Oregon is blessed with some incredible historic wineries. Willamette Valley Vineyards was originally founded in 1983 by Oregon wine pioneer, Jim Bernau. Jim cleared away an old pioneer plum orchard in the Salem Hills to start his first vineyard. Over time Willamette Valley Vineyards has considerably increased their estate vineyards through partnerships like the merger with Oregon wine industry pioneer, Bill Fuller of Tualatin Vineyards (established in 1973), the O'Briens for Elton Vineyard (established in 1983) and Loeza Vineyard (planted in 2015). Willamette Valley Vineyards sources all of its Pinot Noir from their nearly 500 acres of estate vineyards.
I have really enjoyed these wines over the past several years. A year ago I had the chance to interview their talented winemaker Joe Ibrahim, who is originally from New York and started his wine journey in Vermont. He has held several high end wine positions prior to coming to Willamette Valley Vineyards, including working for Ste. Michelle Wine Estate in Washington State, as well as Gallo Family in California where he learned about brandy distillation as a Spirits Maker and sparkling wine production as the Senior Winemaker in charge of the sparkling wine program.
His new wines were really good across the board. I loved his 2016 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Blanc (OB, 91) which is nicely textured and shows great freshness from this warm vintage. which has marvelous richness and a downright sexy texture. I really enjoyed the 2018 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Founders Reserve’ Pinot Noir (OB, 92) which is dense and chewy with a great core of acidity and red and dark fruits. Learn more about this famed Oregon winery at willamettevalleyvineyards.com. Here are the great new wines by Willamette Valley Vineyards.
2018 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Blanc- The 2018 Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Blanc shows a soft texture and great veil of salinity. Hazelnut and Bosc pear tones mingle with shades of green papaya and buttercream accents on the palate. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the next five years. Drink 2021-2025- 91
2017 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Bernau Block’ Chardonnay- This great Chardonnay is sourced from old Chardonnay vines dating back to 1993 which utilizes Dijon clone 76 and 96. Fresh and vibrant, this shows good verve and a soft texture. Bright orchard fruits mingle with melon and salty tones on the palate. Drink 2021-2028- 91
2017 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Tualitin Estate’ Chardonnay- The ‘Tualitin Estate’ is a Draper clone based Chardonnay wine that saw 30% new French oak for ten months before bottling. Rich brioche tones mingle with lemon zest, starfruit and shades of Pink Lady apple. Nicely textured, this has good length and balance, with a long and gratifying finish. Drink 2021-2028- 92
2019 Willamette Valley Vineyards White Pinot Noir- This shows melon and salted Macadamia nut tones on the nose with baked apple. Honeydew melon and cashew flavors mingle with Japanese pear and Challah bread on the palate. Fresh and nicely textured, enjoy this beautiful wine over the next seven plus years. Drink 2021-2028- 91
2017 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Appellation Cuvee’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Appelation Cuvee’ is a later released wine that is sourced from several AVAs in the Willamette Valley. Cran-orange and shades of peat moss combine with a core of dark kirsch aromatic tones on the nose. The palate shows a soft texture with layers of bright red fruits, with forest floor accents and a soft texture. Drink 2021-2026- 90
2019 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Whole Cluster’ Pinot Noir- Big, juicy and bright, the 2019 ‘Whole Cluster’ Pinot Noir offers ripe Mandarin orange zest with Bing cherry, and forest floor accents on the nose. The palate is vibrant with gobs of juicy red fruits that mingle with lighter damp earth and tangerine water flavors. Enjoy over the next five to seven years while the great core of fruit and brightness remains. Drink 2021-2026- 91
2018 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Founder’s Reserve’ Pinot Noir- The 2018 ‘Founder’s Reserve’ Pinot Noir is a rich and well-balanced effort from this exciting vintage in Oregon. The nose takes on a great core of red and dark fruits with tobacco leaf, peat moss and orange zest that all take shape in the glass. The palate has a smooth texture with a great sense of mouthfeel. Ripe red and dark cherry mingle with orange rind, peat moss and shades of white pepper. Drink 2021-2028- 92
2018 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir- The 2018 ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir by Willamette Valley Vineyards utilizes a host of clones and soil types. The wine was aged for ten months in 17% new French oak before bottling. The palate is fresh and vibrant with lovely acidity. Layers of sour kirsch, pomegranate seed and orange zest mingle with the earthy undertones. Beautiful in its youth, this outstanding new Pinot Noir will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2021-2031- 92