Wine critic Steven Baker follows the cool climate back roads of Oregon Pinot noir country and shares his journal. His business, Authentica Wines, is a membership based wine club.

~ June 2011

These days there seem to be more and more flashy, high-profile Oregon wineries with elaborate settings and million dollar tasting rooms, all vying for attention and high scores in the wine press. Their holiday tastings feature jazz quartets, balloon rides and other extraneous activities that have nothing to do with wine. It's what many long time Oregon wine people refer to as the "Napa syndrome".

Then there are the hard working, low profile, straight ahead artisan producers of longstanding, whose only goal is to get the most out of their talents and resources and let the chips fall where they may. While attention from the press would of course mean a welcome boost to the bottom line, these dedicated winemakers merely stick to their own vision, without concession to trends and fads.

Husband and wife David Autrey and Amy Wesselman of Westrey are the epitome of the old style Oregon pinot noir producer. They formed the winery in 1993 with the aim to make distinctly Oregon pinot noir from the perspective of Burgundy, where the emphasis is on encouraging the site to speak clearly through the finished wine. Overly extracted and manipulated wine and extravagant use of oak are eschewed, in favor of meticulous vineyard craft and a near obsessive attention to detail in the blending process. The results are wines of great "honesty" and expressive character that age exceptionally well and bear the Westrey "stamp" long into their lives - much like those of their friend and mentor David Lett of Eyrie, one of the founding fathers of the Oregon industry.

Happily, David and Amy are finally getting their due. All of their wines from the heralded 2008 vintage scored extremely well with the critics - the Reserve 2008 especially well. But the truly amazing thing about these wines is their price / value ratio. They are some of the lowest priced, highest scoring wines to come out of Oregon and it's remarkable that they don't have a wider audience.

May's focus is the 2008 Reserve, a blend of Abbey Ridge, Justice and Oracle vineyards (old vine Pommard, Dijon 777 and some Coury clone). Each distinct lot is fermented separately with a blend of indigenous and commercial yeasts from Burgundy, and after a couple of weeks the wine is racked directly into barrel for maximum lees contact. It eventually undergoes an indigenous malolactic secondary fermentation and is bottled after a year without fining or filtration. The use of new oak is minimal - often less than 25% to preserve the essential character of the wine. The wine is then allowed to rest for nearly two years before release. That's it - no enzymes, additives or fancy winery gadeteering. The result is a thing of beauty, even in difficult vintages. In 2008, it's a revelation.

This is a pinot noir of subtle richness that is redolent of Ranier cherry, strawberry, black currants and raspberry, with elements of sweet coffee, black tea, vanilla and baking spice. The structure is firm but not unyielding, promising a long life and graceful aging capability. This is not Burgundy, nor does it try to be, but it's as close as one can get to an "Oregon signature" and a profile that really can't come from anywhere else. This is an outstanding Willamette Valley pinot noir in every sense and it should be in the cellar of anyone who loves wine - especially at such an extraordinarily reasonable price. If you don't know this winery, you should. Other Westrey wines that merit serious consideration are the 2009 Willamette Valley pinot noir, the Westrey 2009 Chardonnay and the 2008 Reserve Chardonnay. The latter two make a strong argument for Willamette Valley chardonnay and will surprise you with their depth and balance.

~ Steve Baker

Westrey
Reserve Pinot Noir, 2008
Release Price: $33.00

Pinot Underground Recent Columns

January, 2010 ~ Crowley
February, 2010 ~ Evesham Wood
March, 2010 ~ Westrey
May, 2010 ~ Evening Land
June, 2010 ~ Iota
July, 2010 ~ Crowley (part2)
Aug / Sept 2010~ Ayres
October 2010 ~ Eyrie
November 2010 ~ Evening Land
Jan / Feb 2011 ~ Tendril
Mar/Apr 2011 ~ Colene Clemens
May 2011 ~ Holloran