The Passion for Pinot

Welcome to McMinnville, Oregon – a beautiful city nestled in the heart of the Willamette Valley, and also renowned worldwide for its Pinot Noir. Sure, you can have a great trip here without touching a glass filled with the fruits of this famous grape, but it’s hard to understand this area’s modern history without knowing where the connection came from.

Pinot Noir is one of the oldest cultivated wine grape varieties in the world, with a history spanning back over 2,000 years. As you might suspect, Pinot’s story didn’t begin in Oregon, but in the Burgundy region of France, where it has most likely been cultivated all the way back to the first century. Pinot Noir is French for “black pine cone,” which makes sense when you see it in cluster form, full of dark color and in a tight, conical shape. Romans probably found the grape in the wild when they came to what’s now France and started cultivating it for themselves.

By the time of the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church ran most of the vineyards in the Burgundy region, bringing in the modern idea of terroir, farming different plots of land to see what soil, slope, and weather did for the character of wine. By the 14th century, a duke of Burgundy named Philip the Bold banished Pinot’s competition for the area’s vineyards, the Gamay grape, calling it “vile and disloyal,” which feels harsh, but made room for the higher-quality Pinot Noir grape to flourish.

And for centuries, Burgundy was generally where you’d find Pinot. By the 20th century, however, other cool-climate regions tried the notoriously difficult to grow grapes on for size, hoping to make some of the same magic as Burgundy. What they found was that Pinot’s sensitivity to its environment also means that it takes on the character and complexity of the land where it’s grown.

By the 1960s, pioneers of Oregon wine were planting Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley, noting that the cool, moist climate and soil composition there had a striking resemblance to those of Burgundy. By 1979, David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards was shocking the wine world by scoring in the top ten of a renowned French wine competition with his Pinot Noir. In the years since, Pinot Noir has become the most widely grown grape in Oregon, accounting for 60% of our vineyards.

So, all that backstory is great, but why do people love Pinot Noir? It makes for elegant and complex wines, lighter in body and with more finesse than some other bolder reds. People love the aromas of red berries, earthy notes, and sometimes hints of spice and floral tones. Plus, it’s a great wine to pair with food, with bright acidity and moderate tannins that pair with nearly everything, showing range from salmon to roast chicken, rich red meat, or mushrooms.

Whether you’re hitting a vineyard’s tasting room or enjoying a glass at a restaurant here, exploring McMinnville’s connection to this special grape is an unforgettable experience. You’ll taste the passion of our winemakers, feel the connection to this special corner of the world, and find out for yourself why the Willamette Valley is passionate for Pinot.