As seems always to be the case in this vibrant and individualistic community, 2003 proved to be an interesting year indeed for Oregon wine consumers: lots of new wineries, plenty of new wines, new wine varietals, and dropping wine prices gave consumers lots to consider from Oregon!

Picking my personal 2003 Oregon wine highlights was a challenge—there were so many to choose from! But for fun, here’s my highly opinionated selection of the high spots in the 2003 world of Oregon wines.

1) Most promising new development for Oregon winemakers and wine consumers:

Clearly, the creation of the new Oregon Wine Board was one of the most important developments in the Oregon wine community for many years! The OWB offers the best prospect for advancing the promotion of Oregon wine—which will benefit everyone interested in Oregon wine. If the new OWB can really commit to a professional-level marketing program (and sustain it for at least two years), administered by an expert executive director, then consumers around the country are more likely to be attracted to the charms of Oregon wines . . . which should result in more sales . . . which should result in more prosperous wineries . . . which should result in new investments in vineyards and production capacity . . . which should result in more, better, and less expensive Oregon wine for consumers!

2) Most disappointing trend in Oregon winemaking:

Huge, high alcohol, soft, highly extracted Oregon Pinot noirs that smack you in the face at the first sip, but become unctuous and lumbering to drink over time, and nearly impossible to pair with food. For the past number of vintages it seems there has been an unstated competition to produce the biggest Oregon Pinot in order to attract the biggest scores from the national wine press. Sure, some of this is the result of a series of unusually warm vintages (culminating in the 2003 harvest) that has naturally produced large-styled wines. But the definition of good Oregon Pinot noir is not always bigness—balance and elegance should count too (it’s just getting harder to find Oregon Pinots like that)!

3) Most needless trend in Oregon winemaking:

Pinot noir bottles that weight a ton and have a punt so big you can put your arm up to the elbow in them. Why do wineries use these massive bottles? Because they imply quality. The bigger the bottle the better the wine (my bottle is bigger than your bottle . . .). Does size matter? In wine bottles, no. A Pinot in any other bottle would taste as sweet. We don’t need “Pinot by the Pound,” or a profusion of profound punts—and we don’t need to pay the extra price that winemakers tack onto their wine just to have an impressively heavy bottle. And they cost much more to ship.

4) Most exciting trend in Oregon winemaking:

New varietals!! Yes, Virginia, there is more to Oregon wine than Pinot noir! From new warm climate varietals coming from Southern Oregon, to traditional Pinot producers adding new varietals to their line-up, the freshness and variety that we began seeing in 2003 is truly exhilarating. Suddenly, we’re seeing on the shelves grape names not traditionally associated with Oregon: Viognier, Zinfandel, Syrah, Tocai friulano, Malbec, Albariño, Grenache, Aligoté—even some wonderful Bordeaux-style blends. The fact is that we still don’t know the full range of varietals that can be successfully grown in Oregon’s many growing regions—especially the relatively undeveloped climatic opportunities in Southern Oregon (Grüner veltliner has been planted in the Umpqua AVA—will it prosper? We’ll see . . . and let’s hope so!).

5) Hottest “Young Turk” winemaker:

Josh Bergström had the hot wine hand in 2003! His vibrant Bergstrom Winery Pinot noirs achieved some of the highest Wine Spectator ratings ever recorded for Oregon Pinot, leading to a clamoring among consumers for his wines. Josh’s 2001 Arcus Vineyard Pinot noir recorded a stunning 94 by the Spectator while his 2001 Cumberland Reserve achieved a 92. Both the Bergstrom 2001 and 1999 Willamette Valley Pinot noirs were rated 91, and the 2000 Willamette Valley Pinot and Chardonnay got scores of 90. Now I’d day that’s a hot hand indeed!

6) Hottest “Old Guard” winery:

The wines from Adelsheim Vineyards released in 2003 proved that this venerable label has taken a dramatic step upward in wine quality. David Adelsheim has been one of the most influential members of the Oregon wine community for many years. Having helped define Oregon’s early AVAs, been responsible for bringing in new clonal stock to Oregon, and having been a driving force behind the new Oregon Wine Board, David’s contributions to Oregon wine can’t be overstated.

Not content to simply produce the same wines vintage after vintage, Adlesheim Vineyards has refined its bottlings (including a tempting new label), added new sources, and brought in David Paige as a new winemaker. The result was that in 2003 Adelsheim Vineyards produced an impressive range of wines that reflect the reinvigoration of one of Oregon’s most respected labels.

7) Hottest—literally—vintage:

If you thought 2001 was a warm vintage for Oregon, and if you thought 2002 was downright hot, then 2003 really showed what warm really means! With heat spikes that took temperatures well above 100 degrees for many vineyards, and for multiple days, 2003 would seem to be evidence that global warming is coming to Oregon! 2003 was definitely the hottest recent vintage, and the resulting wines will probably taste more like California than Oregon.

Indeed, the challenge for Oregon’s winemakers in 2003 was to produce balanced wines from grapes that were extraordinarily high in sugar (meaning very high potential alcohol levels) and low in natural acidity. Lots of “managing:” will be done in many cellars to mediate the extremes of the vintage. Winemakers will have to carefully weigh their decisions in order to produce balanced wines, and consumers will likely have to be choosy in finding wines that show the best of this unusual vintage.

8) Gravest economic challenge to the Oregon wine community:

2003 demonstrated that the increasing imbalance between grape supply, winemaking capacity, and price elasticity has potentially serious economic implications for producers and consumers alike. For us consumers the fact that Oregon has more grapes in the ground than it has production capacity is a mixed blessing. It seems everywhere you turn in Oregon (including some unlikely areas for viticulture) someone is proudly planting new vineyards. On the surface this would seem to be good news for Oregon wine consumers: more supply should mean lower prices. And while there is truth to this, there is also a dark side.

The oversupply of grapes has lowered the cost of entry for winemaking in Oregon, and while that may mean more wine will be produced, much of that wine may not be of the best quality. A lot of inexperienced farmers are suddenly growing fair-to-middling quality grapes on a lot of less-than-ideal vineyards. And a lot of inexpensive wines are being made from these grapes that don’t always present Oregon viticulture in the best light. Cheaper wine is not always better wine! Other economic forces are pressuring producers into lowering prices on even the best quality wines, but a glut of mediocre Oregon wine is not exactly what Oregon wine consumers deserve.

9) My three favorite Oregon red wines tasted in 2003:

But I tasted so many great Oregon red wines in 2003, how can I pick only three?? OK, so I have to limit it to three, I’ll just have to suck it up and name names. At the top of my personal list in 2003 was the Cuneo Cellars 2000 Cana’s Feast, Red Mountain (from Washington . . . but the producer is Oregon and the wine was made in Oregon, even if it was grown one state to the north. This sublime wine was polished and balanced and had flavor and finesse that, frankly, really knocked my sock off! Also at the top has to be the Chehalem 2001 Rion Reserve Pinot noir. This wine is all about elegance and balance, and I think was the best representation of the vintage I tasted, and one of the most satisfying Pinots I had all year. Finally, a wine I just keep coming back to as having the kind of fresh, flavorful, and fulfilling character I want in a Pinot is the Adelsheim Pinot noir 2001 Ribbon Springs Vineyard release. And then there was the . . . and how could I not mention the . . . and certainly another great wine was the . . . I could just go on and on . . .

10) My three favorite Oregon white wines tasted in 2003:

Again, there were a lot of very fine white wines that made it down my gullet this past year. In fact, I find myself drinking more and more Oregon white wine because the quality is improving so dramatically. Top of my list has to be the Chehalem 2002 Pinot gris—I think the richest textured and most intensely flavord Pinot gris I have yet tasted from Oregon . . . simply an outstanding wine! I was also exceptionally fond of the 2001 Brick House Chardonnay. Doug Tunnell really nailed it with this wine, lowering the oak and heightening the fruit made this wine a crisp delight that I have gone back to repeatedly during the year. For my third pick, I would have selected the Chehalem 2002 Dry Riesling Reserve, but since Chehalem is already well represented in these highlights, I won’t select it (like how I finessed it, though?). Instead, I have to say that a surprise—and a delight—for me was the reserved yet richly layered 2002 Viognier, Anna Maria, from Valley View Winery. Yes, this Southern Oregon Viognier certainly had all cylinders cycling harmoniously, with wonderful fruit flavors and excellent balance. Of course, there were many more great whites, but if I had to just keep it to three (4) wines to mention, those would be my choices.

So that’s it . . . my highly personal, strictly subjective take on the highlights of Oregon’s 2003 year in wine!

Christina Kelly's
2004
Wine Resolutions

Jean's Kitchen Sink
Chronicles-
Top Ten Lists
for 2003

New Varietals
for Oregon

Roussanne

Malbec

Nebbiolo

Arneis

Dolcetto

Sagrantino

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Sangiovese