Another session I attended at the SWE Conference last month featured several wine producers from the Dundee Hills appellation in the Willamette (rhymes with damn it!) Valley of Oregon. The Dundee Hills has the highest concentration of vineyards and wineries within the state, with approximately 2,000 acres planted.
Located on the 45th parallel, which places it similarly to Burgundy, the region benefits from a maritime climate as influenced by the Pacific Ocean, making it more temperate than Burgundy. The first plantings were made in 1966, with the first grapes harvested in 1970. The better plantings are found on hillsides, with good drainage.
As members of the panel related, many of them second generation vineyard owners and winemakers, there was a lot of collaboration among growers in the 1970s. They recalled the parties at which the grownups would discuss trellising and clones, while the children would run amok and have fun. The area arrived at a turning point in 1980 when its wines placed in a Paris competition.
Today, Dundee Hills is considered the epicenter of Oregon Pinot Noir and is highly regarded for these wines. Produced from the Pommard clone, the wines themselves have a brightness of red fruits, with nice, lively acidity and freshness; they are silk and velvet on the palate.
As this next generation guides Dundee Hills and makes wines of great repute, it is clear that they too know Pinot.
I was interested to read your article about the Dundee Hills and have tasted several excellent Pinots from the region over the years. I particularly remember liking a producer named Archery Summit. They make a few different bottlings of Pinot Noir, I think.