The Willamette Valley was first planted to Pinot Noir by David Lett in 1965. It didn’t take long for the rest of the world, including well-respected Burgundians like the Drouhin family, to discover that Lett was on to something; the complex soil and pitch-perfect climate provides the ideal site for this demanding and celebrated varietal. A short forty-five minute drive southwest of Portland, the region stretches south from the Columbia River for roughly 150 miles. The Willamette Valley is arguably the only region in the world that can truly rival the Burgundian Côte de Nuit’s flavor profile. In blind tastings, these wines repeatedly confuse even the top Burgundy experts. There are myriad reasons for this. First off, the appellation sits at the same latitude as Burgundy, which delivers almost identical growing conditions. Second, these wines are further distinguished by the unique soil complexity. The complicated and ancient soils were created by combined efforts of the Missoula floods, numerous volcanic lava flows and the arrival of an ancient seabed (sedimentary soils) thanks to tectonic plate shifting, delivering a unique blend of soils unlike anything else in the world. 

 

Russ and Mary Raney, the founders of Evesham Wood, first cultivated the treasured vineyard, Le Puits Sec, which translates to “Dry Well,” in the Eola-Amity Hills back in 1986. The complex soils, rich in volcanic basalt, coupled with the east-facing slopes of 300-plus-feet elevation of this advantageously situated vineyard, offer the perfect site for world-class Pinot Noir. Russ and Mary embraced organic viticulture early on along with the traditional, minimal interference techniques of Burgundy. They do not irrigate their prized “old vines;” instead they dry farm in an effort to allow their vines to dig deep in the earth for nutrients, which further concentrates the fruit. Back in 2010, Russ and Mary finally retired and sold their estate to Erin and Jordan Nuccio, who have soaked their knowledge up like a sponge and have worked to maintain the Raney’s classic way of doing things through certified organic viticulture and minimal intervention. With the passion and dedication of their predecessors to fuel them, Erin and Jordan strive to maintain the consistency of quality on the estate in the same manner that Russ and Mary did by successfully allowing the vineyard speak for itself. The result is a refined Pinot Noir that captures the elegance and charm of a village-level Chambolle-Musigny.