Slow Your Roll

Slow Wine Guide USA 2025 edition includes 72 Oregon wineries

By Neal D. Hulkower

A slower time for wineries is prime time for Slow Wine field coordinators. Following last April’s kickoff, we tasted with producers of “good, clean and fair” wines in California, Oregon, Washington and New York made from grapes grown without synthetic herbicides. We then prepared entries with brief descriptions of the principals and history, vineyards, wines and farming practices. For the Slow Wine Guide USA 2025 edition, I visited 24 wineries in the Willamette Valley. Highlights follow.

Antony Beck reassembled an 1855 land claim– including vineyards planted by Ken Wright– to create Abbott Claim Vineyard. Acclaimed winemaker Alban Debeaulieu leads the production of complex Pinot Noir and aromatic Chardonnay. Abbott Claim Vineyard 2021 Pinot Noir has aromas of warm coffee, and flashes of cherry, cinnamon and flowers. The palate is young, but beautifully structured, with silky tannins.

Brian and Jill O’Donnell founded Belle Pente Vineyard & Winery in 1994. Freshness and ageability are typical across their offerings, along with exquisite balance. The elegant youthful Estate Reserve 2019 Pinot Noir displays red fruit and floral perfume with a hint of spice and bright acidity on the palate.

Bergström Wines, founded in 1999 by John and Karen Bergström, is now run by son Josh and his wife, Caroline. Winemaker Maddy Rausch fashions beautifully textured Chardonnay and well-structured Pinot Noir. Evolving aromas with floral notes, mushrooms, citrus, red fruit and hints of spice characterize the Le Pré du Col Vineyard 2022 Pinot Noir. The well-balanced palate is gorgeous and complex, but still immature.

In 2006, Pattie and Mark Björnson started Björnson Vineyard. Head winemaker Scott Sabbadini draws from two estate vineyards to vinify a broad range of grapes. Viola 2023 Auxerrois typifies the style with its fresh aromas of sweet flowers, crisp apples and chalk, with intense flavors of Asian pear and citrus.

Doug Tunnell established Brick House Wines in 1990, with wife Melissa Mills joining in 1996. Tunnell produces the wines at his Demeter-certified biodynamic estate in Ribbon Ridge AVA. Fermented with 30 percent whole clusters, Le Dijonnais 2022 Pinot Noir exudes dark fruit, oak and cinnamon on the nose while the nicely textured but immature palate hints at complexity.

Jon and Kathy Lauer acquired Bryn Mawr Vineyards in 2009, and, with the help of winemaker and vineyard director, Rachel Rose, grew the site. Winds from the Van Duzer Corridor play a significant role in the wines Rose crafts. Her 2021 Estate Pinot Noir, fermented with 35 percent whole clusters, contributes aromas of cinnamon, forest floor, herbs, dark cherry with a hint of violet. The young palate exhibits excellent balance and structure.

Celestial Hill Vineyard is the passion project of Chris and Melissa Thomas who purchased the property in 2020. Featuring elegant structure and enticing aromatics, their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are intended to age. The Benjamin Vineyard 2021 Pinot Noir displays aromas of sweet cherry with a floral perfume. The palate, excellently structured, has smooth tannins and a medium finish.

Dave and Lois Cho started CHO Wines in 2020. Dave’s wines range from playful to serious. The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater Rocks 2022 Syrah is surprisingly accessible, displaying the AVA’s distinctive gravelly nose with stem and hints of meat, and a beautifully structured palate with flavors typical of Syrah from the area.

Sofía Torres McKay and her husband, Ryan McKay, planted Cramoisi Vineyard in 2012. The lovely 2021 Reserve Pinot Noir exemplifies the maturing style. A “best barrel” selection fermented with 13-18 percent stems added back, the wine possesses a most elegant nose, more perfumed and floral, and lightness on the palate with a hint of citrus.

David Hill Vineyards and Winery, started in 1965 by Charles Coury, is under the stewardship of Mike Kuenz, who oversees the estate and vineyards he owns with Laurine and Alfredo Apolloni. Chad Stock makes the wines from some of the oldest vineyards in the Willamette Valley. Enticingly perfumed notes of flowers, earth, stem and faint spice, with an elegant, nicely textured, and structured palate characterize his Wholecluster 2022 Pinot Noir.

Dominio IV is the venture of husband and wife Patrick Reuter and Leigh Bartholomew. With assistance by Ryan Kelly-Burnett, Reuter produces a range of graceful, kaleidolfactic, age-worthy wines. Tango 2017 Reserve Tempranillo puts forth aromas of dark fruit, forest floor with hints of mint and leather emerging with air. The flavors are dark with varietally typical leather notes. Tannins are abundant but medium fine, adding an intriguing texture.

Goodfellow Family Cellars is the two-person enterprise of Marcus and Megan Goodfellow. Marcus creates structured yet elegant wines. The Temperance Hill Vineyard 2022 Pinot Noir Heritage No. 20 was fermented with 100 percent whole clusters, contributing a pleasant stemminess to the nose. The well-structured, rich palate is suave and silky-textured with lower acidity.

Granville Wine Co. was founded in 2014 by second-generation winegrowers, vigneron Jackson Holstein and his wife Ayla. They attain enhanced ageability and complexity through whole-cluster fermentation. The Temperance Hill Vineyard 2022 Pinot Noir, fermented with 40 percent whole clusters, exudes a lovely nose with a stem base, floral perfume and spice. The palate is delicate with nicely textured tannins, intense acidity and a long finish.

Another husband-and-wife operation, J.C. Somers Vintner, is run by Jay Somers and Ronda Newell-Somers. Their Pinot Noirs are medium-weight, complex, well-balanced and capable of aging. La Colina Vineyard 2022 Pinot Noir presents a classy, spice-inflected candied dark cherry nose and an approachable palate with very fine tannins supporting the smooth texture and nice structure.

Owner and winemaker Danielle Lafayette operates Lafayette and White Cellars, a small batch producer started with Andrew White. She creates wines with minimal intervention adopting novel approaches to both expected and less common varieties. Her Eocene 2023 Rosé, an unusual blend of 80 percent Pinot Noir, 15 percent Pinot Gris and 5 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, fills the nose with fruit and a hint of funk. The palate is rich with pleasant fruit and suggestions of mint, watermelon, and, retronasally, watermelon rind. Great balance and texture.

Winemaker Todd Hansen started Longplay Wine after buying Lia’s Vineyard in 2005, the source of all of his grapes. He sold it in 2023, and now focuses on highlighting the individuality of vintages and various blocks and barrels through limited-size bottlings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Many are approachable young. Hi-Tone 2021 Pinot Noir highlights lovely complex aromas of spice and red fruit with an intense floral note emerging with air. The palate lives up to the name, Hi-Tone, yet still elegant, elusive and nicely balanced with a medium finish.

Five members of the Momtazi family operate Maysara Winery with founders Moe and Flora supported by their three daughters. Tahmiene is the winemaker and Naseem and Hannah assist with sales and events. Strictly adhering to biodynamic practices results in wines, all sourced from the Momtazi Vineyard, with vintage transparency. Asha 2013 Pinot Noir releases a bouquet of dried prune/plum and earth. While the entry is after the nose, the well-balanced palate evolves quickly with a medium finish and fine acidity. Brightly contemplative, it’s a quiet, thought-provoking wine.

Jean-Nicolas Méo and Jay Boberg gave their names to Nicolas-Jay. Jean-Nicolas and assistant winemaker Noah Roberts vinify Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from grapes picked early, resulting in complex, savory-structured wines with high acidity that enhances freshness. The nose of the Nysa Vineyard 2022 Pinot Noir exhibits creamy, fruity, floral notes reaching toward perfume, with a hint of citrus emerging. Its palate is savory with warm leather, silky texture, balance and structure.

One man operation, Ratio:Wines, was started by Anthony King in 2015. Thoughtful and contemplative, his wines are complex and attract attention through restraint rather than power. Fermented with 100 percent whole clusters, Retina 2022 Pinot Noir was sourced from Temperance Hill and Meredith Mitchell Vineyards. The nose is complex with aromas of cinnamon, lavender, red fruit and herbs. The youthful palate is delicate and understated with great acidity supported by smooth tannins and a creamy, medium finish.

Founded in 2006 by winemaker Remy Drabkin, Remy Wines includes a broad range of Italian varietals, sparkling wine and Pinot Noir. Her Unmet Desire 2022 Pinot Noir is intensely floral with red fruit and herbal notes on the nose. The entry is delicate, yet confident, with fine-grained tannins and a short finish. Lovely now with a long life ahead.

Winemaker and proprietor, Wynne Peterson-Nedry, now heads Ridgecrest (formerly Ribbon Ridge Winery), started by her father Harry in 2002. She creates bright, acid-driven whites and well-balanced Pinot Noir vinified with judicious use of new oak and whole-cluster fermentation. The elegant RR Estate 2016 Reserve Riesling is a poster child for how well Riesling ages. Its bouquet features intense petrol wrapped in tropical fruit. The rich entry lightens and finishes long with refreshing acidity. The mid-palate shows fine tannins.

In 2001, winemaker Chris, with wife Hilary Berg, started Roots Wine Co. Chris specializes in acid-driven whites, complex aromatic reds, and novel treatments and blends. RACINE Roots Estate Vineyard 2021 Pinot Noir is a “best barrel” selection with a pretty, dark fruit nose that carries over to the well-balanced palate and medium-long finish. Delectable now with a great future.

Since 2005, Jason Lett has run The Eyrie Vineyards founded in 1965 by his late father, David, and mother, Diana. Lett produces a broad selection of well-structured wines, all sourced from estate vineyards, and designed to age. Roland Green 2021 Pinot Noir gives off the prettiest floral aroma, leaving an impression of perfumed fresh air. The restrained palate hints at what’s to come with its medium savory finish.

Bill Sweat and Donna Morris founded Winderlea Vineyard and Winery in 2006 after acquiring their old vine Dundee Hills estate vineyard. The Pinot Noirs emphasize delicacy and complexity with refreshing acidity and fine tannins to enhance age ability. Imprint 2022 Pinot Noir is a three-clone blend fermented with 100 percent whole clusters. The aromas are rich and deep with some stem influence; floral notes and chocolatey wood scents emerge with air. The palate is complex and well-balanced with good acidity but shortened by youthful tannins.

After the field coordinators (Nancy Croisier, Ellen Landis, Annie McKay and myself) completed their work, it was time for Deborah Parker Wong, the U.S. National Editor of the guide, and Pamela Strayer, the U.S. Senior Editor to begin theirs. They produced the 2025 Guide, available online at www.slowfoodusa.org or from your favorite bookseller.

Neal D. Hulkower is an applied mathematician and freelance writer living in McMinnville. His first contributions to a wine publication appeared in the early 1970s. Since 2009, he has been writing regularly about wine-related topics for academic, trade and popular publications including Journal of Wine Research, Journal of Wine Economics, American Wine Society Wine Journal, Oregon Wine Press, Practical Winery & Vineyard, Wine Press Northwest, Slow Wine Guide USA and The World of Fine Wine as well as wine-searcher.com, trinkmag.com, and guildsomm.com. Neal is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers. His first book, Grape Explications, will be released in 2025.