Vintages

2012 Willamette Valley / Oregon Vintage

A disrupted bloom cut the crop, then the longest dry stretch in Willamette Valley history ripened what was left to ideal maturity.

The Willamette Valley Wineries Association describes 2012 as a year of two halves. A cool spring with record June moisture slightly delayed bloom and then interrupted it, producing an extended flowering, diminished berry fertilization and some bunch stem necrosis. Cluster counts and berries per cluster both came down and the overall crop was significantly reduced. What followed was a beautiful, sunny, warm and dry summer, including the longest dry period in the valley's history at over 100 days. Fine weather continued into October and harvest ran in mid-month. The association reports grapes reaching ideal ripeness and wines with ripe tannins, moderate alcohol and good acidity, and calls 2012 potentially one of Oregon's best harvests.

See Willamette Valley vintage weather →

Growing season

The Willamette Valley Wineries Association's account of 2012 turns on two things: a bad bloom and a long dry summer. Spring was cool and June set a record for moisture, which slightly delayed bloom and then interrupted it once it started. The result was an extended flowering period, diminished berry fertilization and some bunch stem necrosis. Cluster counts came down in absolute number and in berries per cluster, and the overall crop was significantly reduced. That damage was done early and it stayed done. What came next reversed the mood of the season. Summer was beautiful, sunny, warm and dry, and it delivered the longest dry period in the Willamette Valley's history, a stretch of more than 100 days. The lovely weather continued into October, and harvest occurred in mid-month. Coverage of the day-to-day weather in 2012 is thin. No dedicated Oregon Wine Board harvest report for the year was locatable, so there is no verified record of frost dates, heat-spike dates or a numeric yield figure against a five-year average, and none is asserted here.

Cool spring with record June moisture slightly delayed bloom and then interrupted it
Extended flowering, diminished berry fertilization and some bunch stem necrosis followed
Cluster counts and berries per cluster both fell, significantly reducing the overall crop
Summer was sunny, warm and dry, with the longest dry period in valley history at over 100 days
Fine weather held into October and harvest occurred mid-month
No day-level weather dates or numeric yield figures are documented for the year in available primary sources

Key Facts

A cool spring with record June moisture slightly delayed bloom and then interrupted it, per the Willamette Valley Wineries Association
The cool, wet June weather produced an extended flowering, diminished berry fertilization and some bunch stem necrosis
Cluster counts fell in both absolute number and berries per cluster, significantly reducing the overall crop
Summer was sunny, warm and dry, and included the longest dry period in the Willamette Valley's history at over 100 days
Fine weather held into October, with harvest occurring in mid-month
Grapes achieved ideal ripeness, and the resulting wines show ripe tannins, moderate alcohols and good acidity
Wine Spectator's Oregon Pinot Noir vintage chart scores 2012 at 97, noting that ideal conditions produced generous wines that are not over the top

Style of the wines

The Willamette Valley Wineries Association reports that the grapes achieved ideal ripeness and that the wines show lovely ripe tannins, moderate alcohols and nice acidity. The association went as far as calling 2012 potentially one of Oregon's best harvests. The short crop from the disrupted bloom and the long, dry ripening stretch worked in the same direction, and the wines reflect it.

Grapes achieved ideal ripeness, per the Willamette Valley Wineries Association
Ripe tannins, moderate alcohols and good acidity are the vintage markers
The association described 2012 as potentially one of Oregon's best harvests

Ad hidden for this session.

From the WineShop

Open one bottle, taste it for weeks.

A Coravin lets you pour a glass without pulling the cork, which is how I taste a producer across vintages without opening the whole rack. The Pivot+ is the one I recommend first. $199.

See it in the WineShop

Critical standing

Wine Spectator's Oregon Pinot Noir vintage chart scores 2012 at 97, with the description that ideal conditions produced generous wines that are not over the top, and lists the drink window status as Drink rather than past peak.

Wine Spectator Oregon Pinot Noir vintage chart: 97 points for 2012
Chart description: ideal conditions produced generous wines, not over the top
Chart drink window status: Drink

Exam Study NotesWSET / CMS

A cool spring with record June moisture interrupted bloom, giving an extended flowering, poor berry fertilization and some bunch stem necrosis.
Cluster counts and berries per cluster both fell, so the crop was significantly reduced before summer even started.
Summer was sunny, warm and dry and delivered the longest dry period in Willamette Valley history, more than 100 days.
Fine weather held into October and harvest occurred mid-month, with grapes reaching ideal ripeness.
Style markers are ripe tannins, moderate alcohol and good acidity. Wine Spectator's Oregon chart scores the vintage 97.

Take your wine study further

Flashcards, blind tastings, and a tasting journal in the Wine with Seth app.

Try the app free