2007 Willamette Valley / Oregon Vintage

The Oregon Wine Board records 2007 starting off strong, with a slightly warmer spring than normal that provided ideal conditions for fruit set throughout the state, and Wine Spectator notes the same warm spring turning cooler through the summer. Bud break and bloom came on time. On summer heat the sources do not agree, and it is worth holding both readings rather than splitting the difference. The Willamette Valley Wineries Association records above normal summer temperatures, over 100 degrees F. Wine Spectator states there were no heat spikes of 100 degrees F or so, the kind that often disrupt Oregon's growing seasons, and the Oregon Wine Board reports moderate temperatures persisting through summer with no major heat spikes. September ran slightly below normal in temperature by the association's account, which opened the possibility of long hang times. What arrived instead was water. A series of rain fronts progressed weekly across Oregon's vineyards and delayed harvest by two weeks or more. Wine Spectator records rain continuing off and on for more than a month and dumping 6 to 8 inches in that time. The Oregon Wine Board dates the significant rain events from mid September, without letup until late October, and notes that the onset of cool, wet conditions came 30 days earlier than the region had come to expect in recent years. Dr. Greg Jones, climatologist at Southern Oregon University, had found fruit composition ideal in many regions by early September, and said the mid September cool down and rain then forced many growers to choose between harvesting quickly or waiting it out. Wine Spectator records about 30 to 40 percent of the crop picked early to beat the rain, and not all of it really ready, with more grapes harvested between the fronts. Harvest ran in spurts in whatever dry windows the weather allowed, and flocks of migratory birds arrived with each successive storm front, pushing growers to use bird netting for the first time. Jones put yields at near normal to slightly above normal depending on conditions when the fruit was harvested.

• A slightly warmer spring than normal gave ideal fruit set statewide, with bud break and bloom on time
• Sources disagree on summer heat: WVWA records above normal temperatures over 100 degrees F, while Wine Spectator and the Oregon Wine Board report no major heat spikes
• September temperatures ran slightly below normal, opening the possibility of long hang times
• Weekly rain fronts from mid September to late October delayed harvest by two weeks or more, totalling 6 to 8 inches per Wine Spectator
• The onset of cool, wet conditions came 30 days earlier than recent years, per the Oregon Wine Board
• About 30 to 40 percent of the crop was picked early to beat the rain, and not all of it was really ready
• Migratory birds arrived with each front and growers used bird netting for the first time; yields finished near normal to slightly above

The surprise of 2007 is how clean the fruit stayed. Wine Spectator reports there was little mold or rot, and attributes that to the cool temperatures both during and between the rain events. Tony Rynders of Domaine Serene put the lesson plainly, saying what they learned is that rain in and of itself is not necessarily a deal breaker, that it is the conditions surrounding it, and pointing out that 2004 brought much smaller amounts of rain, earlier, and caused more problems. It still took work. The Oregon Wine Board notes growers had to spray more and hold to strict vineyard management practices to withstand mildew pressure once the rains began. The Willamette Valley Wineries Association records that growers who thinned to lower yields and rigorously maintained their spray schedules were rewarded with balanced and elegantly ripened fruit.

• Little mold or rot developed, which Wine Spectator attributes to cool temperatures during and between the rain events
• Tony Rynders of Domaine Serene noted 2004 brought smaller and earlier rain yet caused more problems, since the surrounding conditions matter more than the rain itself
• The Oregon Wine Board reports growers had to spray more and keep strict vineyard management to withstand mildew pressure
• WVWA records that growers who thinned to lower yields and kept rigorous spray schedules got balanced, elegantly ripened fruit

Dr. Greg Jones summarized the 2007 fruit as generally lower in sugar, higher in acid, with balanced pH and great flavors, and added a line that reads as the vintage's motto: this year may have shown us that all heat is not necessarily good heat. Wine Spectator found the same shape in the wines, with acid levels higher than usual and alcohols lower across the Pinot Noir growing areas, and noted that Southern Oregon, with more Bordeaux varieties and Syrah, suffered less from the rain and produced generally sound wines. Josh Bergstrom of Bergstrom Vineyards was direct about what he had in the cellar, saying he had some of the darkest, most perfumed and exciting wines he thought he had ever made. The Willamette Valley Wineries Association notes many of the white wines achieved significant critical acclaim, and that the best Pinot Noirs have benefited from bottle age and are expected to age very well. Wine Spectator graded the 2007 Oregon vintage B.

• Fruit was generally lower in sugar, higher in acid, with balanced pH and great flavors, per Dr. Greg Jones
• Wine Spectator found acid levels higher than usual and alcohols lower across Pinot Noir growing areas
• Josh Bergstrom of Bergstrom Vineyards described some of the darkest, most perfumed and exciting wines he had made
• Many of the white wines achieved significant critical acclaim, and the best Pinot Noirs have benefited from bottle age
• Southern Oregon, with more Bordeaux varieties and Syrah, suffered less from the rain; Wine Spectator graded the vintage B