2011 Johan Vineyards Three Barrel Pinot Noir

Johan Vineyards is an 85-acre estate in Willamette Valley. It was started in 2005 by Dag Johan Sundby, a Norwegian who fell in love with property in Oregon and, later, a woman in Denver who has since become his wife. Johan Vineyards’ logo includes the image of a historic Viking longboat that was built as a pleasure boat around 800 A.D. The estate grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Vin Gris, Gruner Veltliner and Blaufrankisch, a grape usually associated with red Austrian wines. Blaufrankisch, though rarely cultivated in the United States, makes a spicy red wine that in Germany is often called Lemberger. Johan Vineyards is certified as a biodynamic estate.

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.