2010 Willamette Valley / Oregon Vintage

The year opened warm and dry. The Oregon Wine Board's final harvest report notes that winter 2009-2010 was relatively dry and warm, with the warmest January and February on record in most Oregon locations. Spring did not follow suit. A brief warm period pushed into the 70s Fahrenheit in mid-May, but according to the Willamette Valley Wineries Association there was no real sustained warmth until mid to late June. The cool April through June stretch set the tone for what the Oregon Wine Board would call the coolest growing season in the Willamette Valley in the past 30 years. Summer offered a few brief bouts of heat into the 90s in August, and then September and October ran mostly in the 60s and 70s. Dr. Greg Jones, the climatologist at Southern Oregon University, reported that the growing season ended with near-normal to slightly cooler-than-normal temperatures statewide and fewer heat spikes than normal. Cumulative growing degree days at four sites statewide tracked 3 to 9 percent below 2008. The vineyard year was hard work. Jim Prosser of JK Carriere in the Willamette Valley reported mildew pressure and spring botrytis at some sites, which further reduced crop set, and Lynn Penner-Ash of Penner-Ash Wine Cellars reported low yields for the same reasons. Bird predation was a significant problem near harvest time across the valley. Then October turned. An Indian summer began in early October and lingered through the end of the month, creating optimal ripening conditions statewide. The Willamette Valley Wineries Association points to an extended 13-day period of sun in October as the saving grace of the vintage, the stretch that let skins mature their tannins. Prosser described the last ten days of sun and dry conditions as the hang time that delivered physiological maturity and complexity. Yields still finished lower than typical years, a result of early-season weather and end-of-season crop thinning.

• Warmest January and February on record in most Oregon locations, followed by a cool spring with no sustained warmth until mid to late June
• Coolest Willamette Valley growing season in 30 years per the Oregon Wine Board, with growing degree days 3 to 9 percent below 2008 at four statewide sites
• Brief heat into the 90s in August, then September and October mostly in the 60s and 70s
• Mildew pressure, spring botrytis and heavy bird predation near harvest cut into an already small crop
• An Indian summer from early October through month's end, including a 13-day run of sun, ripened skins and matured tannins
• Yields finished lower than typical, with Jim Prosser of JK Carriere reporting his down 22 percent on small to medium clusters

The Oregon Wine Board's report describes the effects on the finished wines as almost exclusively positive: good color and flavor in Pinot Noir without excess alcohol, and whites showing finesse at 13 percent alcohol or lower. Higher-than-normal acids were read as a good sign for balance and long-term aging. Harry Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem called the vintage delicate and fruit-centric, with red-to-black fruit flavors in the Pinot Noir and white fruit character in the whites. The Willamette Valley Wineries Association noted that the Pinot Noirs showed well-developed flavors, especially given the relative coolness of the growing season, came across as unusually textural in the mouth, and were capable of clear expressions of site. The association also rated it a very good year for white wines. Sam Tannahill, then chairman of the Oregon Wine Board, characterized the vintage as rewarding potentially very long-lived, gorgeous wines with more concentration and depth combined with a very beautiful crystalline structure and great purity.

• Good color and flavor in Pinot Noir without excess alcohol; whites at 13 percent alcohol or lower showing finesse
• Higher-than-normal acidity read at the time as a positive signal for balance and long-term aging
• Harry Peterson-Nedry of Chehalem described the vintage as delicate and fruit-centric, red to black fruit in the reds and white fruit in the whites
• The Willamette Valley Wineries Association called the Pinot Noirs unusually textural and clearly expressive of site

Wine Spectator's Oregon Pinot Noir vintage chart scores 2010 at 94, summarizing the year as one where the best wines have real ripeness and depth with modest alcohol, and listing the drink window status as Drink rather than past peak.

• Wine Spectator Oregon Pinot Noir vintage chart: 94 points for 2010
• Chart description: the best have real ripeness and depth, with modest alcohol
• Chart drink window status: Drink