Sitting down with Robert Brittan you can feel the power of his 45 harvests. Many years ago I was introduced to the amazing wines of Brittan Vineyards and the talented Robert Brittan, who was the former winemaker at Stags’ Leap Winery in Napa. Robert is a graduate of the UC Davis Viticulture and Enology program and founded Brittan Vineyards in 2004, acquiring a 128-acre hillside property with soils that are a mixture of glacial deposits and volcanic material, with a predominant presence of broken basalt. The volcanic material brings out a terrific stony quality in the Pinot Noirs. In addition to the Pinot Noir, Robert has 4 acres of Chardonnay and 1.5 acres of Syrah have been planted. In addition to his own wines, Robert serves as the winemaker for several other brands, including Blakeslee, de Lancellotti, Fairsing, Noble Pig, Winderlea and Youngberg Hill.
I recently tried the 2016 Brittan Chardonnay which was absolutely singing. These wines have some really nice aging potential. releases recently. Don’t miss the new 2019 Brittan Vineyards ‘Estate’ Chardonnay (OB, 94) which is viscous with serious range. Nearly as good was the 2019 Brittan Vineyards ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir (OB, 93) which is dense and chewy with some good aging potential. . Learn more about the great wines of Brittan Vineyards at http://www.brittanvineyards.com Here are the brilliant Pinot Noir releases by Brittan Vineyards.
2018 Brittan Vineyards Sparkling Wine- One of the terrific sparkling wines made in Oregon, the 2018 Brittan Vineyards blends 52% Chardonnay with the remainder Pinot Noir. Immediately showing a soft mousse, this reveals lovely pink grapefruit and kumquat tones alongside toasty brioche and salty undercurrents on the palate. With good weight and finesse, this has another decade in front of it. Drink 2021-2029- 92
2019 Brittan Vineyards ‘Estate’ Chardonnay- Truly one of the brilliant Chardonnays made in Oregon, the 2019 Brittan Vineyards ‘Estate’ Chardonnay is a colossal value at 45 bucks. Once on the mouth the silky mouthfeel really sings as layers of buttered French bread, marzipan, macadamia nut and honeydew melon all collide with shades of wet stone on the palate. Refined and rich, showing good depth, this world-class Chardonnay will surely cellar for another decade. Drink 2021-2033- 94
2019 Brittan Vineyards ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir- Sourced from their stony site roughly 12 miles southwest of McMinneville in the foothills of the Coastal Range, the ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir is selected from various sites across his vineyard, all set on broken Basalt. The wine utilizes clonal selections Pommard, 777, 115, 667 and Swan. Right away you get the lovely sense of volcanic earth on the nose with ripe red currants and black raspberry tones. The palate is dense and stony with serious finesse and good weight. Gorgeous now this will continue to evolve in the cellar for at least another decade. Drink 2021-2033- 93