Deliciously 'unknown' Pinot from Oregon

An unexpected pleasure yesterday whilst tasting some unexceptional pinot noirs from Oregon. The least expensive wine in the group was this pinot from Granville Winery in Dundee, Oregon. After the sales rep had left I went to Google and did some research on the wine and the winery and what I found convinced me to buy the 4.7 cases that the distributor had left in inventory. Then I discovered that they were selling it off at cost because the winery had decided to self-distribute but only in the west coast. I guess when you make less than 1,000 cases in total it doesn't make sense logistically, and economically, to retain a distributor out east. 

I have often said that if you are going to make pinot in America then find a plot of land in Oregon. It's where pinot likes to grow. It's colder than California, wetter than California, higher than California. All these elements make it a better place to grow this finicky grape.

Granville is part of the new crop of 2nd generation wineries, where the children of Oregon’s Wine Industry pioneers have come of age and entered the market with their own creations.

In this case, the story begins with Alan Holstein who planted Pinot Noir vines on a prime piece of property in the Dundee Hills and named his plot the Holstein Vineyard. Alan chose not to embark into the winemaking side of things, focusing instead on becoming the best viticulturalist he could. In fact, he so perfected the art, he became a much sought-after consultant for many important Willamette Valley vineyards.

Fast-forward to 2014, and his fledgling son Jackson – with a couple years of winemaking apprenticeship in Australia under his belt - decided to start a label of his own. You might expect that Jackson would have benefited from many advantages with his father being who he is – and he may have in some ways, but this was by no means handed to him on a silver platter. Jackson’s own work ethic is a major factor here, and he still has to “lease” the vineyard from his Dad. His self-imposed sky-high standards shines through in the product. This wine is as friendly and easy-going yet precise and uncompromising as he is.

The wine is 100% from the vines Jackson’s dad planted on the very property he grew up on. It is an incredibly focused and well put together wine. Of the two vintages I tasted, 2015 and 2016 I was drawn more to the '15. It was a cooler vintage and as such the pinot tasted more lively, more awake. Tantalizing gobs of black cherry, a feint hint of vanilla and baking spices but very elegant, super smooth and gentle. I'm not sure I would have paid $50 for the wine (even VinVino has it listed at $50), but at $35 it's a no-brainer.