2005 Willamette Valley / Oregon Vintage

2005 opened with two records pulling in opposite directions. Dr. Greg Jones, the climatologist at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, described it as one of the driest winters and wettest springs on record, and Decanter reports the same. The vines responded to the dry winter by moving early, with bud break in March. Then the spring caught up with them. Late May and June turned cool and rainy, which pushed bloom late and cut the crop through poor set. July and August steadied the season with warm, dry weather and no heat spikes on record, and Decanter characterizes the year overall as warm rather than hot. Fall arrived cool, and it rained significantly late in September. Harvest followed that rain in dry conditions over the next few weeks. Despite the soaking, there was almost no damage to the fruit from splitting or rot. The Oregon Wine Board's harvest report of November 10, 2005 found the harvest had occurred later than most expected, and Raptor Ridge winemaker and general manager Scott Shull said the wines had arrived at ripeness unusually late, with fermenting and pressing still in progress at the report date. Decanter frames the autumn rains, particularly in the Willamette Valley, as a defining factor of the vintage, noting that some vineyards in the southern part of the valley finished picking before the major rains set in.

• One of the driest winters and wettest springs on record, per Dr. Greg Jones of Southern Oregon University
• Very early start with March bud break, then cool, rainy late May and June giving late bloom and reduced crop from poor set
• Warm, dry July and August with no heat spikes; Decanter reads the season as warm, not hot
• Cool fall with significant rain late in September, then dry conditions for harvest over the following weeks
• Almost no damage to the fruit from splitting or rot
• The Oregon Wine Board reported harvest ran later than most expected, with ripeness arriving unusually late per Raptor Ridge's Scott Shull
• Some southern Willamette Valley vineyards finished picking before the major rains, per Decanter

The Oregon Wine Board's report found yields varying by region with a slight overall increase from 2004, the short-crop year before it. In Southern Oregon yields ran from 20 percent below forecast to 10 percent above, averaging 5 percent below. Two named Willamette Valley figures give the shape of the recovery. Bernard LaCroute of WillaKenzie Estate reported Pinot Noir at 2.05 tons per acre in 2005 against 1.38 tons per acre in 2004. Jim Thomas of Eola Springs Vineyards reported tonnage up 20 percent from the prior year, with smaller clusters and berries on the Pinot Noir. Not everything came through cleanly. Jim Bernau of Willamette Valley Vineyards in Salem reported Pinot Gris was hit the hardest by rain that occurred during bloom, but said the fruit still delivered wonderful flavors.

• Statewide yields varied by region with a slight overall increase from 2004
• Southern Oregon ran 20 percent below to 10 percent above forecast, averaging 5 percent below
• WillaKenzie Estate reported Pinot Noir at 2.05 tons per acre against 1.38 in 2004
• Eola Springs Vineyards reported tonnage up 20 percent with smaller clusters and berries
• Willamette Valley Vineyards reported Pinot Gris hit hardest by rain during bloom, but still delivering wonderful fruit flavors

The Willamette Valley Wineries Association calls 2005 the coolest vintage of the previous six years, though still only moderate in temperature, and reads the year as a classic example of fall rains providing balance to the fruit after a dry summer. It reaches for the Burgundian adage that a good rainstorm in early September is a basic ingredient of a great vintage. The resulting wines are described as well balanced, with moderate alcohol, good acidity and supple tannins. The Oregon Wine Board made the same call from the other end of the harvest, expecting cooler temperatures to give lower alcohol levels, structured acidity and ideal flavor development, and framing the year as a return to a more classic Oregon vintage after several warmer ones. Sugar levels were down with higher natural acidity than in past years, and the board expected that acidity to produce more food-friendly and ageable wines. Scott Shull of Raptor Ridge summed up what was in the tanks: excellent and balanced flavors. Decanter reports producers describing 2005 as a return to the finesse and elegance that has long characterized classic Oregon Pinot Noir, and rated the vintage 3 out of 5.

• WVWA calls 2005 the coolest vintage of the previous six years, though moderate in temperature
• The year is framed as fall rains bringing balance after a dry summer, with wines showing moderate alcohol, good acidity and supple tannins
• The Oregon Wine Board expected lower alcohols, structured acidity and ideal flavor development, a return to a more classic Oregon vintage
• Sugar levels were down with higher natural acidity than past years, pointing to more food-friendly and ageable wines
• Decanter reports producers describing a return to finesse and elegance, and rated the vintage 3 out of 5