I’ve been drinking a mix of Oregon and Burgundy Pinot, and sometimes I feel like even comparing Burgundies to each other is pointless – wines a few rows apart can taste totally different. Still, from a bird’s-eye view, it’s hard not to think about how Oregon and Burgundy line up.
This Thanksgiving I’m planning to open a Drouhin from both regions – figured it’d be fun to see how they play off each other at the table. For those who’ve done the same, how do you think the producers who make wine in both spots compare?
A few convo starters:
• What’s actually similar between Oregon and Burgundy, and what’s miles apart?
• How do they age – can a top Oregon Pinot really go 10-15 years gracefully?
• If Oregon had “Grand Crus,” which vineyards or producers would make the cut?
• Who’s Oregon’s “DRC”?
• Any other producers besides Drouhin with a foot in both worlds? Have you tried them?
• And do you think Oregon pricing is going to keep climbing the way Burgundy did?
Curious what others are opening – maybe we’ll all end up doing a trans-Atlantic Pinot lineup this Thanksgiving
by Cactus-Joe
15 Comments
Funnily enough, domaine Drouhin in Oregon actually does a side by side tasting of their Oregon Pinots vs. their burgundies. If you’re ever in the area, it’s a fun tasting to check out.
They do this tasting at the Oregon winery. They were all very good but we generally preferred the Oregon wines. Just taste them and form your own opinion.
Depends on the price range. Spend $25-75 in Oregon. $100+ in burgundy.
Oregon and Burgundy are at similar latitudes so they get compared a lot. I personally have found them not too difficult to differentiate. Oregon pinots tend to show more primary fruit and warmer compared to Burgundy. The vine ages are not really comparable so Burgundy tends to be a bit more focused and clear although young vine burgundies tend to show similarly to Oregon pinots.
Oregon PNs can certainly age well into their 20s and 30s. I drank a ’94 Thomas that was stunning.
I don’t think Oregon has GCs the way that Burgundy does because it doesn’t have 1000+ years of viticultural history but I think some of the tops would be Maresh, Seven Springs, John Thomas’ vineyard, Shea, Freedom Hill.
I don’t really think any producer in Oregon has a head and shoulders brand strength greater than all others so there’s no real “DRC” in that sense. Maybe Domaine Serene but the wines don’t back it up so it’s disanalogous.
Roses & Arrows is made by Louis Michel Liger Belair and priced to reflect it.
Double OO makes wines from both Oregon and Burgundy but is a little different in that it’s the same wine label.
Jadot makes Resonance.
Meo Camuzet has Nicolas Jay.
There is probably a price ceiling to Oregon. The vineyards are not as famous and well-studied as in Burgundy so there’s a lot more opportunities for new vineyards to be developed whereas in Burgundy the supply has a pretty hard stop for named vineyards. There are a few wineries like Lingua Franca and Archery Summit that are trying to push the ceiling up but I honestly don’t know anyone who wants to pay $300 for an Oregon PN. You’re getting into very good burgundy territory and I don’t think the quality or the cachet is really there at that price point. 99% of Oregon PN will probably cap at around $150, because after that you get into very good Village level stuff from burgundy like Duroche, Dugat-Py, Ghislaine Barthod, etc.
Agreed the “which is better” conversation or “does Oregon taste more like burgundy than Sonoma or Sta Rta Hills” conversation is pointless. They are different wines with different climate and soil and everything. Just enjoy each for what they are.
I drink pretty much exclusively Burgundy and Willamette, I think I have an opinion here.
Burgundy, red and whites alike, are just magic. The quality of the fruit there has no rival, the dirt, the direction the sun hits the hills to the West, it’s an unfair advantage before the first human gets involved. Then you get into the winemaking, these families have been producing the best wines in the world for hundreds of years, if not longer. The wine making families there have the cultural knowledge and history of this craft, and it shows.
Oregon pinots are absolutely world class. The wines have the same crunchy red fruit and acidity as burgundy, with a distinct spice and a touch of Bourgogne-esque sous bois. They don’t have quite the same pure silk palate as the best burgundy, but that doesn’t mean they are left wanting. The best wines out of OR have unbelievably balanced structure. Domaine Drouhin, Cristom, Patricia Green, and others make polished, delicious wines. Chards from OR are outstanding as well, I think they compare nicely to 1er cru Chablis while they’re young.
I think OR wines are absolutely ageworthy. That being said, I usually like my pinots 5-8ish years old.
I guess in short, the very best pinots and chardonnays I’ve had are no question from Burgundy. There’s nothing like it. On the other hand, the wines I’m drinking more often are from Oregon.
The only US Pinots that compare are some Santa Rita hills with warm days cool evenings, no violet in the Oregon Pinots, not sure how to explain but think it’s to cool in during the day
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Oregon wines from top producers are certainly age worthy. In general the better Oregon wines can compare with some burgundy 1ers. In general, very few Oregon wines have the depth and complexity of any grand cru wines, at least at this point, but it’s a relatively young wine region that is improving quite quickly. We’ve done quite a few burg vs Oregon tastings and the Oregon wines have held up quite well. I posted one relatively recently on here, in fact.
Drouhin Laurene is very good for the money and compares well with Burgs at that price point, or any PN for that matter. Working my way through a case and it is always a treat when the right dinner and friends come together and this is one of the choices.
I think it’s very producer-dependent. I’ve had some Oregon Pinot Noir that was very Burgundian, and others that were ripe, high alcohol, low acid and totally new world in style. In general though, I’d say I’ve had very few if any Oregon wines that can achieve the earthiness, complexity, and pure silk texture of a grand cru Burg.
I’ve actually been more impressed with Chardonnay coming from Oregon, and I’ve definitely had a few that rival great white Burgundy.
Ive done several side by sides of Burgundian vs WV Pinots (Nicolas-jay/meo camuzet, resonance/jadot, DDO/joseph drouhin) and I really really enjoyed the comparisons. What I would say (in addition to all the other really good info posts already) is that it is a matter of preference. I find the winemaking comes through a lot more in the WV wines while the terroir shines in the Burgundian ones more. France has so many more years of experience, wine culture, etc that the fact we’re even having the comparison conversation is a testament to what Oregon can and will likely be in the coming centuries assuming we don’t destroy our planet.
Can’t speak to the latter, but Domaine Drouhrin is an awesome Pinot.
Hi, from my side, I can tell you that I’ve spent a week in Burgundy and I’ve found the pinot noir wines absolutely incomparable with other Pinots.
Freshness, relatively fast ready to drink and, by all means, always remember that French vignerons are very proud of their “climats” region, universal patrimony of humanity, with very specific geological morphology, and great work in cellars in order to make every wine different.
Enjoy.
I love Pinot but there is no substitute for a fine Burgundy.
In the US, Oregon Pinot is better value than Burgundy maybe up to $100-200. But at the higher end Burgundy is just leaps and miles above Oregon.