2017 Cameron Winery, Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, Oregon.
One of the legends of Oregon winemaking along with Mark Vlossak of St. Innocent, Doug Tunnell of Brick House, Mike Etzel of Beaux Freres and now of Sequitur, Ken Wright and Steve Doerner of Cristom, John Paul at Cameron Winery in the Dundee Hills is making some of the most impressive wines of his career, be sure not to miss these latest wines, especially the ultra bargain 2017 Willamette Valley cuvee! This vintage is fresher than the last couple, but full of flavor and depth, Paul notes “The 2017 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir has all the fullness and richness you expect from Dijon clones.” of which I agree and then some, this is a dark almost meaty wine with tons of personality. It truly amazes me you can get this much wine for the price, this is a killer value! If this Cameron bottling is this good, then I can’t wait to try the upper level Cru and Single Vineyard offerings from 2017.
The 2017 Cameron Willamette Valley Pinot shows a slight reduction at the start that reminds you of Nuits-St.-Georges, but with time and swirls it blows off to reveal violets, cassis, a touch of leather along with a sense of spicy berry fruit before opening up on the palate with black cherry, plum and glazed strawberry fruits as well as a touch of smoke, flinty mineral, anise and subtle wood notes. Coming off estate vineyards mostly, included Clos Electrique and Abbey Ridge, plus some of the grapes were sourced from White Oak Vineyard, mainly of which are Jory soils and as with nearly everything Cameron uses, the vines are non irrigated (dry famed) and farmed with organic, holistic and Salmon safe methods. In the winery, John Paul uses all native yeast fermentations and the wine is raised in Barrel at least 18 months, and even though this is his “Bourgogne Rouge” style or entry level Pinot, it is also exceptional in detail and age-worthy.
($24 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive