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Oregon’s Great ‘02s:
by Cole Danehower
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Global
Warming and |
I was recently asked by a group of Oregon wine aficionados to flatly state what I thought the best recent Oregon vintage was—no waffling allowed. Perhaps motivated by recent vintage reviews from some of the great wine illuminati (none of whom live or work in Oregon), my audience wanted a more Oregon-centric judgment. Which was my favorite vintage, they asked.
As a good Libran, I immediately began to . . . waffle. Well, I really wouldn’t call it waffling, rather I was simply weighing the various variables that go into making such a judgment. For instance, was I being asked to state what I thought the best vintage was, or was I being asked what my favorite vintage was? These are, after all, two different questions.
Luckily for me, the answer is the same either way: I think 2002 was the best overall Oregon vintage since 1994, and it is certainly my favorite (1999 would be my choice for second place, followed by 2000—with it being waaay too early to factor 2003 into the equation).
Let’s review some of what made ’02 so special.
After Early Concerns,
an Ideal Autumn Delivered Great Grapes
The spring weather in the Willamette Valley offered some frost danger to cooler sites, but not enough to significantly damage overall harvest potential. In Southern Oregon there were equally a few freezing events that reduced potential crop, but the overall impact on the vintage was not great.
As spring developed further, many vineyards saw somewhat warmer weather during the crucial period of flowering, resulting in relatively abundant fruit set up and down the state.
The summer weather was particularly warm and dry in both the cool climate Willamette Valley region and the warm climate Southern Oregon region. This led to rapid ripening as the last weeks of summer progressed. In fact, by late August some winemakers were beginning to worry that the heat was causing an over-acceleration of ripening, causing sugar development to accelerate before the complex flavors that come with additional hang time could develop. Indeed, some winemakers were forced to contemplate the unpalatable possibility of having to pick earlier then they would like in order to prevent over-ripeness (shades of 2003!).
Luckily, right at the end of September enough rain came to Oregon (north and south) to slow ripening—just when it was needed. Light rains continued for a few days into October, and cooler weather reduced the threat of heat stress on the grapes. And the, throughout almost the whole of October, dry and warm—not hot—weather created ideal conditions for a slow and measured final ripening of nearly all varietals in nearly all parts of the state.
Going into the fall, vines were generally abundant with fruit, and quality-focused winemakers dropped copious amounts of fruit in order to keep the ultimate yield down and (so the thinking goes) quality up. Then, the “blessed October” allowed the remaining grapes to develop their final flavors in a more balanced manner, and gave winemakers the luxury of being able to determine the optimum moment to pick, with no real weather or disease pressure.
Determining when to pick is as much art as it is science. Besides measuring sugar content (in degrees brix), and total acidity (measured as TA), winemakers also use their own tactile experience to judge just when to remove the grapes from the vines. And in 2002, the weather gave them all the time they wanted in order to achieve the best ripening.
Once the grape seeds start turning brown—and the clusters become looser and the grape skins start to show a little puckering on the vine and a little give when squeezed—and the flavors start getting more rich and sweetly complex, then it is time to pick. In 2002, that time arrived any time between mid October and mid-November.
The result of all this was a vintage that seemed to have everything: plenty of crop, superbly healthy and clean fruit, fully developed fruit flavors, balanced acidity and tannins, and great overall complexity. And, this seemed to be the case whether the varietal was Pinot noir in Dundee, Pinot gris in Salem, Tempranillo in Roseburg, or Merlot in Medford!
Easy Fermentations Brought Out the Best
Once the grapes were in the winery, most winemakers experienced remarkably easy and clean ferments, leading to well balanced wines going into barrel.
Early barrel samples of Pinot noir from the Willamette Valley and Syrah from Southern Oregon generally showed wines that possessed great initial character: sweet varietal flavors were well countered by potent acidity and subtle tannins. As the wines developed in barrel, it seemed that the tannins became more forward, yet without sacrificing the fruit center that makes the wines so appealing.
And now that 2002 wines are beginning to be released to the market, it is clear that they are among the most complex, balanced, and tasty wines Oregon has produced in recent years.
Generally, the red wines seem to possess big fruit characters without being plump or overly fruit-sweet. This seems equally true of both cool and warm climate varietals. At the same time, the reds possess strong structural elements: abundant tannins and strong acidity. While not seeming unbalanced, the forward nature of the structure makes many –02 reds less immediately appealing than, say the 2001 vintage. However, the big structure and fruit combination—plus the flavor complexity—bodes well for medium- and long-term ageing potential. In short, these are wines that will make you sit up and notice right away, but will likely offer more profoundity with even just a year or two of bottle age.
White wines in 2002—when made by an experienced white wine maker—are superb. The long hang time gave an opportunity for excellent acid development, which results in crisp and fresh whites. And, at the same time, varietal flavors seemed to be more intense than in other recent vintages. A number of superb Pinot gris wines were made and are now in the market, and the growing Oregon penchant for crisply-styled Chardonnay (as opposed to buttery oak-influenced versions) was well served by the vintage.
2002—a Vintage for Today and Tomorrow
So, for all the above reasons, I have found the 2002 vintage to be the best combination of flavor, structure, pleasure, and ageability—for my palate. In fact, ever since I first started tasting the ‘02s in barrel I have been conscious of hoarding my wine buying budget in anticipation of their ultimate release!
While I try to place in my cellar a
decent representation of every Oregon vintage, I have been looking
forward to a disproportionate stocking up
with the 2002 vintage—it just seems to be the ideal combination
of wines that will deliver great pleasure today, yet should develop
wonderfully for tomorrow!
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