Wine Understated: Pinot Noir from Willamette
Honored with the name "Wine Country", the Napa Valley and surrounding region north of San Francisco is probably the most well known area for wine production. I've had the pleasure to visit wineries ranging from a one-man show to globally distributed wine maker brand. However, as a huge admirer of Californian wine, I found an understated beauty in the Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley in Oregon.
Acres and acres of green grass on never ending hills welcome us to the Willamette Valley. Significantly milder in climate, it was quite chilly in mid-March throughout the day. As a sommelier told me before, the temperature and environment in Willamette are more similar to Bordeaux in France, hence the Pinot Noirs tend to be more elegant and subtle. Like its wines, the wineries were not flashy, it seems that wine production is simply part of life and not a mean of mass commercialization. Yet every bottle of Pinot Noir I tried was top notch.
As a stop from our road trip from Seattle to San Francisco, we stayed a night in a delicate bed and breakfast managed by a second generation owner. She proudly inherited the bed and breakfast and a small family winery Armonéa. Here, wine is so familial and welcoming.
Waking up to a beautiful morning with gentle sunshine on the vineyards in the backyard. It was filled with unbeatable peacefulness and serenity.
One last stop at a winery before we continue the road trip to San Francisco, Durant Winery was full of surprises. Not only was the wine amazing, the little corner in the greenhouse reminded me of liveliness. As the manager told us, the wine making community in Willamette Valley is much more collaborative as well, working towards the same goal with passion.
Willamette Valley, let there never be a day you will let anything get between you and your genuine wine making. Wine, People, Scenery - Understated.
PS. Best host ever from the bed and breakfast that greeted us at our porch in the morning and offered a tour of the estate