Oregon – The Oregon wine industry extended its remarkable \u2013 but almost predictable \u2013 recent run of acclaim when seven pinot noirs from the north Willamette Valley landed on Wine Spectator\u2019s Top 100 Wines of 2020.<\/p>\n
Washington state saw three wines make the Top 100, meaning the Northwest is responsible for 10% of the list. A year ago, the Northwest placed a total of seven wines on the list.<\/p>\n
The Willamette Valley, and wines of Oregon as a category, has shined at retail checkout and Nielsen research in recent years. While much of the U.S. wine industry was flat in terms of sales in 2019, Oregon wineries saw sales increase by nearly 13%.<\/p>\n
There weren\u2019t any major revelations in terms of Oregon\u2019s representation on the Spectator ranking as famed producers such as Ken Wright Cellars and Stoller Family Estate made the list.<\/p>\n
The trio of red wines from Washington that cracked the Top 100 was led by DeLille Cellars at No. 63 with its 2017 D2 Red Wine. By showing up at No. 73, the Mercer family can promote its Mercer Bros. 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon as the highest-rated cab produced in Washington. That\u2019s poignant acclaim for co-owner Rob Mercer, selected as the Honorary Grower for this year\u2019s Auction of Washington Wines.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really rewarding to see the Mercer Bros. cabernet sauvignon recognized at this level,\u201d said Rob\u2019s wife, Brenda Mercer, who co-founded Mercer Estates Winery and leads marketing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the short-term impact that we see is the huge pat-on-the-back it is to the winemaking and grape-growing teams. Long-term, we hope that being on the list helps to bring attention to the quality of wines coming out of Washington and particularly the Horse Heaven Hills.\u201d<\/p>\n
And even though the Northwest placed just one wine in the top 10\u00a0\u2013 a 2018 pinot noir from Beaux Fr\u00e8res, the Oregon winery co-founded by Robert Parker\u00a0\u2013 it\u2019s worth noting that Spectator\u2019s No. 1 overall is a tempranillo from Spain.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the bold, early ripening red grape a growing number of producers in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and British Columbia are earning acclaim with thanks in no small part for the pioneering work by Earl Jones, who celebrated the 25th anniversary of Abacela in Oregon this year.<\/p>\n
Fans of Walla Walla wines likely came away disappointed this year by Wine Spectator with only Sleight of Hand Cellars cracking the Top 100.<\/p>\n
How does a wine make its way onto the Top 100? It starts with a 90-point rating from the magazine\u2019s panel of editors, who evaluate more than 15,000 wines during blind tastings. Selections are based on quality (at 90 points), value, availability (the number of cases either made or imported into the U.S.) and the \u201cX factor,\u201d which Spectator defines as \u201ca compelling story behind the wine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spectator notes that its Top 100 should be viewed not as a \u201c \u2018best of\u2019 listing but rather a sorting of its \u201cmost exciting.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the magazine says it does not want the annual feature to serve as a wish list for consumers and collectors, it will be treated as such by many.<\/p>\n
\u201cLate in October and early November, they did ask some questions and for some photos, but we really didn\u2019t know what for,\u201d Brenda Mercer said. \u201cNeedless to say, we were happily surprised!\u201d<\/p>\n
Credit Spectator for compiling a list of top-flight wines that many consumers can track down and afford to purchase. In most cases, there was some scale to the production and likely some regional, if not national, distribution behind each wine.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s critical. Perhaps the biggest source of frustration that follows a wine writer comes from consumers who complain about an inability to find a highly rated bottle that\u2019s expensive, part of a small lot or otherwise difficult to acquire, i.e., wines from British Columbia.<\/p>\n
Anyone who takes the time to look over one of these lists will find wines that seem intriguing enough to prompt action\u00a0\u2013 a trip to their favorite retailer, an inquiry at a restaurant or a visit to the winery\u2019s website.<\/p>\n
9. Beaux Fr\u00e8res Winery 2018 The Beaux Fr\u00e8res Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge, $95:<\/strong>\u00a0In the eyes of Wine Spectator, the Etzel family has few peers when it comes to this Burgundian grape. This is the eighth time one of its wines has earned a spot on the Top 100. A year ago, its 2017 Upper Terrace Pinot Noir was No. 35.<\/p>\n 19. R\u00e9sonance Wines 2017 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $35:<\/strong> Maison Louis Jadot continues to spread its wings beyond burgundy and pays tribute to the namesake vineyard established in 1981 by Kevin Chambers.<\/p>\n 29. The Four Graces 2017 Reserve Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, $40:<\/strong>\u00a0This Dundee, Ore., winery is owned by businessman Bill Foley, who earned a law degree from the University of Washington in 1974. He purchased Walla Walla\u2019s Three Rivers Winery in 2008 and also owns the Vegas Golden Knights.<\/p>\n 33. Ken Wright Cellars 2017 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $22.<\/strong>\u00a0Next year marks the 35th anniversary of Wright\u2019s arrival in Oregon. Spectator has dubbed him \u201cthe Master of Pinot Noir in Oregon.\u201d<\/p>\n 37. Bergstr\u00f6m Wines 2018 Cumberland Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $42:<\/strong>\u00a0Josh Bergstr\u00f6m also produces the acclaimed and trendsetting Sigrid Chardonnay.<\/p>\n 63. DeLille Cellars 2017 D2 Red Wine, Columbia Valley, $48:<\/strong>\u00a0The flagship wine by this decorated Woodinville winery routinely shows up on year-end lists.<\/p>\n 64. La Crema Winery 2018 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $35:<\/strong>\u00a0The family behind Sonoma icon Kendall-Jackson first invested in Oregon in 2012.<\/p>\n 72. Mercer Estates Winery 2017 Mercer Bros. Cabernet Sauvignon, Horse Heaven Hills, $20:<\/strong>\u00a0This new tier helps commemorate the farming family\u2019s 1886 arrival in Washington state.<\/p>\n 79. Stoller Family Estate 2018 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, $20:<\/strong>\u00a0One of the nation\u2019s most recommended tasting rooms also features one of the world\u2019s top examples of pinot noir.<\/p>\n 88. Sleight of Hand Cellars 2016 The Archimage Reserve, Columbia Valley, $52:<\/strong>\u00a0Trey Busch\u2019s take on a Right Bank Bordeaux ends up as the Walla Walla Valley\u2019s only representative on this Top 100.<\/p>\n To no one\u2019s surprise, California appears early and often on this list, accounting for three wines in the top 10 and a total of 17 among the 100.<\/p>\n This time, the Northwest didn\u2019t fare as well as last year when it came to Spectator\u2019s 100 Top Values of 2020, although three of Top 100 wines priced at $22 or less also rank as a \u201cTop Value.\u201d A year ago, it showed up nine times in this category.<\/p>\n Also, there were zero Northwest entries in the Light Whites or Rich Whites categories, which raises an eyebrow or two among fans of riesling and pinot gris.<\/p>\n However, in the Big Red category, there\u2019s the Pendulum 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon ($15), a supermarket brand by Precept Wine in Seattle that\u2019s regularly on the radar of Wine Spectator.<\/p>\n It\u2019s interesting to note that the Mercer Family Vineyards 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon landed in this category last year. In essence, it is the older brother of No. 72 since that MFV label has been transitioned into Mercer Bros., starting with the 2017 vintage.<\/p>\n Two other prominent family-owned Washington wineries earned acclaim in the \u201cElegant Reds\u201d class with the Maryhill Winery 2016 Winemaker\u2019s Red\u00a0\u2013 a $16 blend led by cab\u00a0\u2013 and L\u2019Ecole No. 41 Winery 2018 Frenchtown ($22), a merlot blend crafted in the Walla Walla Valley.<\/p>\n Seven Hills Winery is the only other Walla Walla producer to make either Top 100 list in 2020, and Casey McClellan\u2019s 2019 Dry Ros\u00e9 ($18) featuring cabernet franc is the discussion as one of the Northwest\u2019s best examples of ros\u00e9 vintage after vintage.<\/p>\n Another pinot noir from Oregon showed up here with the Roco Winery 2018 Gravel Road ($25). Precept also earned a spot in the Sparkling values group with its Gruet Winery nonvintage Blanc de Blancs ($19).<\/p>\n While the New Mexico bubble house continues to be overseen by its French founders and routinely lists \u201cAmerican\u201d on the bottle as the appellation, Precept, which purchased the brand in 2014, often uses Northwest grapes at Gruet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Oregon – The Oregon wine industry extended its remarkable \u2013 but almost predictable \u2013 recent run of acclaim when seven pinot noirs from the north Willamette Valley landed on Wine Spectator\u2019s Top 100 Wines of 2020. Washington state saw three wines make the Top 100, meaning the Northwest is responsible for 10% of the list. A year ago, the Northwest placed a total of seven wines on the list. The Willamette Valley, and wines of Oregon as a category, has shined at retail checkout and Nielsen research in recent years. While much of the U.S. wine industry was flat in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n