Spring Willamette Valley Trip

Tasted Friday, March 6, 2026 - Saturday, March 7, 2026 by drwine2001 with 43 views

Introduction

Well almost spring anyway. This was a wonderful, highly educational series of visits. Day one focused on the Eola-Amity AVA. Antica Terra was noted separately since their tasting format included wines from other parts of the world. Day two had a French connection theme with visits to three Burgundy producers who have begun operations in Oregon. At two of these, we were offered comparisons with wines from the French domain, and these New World/Old World juxtapositions were particularly interesting.

Flight 1 - Haden Fig/Evesham Wood (6 Notes)

  • 2024 Haden Fig Sauvignon Blanc Croft Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Mount Pisgah

    (3/6/2026)

    Yellow. Strong herb, not too pungent. Grapefruit, excellent acidity, good texture.

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  • 2024 Haden Fig Chardonnay

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (3/6/2026)

    Dull yellow. Light wood and citrus. Medium weight, some vanillin. Very nice grapefruit and citrus zest, excellent acidity. Straightforward and very good.

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  • 2023 Haden Fig Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (3/6/2026)

    Slightly cloudy red. Tart red fruit and anise. Medium weight. Clean, tart mixed black and red fruit, brisk acidity, licorice and soil. Soft tannins. Very good.

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  • 2024 Evesham Wood Pinot Noir

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (3/7/2026)

    Clear red. Fragrant, pretty aromas of soil and herb. Medium body, some sap. Bright, tart red fruit, spice and soil, low tannins. Excellent entry level wine that could use a few more years.

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  • 2023 Evesham Wood Pinot Noir Eola - Amity Hills

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/6/2026)

    Clear light ruby. Serious dark fruited nose. Fennel and some florals. Medium weight. Rich cranberry, black cherry and soil with some high tones and substantial, deep tannins. Excellent, lively, and fairly large scaled. Give it 5+ years.

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  • 2023 Evesham Wood Pinot Noir Mahonia Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (3/6/2026)

    Clear red ruby. Fragrant fennel and blueberry. Medium weight. Soil entry followed by lovely tart cherry. Outstanding acidity, puckery tannin. Outstanding delicacy and verve. Although not as immediately appealing as the Eola-Amity Hills, this should also be terrific with extended cellaring.

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Flight 2 - Cristom (6 Notes)

  • 2024 Cristom Pinot Noir

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (3/6/2026)

    Bright red. Fragrant dark cherry and oak. Medium weight. Chocolatey richness upfront followed by berry fruit, excellent acidity, and moderately drying tannins. Nice sweet/tart contrast. Excellent base wine that will benefit from 3+ years in bottle.

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  • 2024 Cristom Pinot Noir Mt. Jefferson Cuvée

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/6/2026)

    Clear ruby. Spice, chocolate, ripe fruit and fennel. Medium+ weight. Rich ground coffee, ripe fruit, spice, excellent acidity, good soil, and round tannins. You really don’t sense the amount of whole cluster that is here. The discrete wood enhances. Another impressive entry level Pinot that needs 3-5 more years.

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  • 2021 Cristom Pinot Noir Durant Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    (3/6/2026)

    Light ruby center with fading. Beautiful fragrant mix of red berry and menthol/fennel. Medium to lighter body. Flowing, sweet entry with red fruit, very good acidity, youthful soil filled tannins that shorten the finish I love the elegance, salinity, and pure fruit here but would give it at least another 3 years to shed some of the structure.

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  • 2022 Cristom Pinot Noir Marjorie Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/6/2026)

    Mostly ruby. Dark, chocolatey aromas with brambliness and spice. Medium to full, very layered feel. Deep blueberry fruit and espresso. Excellent acidity and soil with high but pliant tannins. Serious wine whose tannins reach the gums. Lively, complex entry followed by all the backend structure that needs 10+ years to resolve. Very impressive and should be worth the wait.

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  • 2010 Cristom Pinot Noir Louise Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/6/2026)

    Coravin bottle. Light ruby maturing rim. Green soil tones, some VA and acetate as well. Medium weight, lively feel. Nicely resolved red fruit upfront, spice, citrus, excellent acidity, forest floor, late soil, and a bit of chocolate. Not perfectly clean but excellent and very complex. Fully mature or slightly past its best.

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  • 2022 Cristom Chardonnay

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/6/2026)

    Yellow. Lots of wood toast. Medium+ weight. Pineapple and citrus, some butteriness, long wood foundation, excellent acidity. More of a California style. Very good despite the prominence of the oak.

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Flight 3 - Résonance (Louis Jadot) (11 Notes)

  • 2023 Résonance Chardonnay Les Côteaux

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (3/7/2026)

    Yellow. Light spicy oak and ripe fruit. Medium weight. Buttery, citrus, nice acidity and minerality, but dominant vanillin from the wood on the finish. Despite this, it still feels pretty harmonious.

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  • 2022 Résonance Pinot Noir Les Côteaux

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    (3/7/2026)

    Pale ruby. Dark spicy blue fruit aromas with nice earth. Medium weight. Pleasing sweetness of fruit and spice on the attack, but then even more soil and tannin. Serious entry level wine. Currently the back end structure dominates, and it begs for more time. Could be excellent.

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  • 2021 Résonance Pinot Noir Découverte Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Red with fading. Forward floral and red fruit aromas. Middle weight. Spicy, discretely ripe fruit, bright acidity, some herbal complexity, low tannins. Beautiful flow across the palate. Elegant, gently sweet, and reasonably complex. Delicious now and over the next 5 years at least.

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  • 2022 Louis Jadot Monthélie Sous Roches

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Monthélie

    (3/7/2026)

    Slightly deeper than the Coteaux. Perfumed aromas of green herb and soil. Light to medium weight, higher acidity, lots of soil, dusty red fruit, dry finish. Lean, green wine which certainly does not act as though it comes from a warm year.

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  • 2022 Résonance Pinot Noir Koosah Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Pale ruby. Subtly herbal aromas that become more floral. Medium to lighter body. Citrus, blue and red fruit, a dash of soil, moderate acidity, and tannins which sneak up in the mouth. Saline and very pretty.

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  • 2020 Louis Jadot Chambolle-Musigny Les Drazeys

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

    (3/7/2026)

    Ruby. Slightly peppery darker fruit scents. Medium weight, more sappy than the Découverte. Brambly red, black, and blue fruit, saline, excellent inner mouth perfume, excellent acidity, earthy tannins, limestone feel. This needs at least 5 years. Like the 2022 Monthélie, this does not betray its hot year origins. Very good.

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  • 2015 Résonance Pinot Noir Resonance Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    (3/7/2026)

    Light ruby. Stony, dark fruit aromas. Medium weight. In the mouth, blue fruit, citrus, and spice. Lightly smoky. Excellent sweetness and texture, earthy but ripe tannins, moderate length. This really held its own next to a Jadot Clos Vougeot, and some even picked it as the Clos Vougeot since we tasted these 2 wines blind.

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  • 2015 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot Domaine Louis Jadot

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

    (3/7/2026)

    Ruby with early browning. Smoky aromas with light brett and perfumed herb. Medium body. Mineral, green, high acidity, quite tannic. The fruit is in the background but there is enough flesh and even a bit of sap. Serious and meaty. Needs the better part of a decade. Utterly terroir based. I don't think this could come from Oregon.

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  • 2022 Résonance Chardonnay Découverte Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Yellow. Lemon, lees, and lots of oak. Medium+ weight, less fruity, very good acidity. Meursault rich style. Too much wood for me but lively and good.

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  • 2023 Résonance Chardonnay Koosah Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Yellow. Herb, honey, and wood aromas. Light to medium weight. Light oak, bright acidity, citrus, pineapple. Very open now. Much more appealing to me than the Découverte for it more elegant weight, liveliness, and discrete use of wood. Like a top level Mâcon Chardonnay.

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  • 2022 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

    (3/7/2026)

    Yellow. Subtle cream and churned butter nose. Medium weight, broad palate coverage. Pear and citrus, excellent acidity, fine minerality, moderate length. The wood is beautifully weighted. Not a powerhouse, but an outstanding, elegant Grand Cru which outshone the 2 Resonance Chardonnays shown before it.

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Flight 4 - Drouhin Oregon (7 Notes)

  • 2024 Drouhin Oregon Roserock Pinot Noir

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Clear red. Very pretty floral cherry aromas and light green herb. Medium to light bodied. Soft candied cherry and blueberry, light soil, a touch of chocolate, nice tart finish. Lovely and very Drouhin in its delicate style. Already drinking well.

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  • 2024 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Origine 37

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Bright red ruby. Fine mint aromas. Medium weight. Surprising volume of sweet red and blue fruit, very good acidity, and nice soil flowing into a moderately tannic finish. Very attractive but needs 3-5 years in bottle.

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  • 2021 Joseph Drouhin Côte de Beaune

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune

    (3/7/2026)

    Light garnet with browning. Green and funky tones on the nose. Light clay feel. Tart red fruit that sweetens, citrus, spice, high acidity, dry tannic finish. A good lighter effort from this austere vintage, much more structured and severe than the first two Oregon Pinots.

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  • 2020 Joseph Drouhin Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

    (3/7/2026)

    Light ruby. Fragrant green and ripe red fruit aromas. Medium weight. Succulent sweet red cherry and citrus on a lightly earthy base. Chocolatey ripe but restrained tannins. Almost comically different than the '21 Côte de Beaune poured before it. This is singing and delicious now.

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  • 2022 Joseph Drouhin Maranges 1er Cru

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Maranges 1er Cru

    (3/7/2026)

    Lighter red. Vegetal, stemmy nose. Medium to lighter weight. Bright, crunchy red fruit, higher acidity, earthy, quite tannic finish. Fun minor wine but not nearly as forthcoming as the Volnay; needs at least several years.

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  • 2023 Domaine Drouhin Oregon Pinot Noir Laurène

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Clear ruby. Fine perfume on the nose. Medium weight and sappy. Lovely ripe red and blue fruit, perfectly weighted acidity, light soil, and fine grained tannins. Elegant and balanced, again, very much what I think is Véronique Drouhin's style. This was one of the most gorgeous young examples we tasted this trip. Delicious now, delicious in 15 years. Bravo!

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  • 2023 Drouhin Oregon Roserock Pinot Noir Zéphirine

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Light dull ruby. Light body. More earthy and green than the Laurene, but still has beautiful light mixed fruit that sweetens, citrus, and a soil filled finish with grainier tannins. This should not be broached early. A terrific true terroir wine very different in expression that I think I could easily confuse with Burgundy for its more savory qualities.

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Flight 5 - Nicolas-Jay (Méo-Camuzet (7 Notes)

  • 2022 Domaine Nicolas-Jay Chardonnay Affinites

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    (3/7/2026)

    Tulip colored. Pineapple and nectarine, a bit lactic on the nose. Lush medium weight. Light oak, nice texture. Ripe sweet fruit and citrus, very good acidity, excellent length. Measured and delicious. Strikes me as sort of a California/French type hybrid.

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  • 2022 Domaine Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir Bishop Creek

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton

    (3/7/2026)

    Red. Wonderfully engaging aromas of Christmas spice and blueberry. Calm, medium weight wine with a long soil base and excellent acidity. Naturally sweet raspberry confit and blueberry with pleasant tart edge to the fruit. Fine, easy, lightly earthy tannins, and moderately long finish. Elegant, already delicious, balance to last. Outstanding wine.

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  • 2022 Domaine Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir Temperance Hill Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Light ruby with fading. Swirling fennel, blueberry, and blackberry. Medium weight. Spicy sweet blueberry fruit that almost tingles since it's so juicy. Quietly powerful. Late green components, smokiness, and soil laced tannins. Wow, this is another winner but more for the intermediate term than right now.

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  • 2022 Domaine Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir Own-Rooted

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (3/7/2026)

    Light red. Penetrating herb and cinnamon. Medium bodied and textural. Sweet dusty cherry and citrus followed by greener notes, minerality, and more austere tannins. Promising attack, closed finish. Definitely not as accessible as the previous wines but should be interesting to follow.

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  • 2022 Domaine Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir L'Ensemble

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

    (3/7/2026)

    Translucent light red/ruby. Forward aromas of wood spice, blueberry, and high toned herbs. Medium weight, harmonious feel. Slightly darker blue and black fruit that is sweet with a gentle soil base, excellent acidity, and light tannins that pick up some grip. Somehow not quite as exciting as the Bishop's Block or Temperance hill but still excellent with good aging potential.

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  • 2021 Domaine Nicolas-Jay Pinot Noir Temperance Hill Vineyard

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Deeper ruby than the '22s. Powerful dark fruit/fennel nose. Medium+ weight, immediately much more grippy feel. Spice, blue fruit, and citrus but bigger and much more structure here. Licorice, smoke, and a ton of soil. More lean, savory tannin with a whiff of bitter chocolate. Wow, immense potential but needs a good decade of patience. This would be a fascinating wine to put in a Burgundy Grand Cru tasting.

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  • 2023 Domaine Nicolas-Jay Chardonnay Spirit Hill

    USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills

    (3/7/2026)

    Tulip. Light oak. Medium+ body. Great citrus, acidity, tropical fruit, and a tea element. Very long with a vanilla component on the finish that reprises the wood on the nose. Like a super refined Mâconnais wine.

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