My Latest in Oregon Wine Press:
Old World Wisdom
From Burgundy to Oregon, winemakers reflect on what matters
by L.M. Archer
For Burgundian winemakers in the Willamette Valley, sustainability isn’t simply a buzzword, but a way of life honed over generations. Meet four historic estates honoring their heritage in the vineyards of Oregon.
Patrimoine
French vignerons have a word for heritage: patrimoine. Roughly translated, it means honoring one’s ancestors while protecting the land for future generations.
“For nearly 200 years, we have focused our energies on promoting Burgundy and its viticultural heritage,” says Guillaume Large, winemaker for Résonance Wines, Maison Louis Jadot’s Oregon venture established in 2013. Large alongside winemaker Jacques Lardiére, Pierre-Henry Gagey and Thibault Gagey manage the Yamhill-Carlton winery.
Large continues, “Ever since the birth of Maison Louis Jadot in 1859, we have managed to reunite hundreds of parcels of vines, handing them down from one generation to another in order to guarantee the quality of the wines from this unique terroir. The decision about how to manage the vineyards is the grape grower’s most important decision. It was essential for us to use this Burgundian heritage in Oregon, at Résonance, to reveal the characteristics of each place, each terroir, each ‘somewhereness’ and to learn about them.”
“Even though I am a newcomer, relatively speaking, to this industry, my family has been in Burgundy for some time,” adds Jean-Nicolas Méo of Domaine Méo-Camuzet in Vosne-Romanée, who, in 2012, co-founded Domaine Nicolas-Jay with music impresario Jay Boberg — the winery’s tasting room recently opened in the Dundee Hills. “Learning from Henri Jayer and carrying on the traditions of the family domaine [founded in 1902], I have always felt very obliged to allow the vineyards to tell their history through our wines and tell the story of the people who came before me, honoring the soil, the vineyards and the great terroir of the land we farm.” READ MORE HERE.