One of the finest producers of Riesling in Oregon, Brooks was founded by Jimi Brooks, a Portland native who came to wine through his passion for history and philosophy. Jimi previously worked in Beaujolais, and eventually returned to Oregon to focus on crafting great Riesling and Pinot Noir. Brooks farms twenty acres in the Eola-Amity Hills, a sub-region of the Willamette Valley characterized by higher altitudes and the ocean winds that blow through the Van Duzer Corridor. Head winemaker Chris Williams has previous stops at Maysara and WillaKenzie prior to becoming Brooks head winemaker in 2005. He has crafted a gorgeous range of Riesling wines.
Chris has a deft touch on white wines and his 2019 Brooks ‘Looson Ridge’ Pinot Gris (WWB, 92) which has a great freshnesss and mouthfeel. has just a touch of sweetness and shows really bright acidity. While his overall lineup of Rieslings were stellar across the board, I was particularly blown away with the 2017 Brooks ‘Bois Joli’ Riesling (WWB, 93) which is one of the great. Willamette Valley Rieslings I have had over the past year. This wine shows incredible terroir and a gorgeous sense of minerality. Learn more about these beautiful wines at https://www.brookswine.com/ Here are the outstanding new wines by Brooks.
2019 Brooks Rose- Made from Pinot Noir grapes, the 2019 Brooks Rose shows a lively core of bright red fruits with shades of wild mushroom on the palate. Juicy and packed with aciidity, enjoy this over the next few years. Drink 2020-2024- 90
2019 Brooks Picpoul Blanc- the vibrant sense of acidity really impresses here as this outstanding new release shows bright lemon zest and melon tones alongside the great sense of minerality. Fresh and full of life, enjoy this over the next several years while the electricity remains. Drink 2020-2025- 91
2019 Brooks ‘Logsdon Ridge Vineyard’ Pinot Gris- Seriously good stuff, you are immediately intrigued by the shades of cardamom infused Japanese pear and brioche fill the nose. The palate is wonderfully juicy with gobs of mouth-watering acidity and a really good sense of mouthfeel. Nicely textured, the ‘Logsdon Ridge Vineyard' Pinot Gris will cellar well over the next eight years, picking up nutty and earthy tones. Drink 2020-2027- 92
2019 Brooks ‘Amycas’ White Wine- A blend of mostly Pinot Blanc, Riesling and Muscat, the ‘Amycas’ is fresh and energetic with bright acidity and layers of melon and green apple tones with orange blossom and rose water undertones. A delightful pairing for shellfish, enjoy this great wine in its youth while the vibrant acidity remains intact. Drink 2020-2025- 91
2018 Brooks ‘Willamette Valley’ Riesling- A quick whiff of petrol brilliantly combines with the lemon zest and orange blossom tones on the nose. Fresh and clean, with great acidity, texture and length, this is just an awesome value that will cellar well over the next seven years. Drink 2020-2025- 91
2017 Brooks ‘Meyer Vineyard’ Riesling- Sourced from this Dundee Hills AVA site, the 2017 ‘Meyer Vineyard’ Riesling shows a trocken-style tension with great acidity and texture that reminds me of the great GG wines of the Mosel. Brighti green apple and lemon rind flavors mingle with minerals and the light damp earth tones on the palate. Drink 2020-2032- 93
2017 Brooks ‘Hope Well’ Riesling- The 2017 ‘Hope Well' Riesling is another scintillating new release by Brooks. Soft on the mouth, the feeling of weight and tension here is really good. Bright pear and green apple tones combine with shades of white peach and kiwi on the palate. The minerality is truly outstanding as the ‘Hope Well’ will cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2020-2032- 92
2017 Brooks ‘Ara’ Riesling- The 2017 ‘Ara’ Riesling is another thrilling effort by one of the North America’s Riesling specialists. This Trocken style wine shows great weight and tension under the core of Gravenstein apple, lemon rind and wet stone tones. The degree of mouth-watering acidity is seriously good. With great elegance and verve, the 2017 ‘Ara’ will cellar well for another decade or more. Drink 2020-2032- 93
2017 Brooks ‘Vitae Springs’ Riesling- The ‘Vitae Springs Vineyard’ dates back to 1978 and is set on volcanic basalt-Nekia and Jory soils. The feeling of weight and tension is seriously good mid-palate as gobs of acidity and a silky texture greets you alongside the green apple, kumquat zest and petrol tones. A sensational new wine to savor in its youth, the thrilling 2017 ‘Vitae Springs’ Riesling will enjoy a long life in the cellar. Drink 2020-2033- 93
2017 Brooks ‘Bois Joli’ Riesling- Sourced from this Eola-Amity Hills Vineyard set on marine sedimentary and Wilalkenzie soils, the wine shows vibrant acidity with gobs of tension that mingle with the green apple, petrol, kumquat zest and salty undertones of the wine. Completely gorgeous to enjoy in its youth, the combination of acidity and weight suggests this has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2032- 93
2017 Brooks ‘Orchard Fold’ Riesling- Medium dry in style, reminiscent of a Kabinett, the brilliant tension and sweetened pear with nectarine and orange blossom tones really entice on the palate. The ‘Orchard Fold’ has an inviting sense of length with a wonderful texture. Outstanding in its youth, this has some really good cellaring potential moving forward. Drink 2020-2032- 92
2017 Brooks ‘Sweet P' Riesling- Moving more into Auslese realm, the 2017 ‘Sweet P’ has a great backing of vibrant acidity that mingles with the sweetened orchid fruits and melon tones on the palate. Drink 2020-2027- 91
2018 Brooks ‘Runaway Red’ Pinot Noir- This red fruit driven 2018 Pinot Noir shows red rose petals wit the bright red fruits on the nose. The palate is forward and delicious with medium-bodied Bing cherry and pomegranate seed accents with raspberry and light earthy tones. Drink 2020-2025- 90
2019 Brooks ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir- Fresh and forward, this delivers medium-bodied red fruits that dance with light damp earth tones on the palate. Enjoy in its youth while the good sense of freshness remains. Drink 2020-2025- 89
2016 Brooks ‘Janus’ Pinot Noir- The 2016 ‘Janus’ Pinot Noir was largely sourced from the Brooks Estate Vineyard as well as a host of vineyards sprinkled throughout the Willamette Valley. Shades of cola with dark fruits and flinty and earthy undertones fill the nose. The sense of texture is great here as this over-delivers with its richness and smooth mouthfeel. This is simply delicious stuff to enjoy over the next eight to ten years Drink 2020-2028- 91
2017 Brooks ‘Rastaban’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Rastaban’ is entirely sourced from the ‘Brooks Estate Vineyard’ located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. While obviously not a big Pinot Noir, the sense of elegance and seamless factor mid-palate is really nice. Bright acidity and a ripe core of red cherry, raspberry and baking spices combine with the lighter earthy tones of the wine. Drink 2020-2030- 91
2016 Brooks ‘Crannell’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Crannell’ Pinot Noir by Brooks is sourced from the ‘Crannell Vineyard’ set in the Eola-Amity Hills and set on various soil types, planted to Pommard, 115, 777 and 667 clones. On the nose the bouquet of damp earth and peat moss combine with the core of red and dark fruits. The palate shows the warmth of the vintage with rich dark fruits with a beautiful sense of length and texture. Drink 2020-2030- 92
2017 Brooks ‘Big Cheese’ Pinot Noir- The 2017 ‘Big Cheese’ is sourced from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, set on volcanic Basalt-Jory and Nekia soils. Aged for eighteen months in French oak, this shows salty and savory tones on the nose with the core of dark fruits and underbrush tones. The palate has a plush texture delivering gobs of red fruits with good acidity and a soft mouthfeel. Enjoy this great wine over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2020-2032- 92
2016 Brooks ‘Old Vine Pommard Clone’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Old Vine Pommard Clone’ Pinot Noir is an earthy masterpiece by Brooks. Aged for eighteen months in French oak this shows lovely black truffle crudo and forest floor tones woven together with wild blackberry and huckleberry tones on the nose. The palate is soft and gratifying, showing gorgeous length and precision, with bright acidity that backs up the earthy tones and citrus rind/red fruit core. I can imagine this cellaring marvelously for fifteen years, picking up more Burgundian tones as it ages Drink 2020-2035- 93
2016 Brooks ‘Temperance Hill Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- One of the famed sites in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, the ‘Temperance Hill Vineyard’ is a southern facing vineyard set on Basalt-Jory, Nekia and Ritner soils. Peat moss and forest floor tones combine with shades of Mandarin orange zest, pomegranate seed and red cherry candy aromatics that all build in the glass. Soft, round and gererous this has a silky effect mid-palate. Bright red fruits meld with the orange rind and damp earth tones on the palate. Fantastic to savor right now, the 2016 ‘Temperance Hill Vineyard’ Pinot Noir will enjoy a long life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2035- 93
2016 Brooks ‘Sunny Mountain Vineyard’ Pinot Noir-Planted in 2005 the ‘Sunny Mountain Vineyard’ is set on a range of soils and is planted to clones 23, Pommard and 115. Th3 nose evokes exotic spices alongside the core of red fruits and blood orange zest tones. The soft mouthfeel really entices, as does the sense of mouth-watering acidity that builds mid-palate. The length of the wine and great core of red and dark fruits with its earthy tones really all impress. Gorgeous to savor in its youth, this wine has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2020-2035- 93
2016 Brooks ‘Toluca Lane’ Pinot Noir- This Eola-Amity Hills bottling was aged for eighteen months in French oak. From this southeast facing vineyard set on volcanic basalt-Nekia soils, the wine opens with baking spices that mingle with a core of red fruits and suggestions of orange zest. The soft sense of texture is nothing short of outstanding as the weight and vibrant acidity alongside the great sense of mouthfeel really make this wine sing. Drink 2020-2035- 93