I love great new world Riesling. At its best it can surely rival some of the greats out of Germany. 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 not only has a deft touch with Riesling but makes some beautiful sparkling wines and Pinot Noirs.
Chris has a deft touch on white wines and his 2017 Brooks ‘Extended Tirage’ Riesling Sparkling Wine (OB, 92) which is nervy and tension driven with gobs of sour apple tones. I love the 2019 Brooks ‘Ara’ Riesling (OB, 93), a steal at its SRP and will please any serious collector of new world white wine. Learn about this fantastic new lineup at https://www.brookswine.com/ Here are the outstanding new wines by Brooks.
2019 Brooks Sparkling Muscat- Forward and delicious, the 2019 sparkling Muscat unveils sweetened peach and pineapple tones alongside bright minerals and shades of mango on the palate. Enjoy over the next few years. Drink 2022-2026- 90
2017 Brooks ‘Extended Tirage’ Riesling Sparkling Wine- Aged for 40 months on the lees, this reveals honey and marzipan notes alongside green apple and shades of kumquat on the palate. Nicely textured, with serious weight, this finishes long with stony minerals and melon fruits. Drink 2022-2029- 92
2016 Brooks ‘Extended Tirage’ Riesling Sparkling Wine- Finesse-driven and very rich, the luxurious 2016 Brooks ‘Extended Tirage’ Riesling Sparkling Wine is a sensational bottling that sat for 44 months on the lees prior to disgorgement. Ripe peach and pear notes combine with sour apple and baking spices on the palate. Drink 2022-2029- 92
2019 Brooks ‘Ara’ Riesling- Sourced mostly from the Brooks Estate (71%) this displays petrol notes alongside wet stone and ripe nectarine aromatically. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a soft texture, as this glides across the drinking experience with plenty of tension. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2019 Brooks ‘Brooks Estate Vineyard’ Riesling- Sourced from very old vines from the 1970s, this weighs in at 9.1G/L residual sugar. Fresh and beautifully textured, the wine unveils ripe melon and citrus fruits alongside great verve and an exceedingly long finish. This phenomenal wine will surely live on for another decade. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2019 Brooks ‘LaCrenaie Vineyard’ Riesling- Vibrant and showing off its soft mouthfeel the 2019 Brooks ‘LaCrenaie Vineyard’ Riesling is an outstanding and dense wine that shows gobs of minerality. Layers of white peach, gooseberry and sweetened Pink Lady apple combine with plenty of finesse Drink 2022-2032- 93
2019 Brooks ‘Lone Star Vineyard’ Riesling- Made in the Trocken style, this comes from vines planted back in 2006. Weighing in at 8.4G/L residual sugar, this reveals petrol notes with cantaloupe and plenty of stony minerals on the palate. Silky smooth throughout the mid-palate and finishing exceedingly long, this brilliant new bottling will cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2019 Brooks ‘Orchard Fold Vineyard’ Riesling- The 2019 Brooks ‘Orchard Fold Vineyard’ Riesling is an outstanding effort that is already beautifully evolved. Set on Basalt-Nekia soils, this unveils ripe peach and mango tones alongside an outstanding veil of tension on the palate. Finishing long this is outstanding wine that has some serious cellaring potential. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2018 Brooks ‘Rastaban’ Pinot Noir- The 2018 ‘Rastaban’ is entirely sourced from the Brooks Estate Vineyard which is set on Basalt-Nekia soils. Aged for 18 months in French oak, this unveils gobs of ripe red and dark fruits alongside a silky texture and wonderful sense of weight. With orange peel accents and shades of violets, and red rose water this beautiful bottling is already hitting its stride nicely. Drink 2022-2032- 92
2018 Brooks ‘Janus’ Pinot Noir- Silky and elegant, the beautiful 2018 ‘Janus’ was blended from a host of vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley. Aged for 18 months in French oak, this reveals ripe strawberry and guava tones alongside minerals and shades of kumquat on the palate. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the next eight years. Drink 2022-2030- 92
2018 Brooks ‘Crannell’ Pinot Noir- The delicious 2018 ‘Crannell’ Pinot Noir was sourced from the Eola-Amity Hills, set on volcanic soils. The resultant wine is truly beautiful from start to finish with ripe red cherry, red raspberry and citrus ember flavors alongside volcanic soils on the palate. Finishing long, this rich yet elegant Pinot Noir will live on for another decade or more. This is nothing short of sensational ripe vintage Oregon Pinot Noir. Drink 2022-2034- 94
2018 Brooks ‘Toluca Lane’ Pinot Noir- The Toluca Lane Vineyard is set in the Eola-Amity Hills Vineyard, as this utilizes clones Pommard, Massale, 114, 115, 667 and 777. Red rose water and blood orange zest flavors combine with brilliant tension on the palate. Forward and juicy, with damp earthy undertones, this is delicious Pinot Noir to savor over the next eight years. Drink 2022-2032- 93
2018 Brooks ‘Red Letter’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Red Letter’ is sourced from the Momtazi, Willakenzie and Brooks Estate Vineyards. Weighing in at 14.8% alcohol, this shows off plenty of decadence and intensity from the 2018 vintage with full-bodied red fruits that combine with Mandarin orange rind and freshly tilled soils on the palate. Powerful and showing beautiful length, this outstanding new wine will continue to provide drinking pleasure over the next twelve plus years. Drink 2022-2036- 94
