2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards O'Brien Vineyard Pinot Noir

Willamette Valley Vineyards was founded in 1983 by Jim Bernau when he purchased a plum orchard in Turner. The estate has grown to more than 500 acres over the years, and all of its barrel-aged Pinot Noir comes from estate vineyards. The estate produces primarily Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and a few other whites, including Pinot Gris and Riesling. Some years ago the estate began offering publicly traded stock. In 2011 Wine & Spirits Magazine named Willamette Valley Vineyards the Winery of the Year.

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.