2012 Torii Mor Olalla Vineyard Pinot Noir

Torii Mor in the Dundee Hills was established in 1993 with its first release of 1,000 cases of Pinot Noir. The fruit came from Olson Estate, a mature vineyard purchased by Donald Olson, a long-time admirer of Burgundian wines. Olson named his winery in homage to the terroir of his vineyards. In Japanese “torii” refers to the ornate gates that often lead to exquisite gardens, and “mor” means “earth.” Though the Olson Estate Vineyard is still the source of much of Torii Mor’s fruit, the winery now produces more than 10,000 cases a year and also sources fruit from throughout the Willamette, Umpqua and Rogue Valleys. The eight-acre Olson Estate Vineyard is planted to several clones of Pinot Noir, as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. Jacques Tardy, a native of Burgundy, has been winemaker since 2004. Trained at the prestigious Lycee Viticole de Beaune, Tardy worked in California before moving to Oregon. Though best known for Pinot Noir, Torii Mor also produces Pinot Gris, Riesling, Viognier, Pinot Blanc and Rosé.

Umpqua Valley AVA is in the southwestern Oregon, and it is one of the state’s older AVAs, having been awarded that status in 1984. Umpqua producers like to point out that though Willamette Valley in the northern part of Oregon gets lots of attention for its fine wines, Umpqua Valley is thought to be the first winemaking region in the state. German immigrants were making up to 20,000 gallons of wine annually in Umpqua Valley in the 1880s. After Prohibition the son of one of the immigrant winemakers once again started making wines for commercial release, and by the 1960s university-trained young winemakers from California arrived seeking lower land prices and cooler grape growing climates. Today the AVA has 1,500 vineyard acres and 35 wineries. The complex topography of the appellation, which includes parts of three mountain ranges, means that both cool and hot weather grapes can thrive. Syrah and Tempranillo are frequently planted, along with Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling.

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.