Pinot Noir

The great red wine of Oregon's Yamhill County is produced by one of the world’s most challenging grape varieties - both to grow and vinify. For every great pinot noir, there are a dozen poor or mediocre versions, and this is true wherever pinot noir is made, whether in Oregon, California, France, Germany, or New Zealand.

Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate, with its fine, delicate aroma and flavor disappearing when grown in warmer climes. It is an ancient variety notorious for having dozens of inferior mutations (clones), which likely account for much of the insipid wine produced in its name around the world.

A thin-skinned, early ripener, pinot noir is prone to a host of viticultural maladies, from mildew and rot to viruses like fanleaf and leafroll. It is also difficult to vinify, with the vintner’s primary challenge to draw sufficient color and flavor from the grape skins without extracting too much astringent tannin.

Despite these difficulties, what motivates pinot noir producers to keep trying is that the grape can make marvelously aromatic, flavorful wines boasting a seductive perfume of strawberry, raspberry, black cherry, tea, mint, violets, and oriental spices, and silky, ethereal flavors The best Oregon pinot noirs benefit from judicious aging in high-quality oak barrels and are profitably paired with subtly seasoned salmon, chicken, ham, and lamb dishes.

Pinot gris

Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name ("gris" meaning gray in French). Pinot gris is known from the Middle Ages in the Burgundy region, where it was probably called Fromenteau. It spread from Burgundy, arriving early in Switzerland and in Hungary by 1300 and reaching Germany by the end of the 16th century. It is now grown in many countries but reaches its pinnacle in Oregon's cool climate.