1998 Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir

Domaine Drouhin is located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, but its roots are in Burgundy, France. Domaine Drouhin is owned and operated by the Drouhin family of Burgundy, which is the owner of the legendary Maison Joseph Drouhin. The Drouhin family has been making wine since the 13th century in France, though in Oregon the first vintage was 1988. Veronique Drouhin-Boss is the winemaker in Oregon, and she travels frequently between the estates in Burgundy and Oregon. The 225-acre Oregon estate is planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Oregon estate’s signature wines are named after her three children, and are a blend of old world winemaking and new world terroir.

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.