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Pinot Noir in Oregon

Pinot Noir in Bourgogne

French Winophiles Explore Oregon to Bourgogne (Burgundy) Connection
This month, our French Winophiles are taking a virtual trip from Bourgogne to the Willamette Valley in Oregon, shadowing the trips made by some well known Bourgogne wineries, Domaine Joseph Drouhin and Domaine Louis Jadot. Join our group as we search for French influence in the Willamette Valley! Take a look further down in this post for titles and links to fifteen thoughts on our topic of the month!

Bourgogne (Burgundy) is located in the center of France, the main grapes are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

Bourgogne (Burgundy)
Bourgogne is a fascinating region. Because of the Napoleonic inheritance laws, land is passed down equally divided between all surviving children. This means the entire region is a patchwork of tiny plots of land, worked by a very large number of growers. Their vineyard holdings too small to age and bottle the wines themselves, growers turned to négociants who would purchase grapes or newly made wines, vinify and age them, then market them to the world.

One of Maison Louis Jadot’s own vineyards, Rugiens in the village of Pommard

Maison Louis Jadot
Maison Louis Jadot, started commercially in 1859, is one of Bourgogne’s large négociants. Today, Louis Jadot makes wine from their own vineyards as well as purchasing grapes and new wines from small growers all over Bourgogne and Beaujolais.

Résonance – Louis Jadot Outpost in Willamette Valley
In 2013, a new venture was founded in Oregon at Résonance. Oregon offers some similarities to the Bourgogne region with similar latitude, established as an excellent source of both Pinot Noir and more recently, Chardonnay. Oregon is no Bourgogne copy, however. Climate and soils are quite different, so we can expect the wines to have similarities as well as differences. Vive la Différence!

Disclosure: The Resonance Pinot Noir is a sample, no other compensation was provided. I purchased the Louis Jadot wine at retail. All opinions expressed are mine.

Louis Jadot Côte de Beaune-Villages red Burgundy made of 100% Pinot Noir

Louis Jadot Côte de Beaune-Villages 2017 ($49 locally or online here) 13.5% 100% Pinot Noir sourced from village level parcels in the Côte de Beaune. Village level wines are classified as part of the top 50% of the vineyards in Bourgogne.

Eye: Pale ruby
Nose: medium minus intensity aromas of white blossoms, ripe strawberries and cherries, a touch of smoke and forest floor.
Mouth: dry, medium plus acidity, medium minus fine grained tannins, medium alcohol, medium body with a lean texture, medium finish. Medium minus flavors of white blossoms, ripe strawberries and cherries, a touch of smoke and forest floor.

Louis Jadot’s outpost in the new world, this is Résonance wines Découverte Vineyard Pinot Noir.

Résonance Pinot Noir “Découverte Vineyard” Dundee Hills AVA 2017 (Willamette Valley) (sample, $65 or online here) 13.5% 100% Pinot Noir sourced from the Découverte (Discovery!) Vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA. This is a single vineyard wine, with grapes coming from just one vineyard, not multiple sites.

Eye: Pale ruby
Nose: Medium minus aromas of ripe cherries and strawberries, hint of vanilla far in the background, clean earth and forest floor.
Mouth: Dry, medium plus acidity, medium minus fine grained tannins, medium body with a lean texture, medium alcohol, medium plus finish. Flavors closely mirror the nose, with generally restrained fruit and clean earth. The wine texture is an important component.

Familial Resemblance
Observations considering the two wines: I was impressed by how similar the intent/approach was between these two wines. Clean and understated, both wines prefer texture over bold fruit flavors with subtle use of oak. The Résonance wine shows a bit more fruit compared to the Louis Jadot. While many Bourgogne wines exhibit quite obviously earthy characteristics, the Louis Jadot wine was spotless with a bit of earth but very clean.

Bourgogne!

Oregon!

Winophiles Virtual Oregon Visits
Take a look below at all the great ideas for exploring Bourgogne-influenced-Oregon with our Winophiles. If you see this soon enough, please join our chat on Saturday, Dec. 19 10-11am CST on Twitter at #Winophiles. We’d love to hear your thoughts!

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm tells of Countries United Through Food and Wine.
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla matches Galette au Chou + 2017 Résonance Pinot Noir.
• Terri at Our Good Life pairs Resonance Pinot Noir and Roasted Pork Loin.
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest posts Oregon Pinot Noir With a Burgundian Heart – Domaine Drouhin Laurène.
• Jennifer at Vino Travels cooks up BBQ Brisket with Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir.
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares Oregon PN for a PNW Holiday Meal: A Résonance.
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles has a discovery: Découverte! Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Dundee Hills and Mediterranean Salmon.
• David from Cooking Chat posts Braised Moroccan Chicken Thighs with Oregon Pinot.
• Jane from Always Ravenous offers an Oregon Pinot Noir Paired with Braised Chicken Thighs, Blackberries, and Fennel Purée.
• Melanie from Wining With Mel writes New World meets Old World: Oregon’s Résonance Pinot Noir Paired with Beef Bourguignon.
• Liz from What’s In That Bottle gives us A Taste of the 45th Parallel.
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! tells us about Louis Jadot on Both Sides of the Pond.
• Payal from Keep the Peas offers Burgundy via Oregon.
• Nicole at Somm’s Table has a Burgundy vs. Oregon Showdown with Drouhin Wines.
• Jill at L’Occasion covers Bourgogne’s Western Vineyards: Crafting Pinot Noir in Oregon.
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator goes From France’s Bourgogne and Oregon’s Willamette Valley: Domaine Drouhin Does Pinot Noir.
• Cindy from Grape Experiences offers Résonance Wines Express a Burgundian Vibe in the Willamette Valley.
• L.M. Archer shares life À Table with Domaine Drouhin Oregon and Résonance Wines.
• And Michelle, of Rockin Red Blog, shared a post on Forbes for this topic: Best Of Both Worlds: Burgundy Producers Craft High-Quality Wine In Willamette Valley.

Pinot Noir is a great choice with earthy mushrooms in a wine sauce with chicken