MIPTC #14 - Celilo Falls Pinot Noir Oregon 2021

If you're at all into wine, you probably know that the best Pinot Noir is known to come from Burgundy, France. This is standard practice, and most folks will tell you that this is the place where the varietal shines its best light.

And, I mean, they're not wrong: the *best* Pinot does indeed come from the place. We're talking Vosne-Romanée, Romanée-Conti, Corton Charlemagne... The type of stuff that will send your head spinning, but also bring about bankruptcy sooner than one can sip her second glass.

For a long time, however, true Pinot fans could look at "lesser" appellations from the region to scratch their soft and silky wine itch. Bottles labelled simply "Bourgogne Rouge" or from lesser denominations generally did the job, and they did it well enough that people could keep associating great Pinot with Burgundy regardless of the price point they were drinking at.

However, I'll dare to say that this is changing. And fast.

Why? The answer is quite simple: Global warming and labor costs.

To explain the former, one has to understand that Pinot is a very finnicky varietal. It's coarse and unrefined when it doesn't get enough sun on the vine, but tends to rot and decay very quickly when it gets too hot. The ideal weather for its perfect growth is therefore a peculiar one: lots and lots of sunlight for long durations coupled with cold, tonic nights to cool the grapes down. It is also quite picky on its water supply, and tends to like rain as long as soils don't get too damp. Yeah, it's a true Diva of a grape.

For hundreds if not thousands of years, Burgundy gave it exactly what it needed, and the wines that resulted were nothing short of spellbinding. These days, however, the region has gotten a *lot* hotter and more drought-prone. The result has been that more intervention on the vine has been needed, which sent labor costs to skyrocket, and especially when coupled with the many losses winemakers had to endure due to early frosts, wildfires, and mildew. It's just been tough for the region overall.

The result is that the 30$ Pinot that once was full of grace and refinement is now a bit less refined, with coarser "big fruit" notes and less chiseled beauty. It really is nobody's fault except it is everybody's.

Since the solution doesn't seem to be to reduce our emissions (read sarcastically), another good option seems to be to move to new territories to cultivate the Mariah Carey of grapes: enter Oregon, and especially its dramatic and rather spooky Williamette Valley.

Credit: Flickr

As winemakers quickly realized at the end of the 20th century, this is a place that still gets the perfect mix of weather ingredients to grow amazing Pinot Noir, and which has, luckily for wine drinkers, actually gone even better since the world has gone wrong. While it was just a bit too cold in the winter to provide optimal results up the late 2000s, it has now been pretty much on the dial to bring about what used to be all the fuss about 1980s and early 1990s Burgundy - and often without breaking the bank.

Here's my favorite entry level bottling from the place to get you started. If you're into it, however, there's a TON more to explore. We'll come back, I promise!

The Skinny

• From: Oregon, USA

• Varietals: Pinot Noir 100%

• Price: $20,95 CAD

• Feature: Organic wine

Tasting Notes

On the nose, this is subtle and maybe a bit shy at first, with only faint notes of wild strawberries coming about. This is a wine that requires specific attention to come about, and it won't simply hit you across the face like some others would. Once you get to it, however, you are rewarded with a delicately chiseled ornament of berry notes interlaced with fragrant wild flowers and soft spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Very pleasant.

On the palate, this is definitely on the ethereal side, with no real weight or punch. Still, the flavors evoked on the nose do dance around quite well, and the tonic backbone of acidity keeps things fresh while begging for another sip. Alcohol is perfectly integrated, and tannins are faint but shouldered enough to provide a bit of structure as well. Finish is subtle but flavorful, and lasts long enough to denote apt craftsmanship.

Cutting To The Chase: Does It Please The Cork?

This is a perfect intro to the beauty that can come from good Oregon Pinot Noir: old school, subtle and graceful throughout, with no appetite (and perhaps even contempt) for show ponies and attention-seekers. This is a wine you must get to know, but who rewards you very well when you take the time.

Needless to say I'm a big fan, and I tend to always have a few bottles stashed in case the need and feel for a graceful budget Pinot comes around... which happens quite a bit on those balmy autumn nights!

Cork Score: 3/5* - also a great bang for buck ratio. Haven't found better in the style, personally!

***

*Here's the lowdown on the scores, by the way. Essentially, I don't believe in 100-point scales for things as subjective as wine. Simply put, I just don't think one can credibly justify a 1% or even a 10% increment between two wines. I therefore choose to go a bit more basic. Here's how I break it down:

• 1/5: Seriously faulty, terrible, undrinkable;

• 2/5: Flawed and/or of bad quality. This is the type of stuff you should probably cook with and not drink;

• 3/5: Decent. This is where most entries will end up. These wines are clean and well-balanced, but not particularly memorable and/or exceptional. They are recommendable, but not an experience per se;

• 4/5: Exceptional. I sadly drink few wines that get this rating, but my purpose is to drink more. This denotes a memorable bottle that brought up some kind of emotion in me. This left a mark, and odds are I am now busy recommending it to everybody I know;

• 5/5: Perfect. I think I have probably tasted less than 5 bottles that would have qualified for a 5/5 in my entire life. This denotes an absolutely incredible wine that will imprint a definite memory for years to come - a true experience in itself.