I can’t count the number of times we’ve referred to an Oregon Pinot Noir as “Burgundian.” I’d describe today’s wine from Evesham Wood thusly, but after numerous visits to the Willamette Valley, I’ve been searching for new ways to describe and celebrate these wines.
It’s true that the wines of the region are often quite Burgundian— still the highest compliment one can pay a Pinot Noir (or Chardonnay)—but I don’t think the objective of any Oregon Pinot producer is to mimic the flavor profile of Chambolle-Musigny or Vosne-Romanée and call it a win. It’s not so much a literal, apples-to-apples comparison as it is a kind of spiritual connection: The wines are kindred in terms of their proportions and their ability to communicate soil character as effectively as varietal character. And in the case of producers like Evesham Wood, they’re accomplishing this at a remarkably approachable price. Much as I respect Burgundy (and California) wines, the amount of Pinot Noir quality-for-dollar in this 2015 “Illahe Vineyard” is found more often in the Willamette Valley than anywhere else. Given how rapidly the region is evolving, and how much investment and talent is flowing into the area, I’m assuming this won’t last—so I’m going to enjoy this moment as much as I can. You should, too.
In an
article published in the April 2018 issue of
Wine & Spirits, editor/publisher Josh Greene (my old boss) tackled not just the nature and evolution of Oregon Pinot Noir but the rapid Frenchification of the Willamette Valley—despite that its soils, comprised primarily of marine sediments and volcanic basalt, bear no resemblance whatsoever to those of their homeland. The climate, while cool, isn’t really the same as Burgundy’s, either. Why, then, asks Greene, have prominent Burgundians like the Drouhins (Domaine Drouhin), Dominique Lafon (Comtes Lafon), Jean-Nicolas Méo (Méo-Camuzet), Jacques Lardière (Jadot), and others have invested both time and money in the Willamette Valley? Because while the situations are different, the sensibilities are the same.
As demonstrated by their repeat appearances here on SommSelect, Erin Nuccio’s wines at Evesham Wood and Haden Fig share this sensibility. Nuccio’s backstory is by now well-known to SommSelect subscribers: He started his career in wine at a retail shop in Washington, DC; moved west with his wife to attend enology school and apprentice at wineries; then landed a job with Evesham Wood founder Russ Raney, whose vineyard, first planted in 1986, was (and is) a model of sustainability and small-scale perfectionism (it was certified organic in 2000). Over the years, Nuccio became winemaker at Evesham Wood while also launching Haden Fig (a SommSelect’s subscriber favorite), and in 2010 Nuccio and his wife, Jordan, purchased Evesham Wood outright. In addition to bottling wines from Evesham Wood’s jewel-box estate vineyard, “Le Puits Sec” (“The Dry Well”), Nuccio continues the Raney tradition of crafting single-vineyard bottlings from sustainably farmed sites across the Willamette Valley.
The Illahe Vineyard is a south-facing slope covering about 80 acres just west of Salem, and is generally regarded as a warm site by Willamette Valley standards—although it does take advantage of cooling winds funneled from the Pacific through the Van Duzer Corridor. The soils are a mix of marine sedimentary types with patches of volcanic “jory,” with elevations ranging from about 250-450 feet. It’s a gently rising slope with a full-south aspect, so it tends to bud and flower earlier than most vineyards in the region, and in a warm vintage like 2015, I was expecting lots of extraction and higher alcohol in the Evesham Wood bottling. But, true to form, Nuccio found finesse and balance. There’s a delicious and perfectly ripe core of fruit at the heart of this wine, but its freshness, balance, and firm, fine-grained tannins give it terrific lift and grip on the palate.
As with all the Evesham Wood wines, this is minuscule-production (200 cases made) wine made entirely by hand: It’s hand-harvested, hand-harvested, and “punched down” (pushing the cap of skins into the juice during fermentation) manually. Normally, lots from Illahe go into Evesham Wood’s entry-level Willamette Valley bottling, but Nuccio selected eight barrels to undergo an additional year of maturation and be bottled as vineyard-designate wine.
In the glass, the 2015 “Illahe Vineyard” Pinot Noir is a bright, reflective ruby moving to magenta/pink at the rim. The aromas are a perfumed mix of wild strawberry, raspberry, cherry kirsch, dried rose petals, sandalwood, herbs, and turned earth. The key feature of this wine, for me, is its nerve: This is the kind of energy I want from Pinot Noir, regardless of where it’s grown—it really shows a deft hand in terms of the fruit extraction, which enables some of the soil character to show through. Medium to just under medium-plus in body, it has a silky texture with just the right bit of spicy twang on the finish to enliven the palate and make you crave some food. It is ready to drink now and should continue to improve over the next 3-5 years or more; decanting is optional (it never hurts, in my opinion), but temperature, of course, is always important. Serve this at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems and, if you can get your hands on some morel mushrooms (not to mention afford them), try it with the attached pasta recipe. Enjoy!
