Being a Burgundy lover I'm always on the hunt for high quality Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. In the latest Wine Spectator issue there was a great article on Oregon and the spectacular 2008 vintage. Harvey Steinman from Wine Spectator rated the overall 2008 Pinot Noir vintage 97 points, making it the highest ever for this region. Many believe Oregon's cooler wet climate is better suited than say California, for producing Burgundy-esque wines. The 2008 vintage in particular produced more highly-rated Pinot Noirs than any previous year. Also, they were some excellent Chard's produced this year with the added depth and fruit that had been lacking in previous vintages. A lot of the characteristics from this vintage are supple fresh wines with moderate acidity and great balance.
So with all this great information I was extremely excited to start tasting some of these '08's! One winery in particular that seemed to be getting a lot of press was Evening Land. They are producing some of the best Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays in Oregon at the moment, so I figured this would be a great place to start.
Here are some great facts about Evening Land before I talk about the wines:
* Evening Land has a 45-year lease on one of the best vineyard sites in Oregon, Seven Springs. It is exclusively their site for the next 45 years. Some of the best estates used to source from this vineyard (Cristom, Bethel Heights, Chelahem, etc.)
* Dominique Lafon (of the infamous Domaine Comtes Lafon in Burgundy) is consulting winemaker for the Evening Land Winery in Oregon. Isabelle Meunier is the on-site winemaker and she and Dominique work closely together on vineyard management (which is organic/biodynamic), ploughing, harvesting time, and many other crucial decisions in making the best wine possible.
* Larry Stone, the most famous sommelier in the country (not to mention one of the first Master Sommeliers in the U.S.) is now the general manager of the Evening Land project. He brings an incredible amount of expertise to this project and his many years in the wine business play an important role with the Evening Land Vineyards.
* The main goal of Evening Land is to make the best possible wine from the best vineyards and healthiest grapes they can find. The Seven Springs vineyard is 100% Biodynamic and features some of the oldest Pinot Noir vines planted in Oregon. The 'La Source' vineyard is a special plot within the Seven Springs vineyard and is what would be considered a Grand Cru site. Great exposition on a steep slope with excellent drainage. The wines they vinify from this site are their finest. They have been receiving tremendous scores in Spectator, Advocate, and Wines & Spirits.
Here's the line-up of the wines and my tasting notes from Evening Land:
2008 Evening Land Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Seven Springs Vineyard
(92 points Wine Spectator / $33.99 btl)
Alluring nose of red and black fruits. Light and pleasing in the mouth with a fruit-filled finish. Excellent value & perfect everyday Pinot Noir.
2008 Evening Land Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Seven Springs Vineyard La Source
(96 pts Wine Spectator / $59.95 btl)
Killer nose of red cherry, plum and strawberry fill the glass. Silky smooth in the mouth with great balance. A big wine but very light on its feet.
2008 Evening Land Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard La Source
(94 pts Wine Spectator / $59.99 btl )
First swirl and sniff screams white Burgundy! Very Meursault-esque with minerals and green apple, on the nose. Amazing depth and concentration
and very crisp in the mouth.
This tasting definitely proved to all of us that the '08 Oregon vintage is the real deal. I'm very excited to taste some of the other great producers from this region and highly suggest you do the same!