2017 Willamette Valley / Oregon Vintage

After a few dry winters, the 2016-17 winter gave Oregon ample rain and snowpack statewide. That winter gave way to a relatively cool, wet spring compared with recent years, and bud break started closer to normal timing, in mid-April. Spring then warmed with record heat in late May that initiated flowering in most areas of the state, before a cool-down in early June slowed flowering through the second and third weeks of the month, followed by a few days of record-high temperatures. Flowering was very complete and produced very good fruit set, helped by warm 2016 conditions that had set the stage for increased fruitfulness, meaning more clusters per vine and larger clusters. In the Willamette Valley, the wet, cool spring delayed Pinot Noir flowering until late June, setting the stage for a later harvest. Rollin Soles of Roco described his 2017 vintage as completely different from the previous three years, when vintners harvested earlier than normal. July brought ramping heat that moved the vintage rapidly toward veraison, and August delivered multiple one-day records for maximum daytime temperatures with heat-stress events early and late in the month. It was the warmest August on record in Oregon and across much of the western United States. Hot, dry conditions prevailed throughout the summer in the Willamette Valley. The heat stress did not produce much sunburn, though it may have delayed ripening in some varieties, and some growers dealt with water berry and sugar accumulation disorder and thinned affected clusters. A warm early September accelerated fruit development, then a mid-month cool-down slowed things again. Growers who feared a fast, compressed harvest got a slow, steady one instead. Isabelle Meunier of Lavinea began picking in the last week of September and worked at her own pace into October, taking advantage of mild weather and slow flavor development to promote fuller skin and tannin development. Fruit set was higher than average in the Willamette Valley.

• The 2016-17 winter brought ample rain and snowpack after a few dry winters, followed by a relatively cool, wet spring
• Bud break started closer to normal timing in mid-April; record late-May heat initiated flowering before an early June cool-down
• Willamette Valley Pinot Noir flowering was delayed until late June
• August 2017 was the warmest on record in Oregon and much of the western United States, with heat-stress events early and late in the month
• Heat stress produced little sunburn but may have delayed ripening, and some growers thinned clusters affected by water berry and sugar accumulation disorder
• A warm early September then a mid-month cool-down turned a feared compressed harvest into a slow, steady one
• Fruit set was higher than average in the Willamette Valley

2017 was a heavy fire year in the Pacific Northwest, and the question of where the smoke actually landed matters for reading the vintage. The Chetco Bar fire in Southern Oregon started by lightning strike on July 12, 2017 and burned through the summer, with shifting winds carrying smoke periodically through the Rogue Valley and into northern Oregon. In early September a fire erupted in the Columbia Gorge, and smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted over the Pacific Northwest for a significant part of the summer. The fire season started in July and lasted for months, blanketing Seattle and Portland in smoke and ash, and flames came within a few miles of some vineyards but inflicted no damage. Growers statewide had concerns about possible smoke taint, and there were scattered reports of it, but the largest growing regions dodged the worst of the smoke. Plumes of smoke lingered over vineyards in the Columbia Gorge and the Southern Oregon AVAs during veraison. Herb Quady of Quady North in Southern Oregon found smoke taint in some of his wines, while Barbara Steele of Cowhorn in the Applegate Valley has not tasted any smoky characteristics in her estate wines.

• The Chetco Bar fire started by lightning on July 12, 2017 and burned through the summer in Southern Oregon
• A Columbia Gorge fire erupted in early September, and Canadian wildfire smoke drifted over the Pacific Northwest for much of the summer
• Flames came within a few miles of some vineyards but inflicted no damage
• Smoke plumes lingered during veraison over the Columbia Gorge and the Rogue and Applegate valleys, and the largest growing regions dodged the worst of the smoke
• Herb Quady of Quady North found smoke taint in some of his wines; Barbara Steele of Cowhorn in the Applegate Valley has not tasted smoky characteristics in her estate wines

Sugar and acid levels landed near average to slightly higher than average, with many touting beautiful flavors and well-balanced fruit. The season rewarded the people who managed their crop. Rollin Soles of Roco said the growers who thinned bunches made incredible wines, and pointed to a fresh fruit component and a complexity that comes out in the wines. Winemakers are optimistic about the quality of the wines despite the roller-coaster season.

• Sugar and acid levels were near average to slightly higher than average
• Many touted beautiful flavors and well-balanced fruit
• Rollin Soles of Roco credited bunch thinning, citing a fresh fruit component and complexity in the wines
• Winemakers are optimistic about quality despite the roller-coaster season