2011 J K Carriere Wines Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir

J.K. Carriere Wines was started in 1999 when Jim Prosser started making wines under the name J.K. Carriere, which is a combination of his two grandfathers’ names. Prosser is an Oregon native who went down multiple career paths from selling commercial real estate to serving in the Peace Corps, before he decided to leap into winemaking. Prosser worked in Oregon, New Zealand, Australia and France then started making his own wine in Newberg. Today he owns 40 acres of vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains AVA and is owner and winemaker. J.K. Carriere specializes in Pinot Noir, and also makes some Chardonnay.

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.