As I was wandering the wine isles of a local grocery retailer the other day, I was happy that they were now carrying the Echelon label. When this label first came into existence in the late 90’s it represented above average quality wine from respected growing regions at below average prices and their Pinot Noir and the Merlot were standouts. My first instinct was to grab a bottle and check out the information on the label. Much to my surprise, the Pinot Noir lists French fruit but the wine is blended and bottled in California.
Many other American producers seem to be on this ‘source Pinot Noir from anywhere‘ mission. Beringer’s founders reserve Pinot Noir is now made from grapes coming from the Lombardy region of Italy. Pepperwood Grove’s Pinot Noir started this year with French Vin d’ pays grapes then it went to Chilean fruit, changed again to join Beringer bringing it’s grapes from Lombardy, Italy, only to change once again bringing the fruit from Australia.
Grapes from three different continents and four different viticulture regions all with the same label all within one vintage - I hope you Pepperwood Grove drinkers like change.
If you go to the Pepperwood Grove website after reading this article, you might be a little confused because the website lists the appellation as California. I have not seen any of their Pinot Noir from California on the shelf since 2006.
The list of wineries using fruit from outside this country is growing every day. Rumors trying to explain the advantage for this practice have mushroomed. First I heard it was because the wineries were just importing the fruit avoiding any taxes for importing alcohol; that certainly sounds plausible. Monetary gain usually succeeds as a motive especially when no one is asking any questions.
After speaking with someone in production at Echelon, my suspicions were squashed. He described the purchasing process as very controlled with tasting over there and some blending, then shipped in bulk and considerable amounts of tasting and blending here. The final product is released very young but competently made. The constant change at Pepperwood Grove is a bit of a different story.
After reading The Competitive World of Wine by Bill Turrentine from the Wine Business Daily News Link dated 01/04/2007, it becomes obvious how the international bulk wine available to American winemakers is the obvious choice for turning a profit. Citing Central Coast Pinot Noir at $25 a gallon versus comparable Burgundy Pinot Noir at only $14 a gallon and a buck fifty or so for shipping per gallon.
This practice is happening everywhere; long distances affect transportation costs because of the weight of glass. American wineries are bottling in Europe for the same reason. Nevertheless, the Pinot Noir market will most likely remain as one of the varietals that will be in flux regarding origin for some time to come. Riding high on the popularity that the movie Sideways brought the Pinot Noir varietal the demand will continue, especially since there is a whole new audience for this grape who has no idea the wine is know for subtlety and finesse. Leaving anything labeled Pinot Noir regardless of the fact it has only six months in the bottle to be swilled down with someone else saying “I refuse to drink Merlot” as they pass out from over consumption.
On the other end of this discussion are the avid Pinot Noir devotees who lament the outrageous prices of Willamette Valley wines. In a recent Wine Spectator article where Oregon wines were heralded as some of the best, we had wines that scored 90 points and above that were listed in the $30 to $50 range. That may sound expensive to you but the recent prices listed with the Wine Spectators’ reviews of Pinots from Burgundy, France made me feel pretty lucky to live in the Willamette Valley.
Wineries such as Tori Mor, Penner-Ash, Et Fille, Belle Valle, Brick House, O’Reilly’s (Owen Roe) and Ken Wright are leading the way in superb products at reasonable prices. Oregonians are spoiled; too much of a good thing for way too long, jaded beyond feeling fortunate. This is not a good position to operate from. When you compare Burgundy Pinot’s with similar scores, they cost at least $100 with most reaching the $200 to $500 range per bottle upon release.
Yeah, I feel pretty lucky living in the Willamette Valley. Bountiful organic produce, access to non-cloned beef and pork at reasonable prices and a world class appellation producing some of the finest wines in the world at less than the price of a trip to the movies. Oh yeah I feel down right privileged to live here. I just hope the Sideway’s crew does not ruin it for all of us.
~ Marc Hinton
