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir was aged for sixteen months in 40% new French oak prior to bottling. The nose here is gorgeous with red cherry compote, smoke, black truffle crudo, citrus rind and peat moss that all come together and build in the. glass. The palate is plush, revealing a gorgeous texture. Red cherry candy, guava puree, red currant and blood orange zest flavors all combine to show some serious range. This is a simply stunning new bottling by superstar winemaker Tony Rynders that will cellar well for the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2019-2035- 94