2022 Hamilton Russell Oregon Zena Crown Pinot Noir

Hamilton Russell Vineyards is in the cool, maritime appellation of Hemel-en-Arde, nestled behind a historic fishing village off the southern tip of South Africa. The estate was founded in 1975 by Tim Hamilton Russell, who bought nearly 450 acres. In 1994 Russell’s son Anthony Hamilton Russell purchased the property and decided to focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Today there are 125 vineyard acres dedicated to low-yield production of Burgundian style wines. Wine Spectator has written that Hamilton Russell Vineyards “has become a flag bearer for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from South Africa.”

Willamette Valley AVA was established in 1983, and it is the oldest appellation in Oregon. Oregon’s modern wine industry began in the Willamette Valley in the 1960s when artists, vagabond winemakers, and U.C. Davis oenology graduates looking for new territory started their own, small, off-the-grid wineries. The appellation is the state’s largest, and it extends 175 miles from Columbia River on the Washington/Oregon border to just south of Eugene, near central Oregon. The Willamette River runs through the area, helping to give the appellation a mild year-round climate. There are six smaller sub-appellations within this AVA, but altogether the Willamette Valley has the largest concentration of wineries in Oregon, as well as the majority of the state’s most famous producers. Pinot Noir is king here, followed by Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. To most admirers of Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley offers the most distinctive wine choices in the state.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.