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Pinot noir has many expressions. May it be from region, proximity to bodies of water, soil, altitude and even vinification techniques. Burgundy is often heralded as the gold standard for this grape, but fine pinots can be sourced around the world. And in North America, the Willamette Valley in Oregon delivers some of the finest wines made with this varietal in North America. While pricey relative to their French counterparts, there are some quality Oregon Pinots that are available at a reasonable price, and Boedecker Cellars is one of them. And this wine delivers on a pairing with Laiterie Charlevoix from Quebec, and Comté from the Jura Region of France. Buckle up, there’s a lot going on in this video!
From Wikipedia: “The earliest large vineyards in the Willamette Valley was probably cultivated by French immigrant Jean Mathiot in Butteville where he settled in 1853. He planted grapes in 1858 and according to the Oregon Statesman Journal had the largest vineyard in the State in 1859. Eyrie Vineyards’ 1975 South Block Pinot noir placed in the top 10 at the Gault-Millau French Wine Olympiades, and was rated the top Pinot noir in 1979, one of several non-European vintages to outplace French wines in the competition. Not only did the competition establish Oregon as a region capable of producing top-quality wines, it also established that premium winemaking was not the exclusive province of Europe, France in particular. Greater ties between Oregon and Burgundy were established in the 1980s, and this relationship gave Oregon vintners access to clones that California growers were not able to acquire.”
Boedecker Cellars 2017 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir ( is a flavourful, medium bodied, new world pinot noir made with a skilled-hand delivering subtle and well-integrated oak during the cellaring process. With grapes sourced throughout the region’s AVA, this wine has spiced red fruit/berry and fig aromas, round even tannins with balanced acidity, and a reasonably long length. This is a versatile wine, that with its weight and structure, can pair with meats such as beef, chicken, pork and seafood, as well as many cheeses and vegetarian dishes with mushrooms. I picked up at Highlander Wines (in Calgary) (on sale) for about $28 ($Can, 2022). On the 100-point scale, this would be a solid 89 point wine.
We paired up this wine with 2 cheeses: Laiterie Charlevoix and Comté.
From Aux Terroirs, Laiterie Charlevoix is: “washed rind, soft/semi-soft cheese. Le 1608 presents a slightly damp, pinkish rind with a smooth, unctuous, melt-in-your-mouth deep yellow pate. Delicate yet complex buttery flavour with a hint of green apples, and a hazelnut end note. It is prepared with 100% Canadienne cow’s milk, a small breed of black cow introduced into Québec during the 17th century. Reimplanted in the Charlevoix region in 2007, the Canadienne herds on la Ferme Hengil and Ferme Michel Pilote produce the milk that serves to make Le 1608.” This is aromatic, sweet and grassy cheese, with a smooth texture and tanginess on the palate. When paired with the wine, it was excellent and harmonious, and the cheese elevated the fruit character and mushroom character of the wine.
The next pairing was Comté. From Wikipedia & The Word on Cheese Culture: “Comté is a French cheese made from unpasteurized (raw) cow’s milk in the Jura Mountain region of Eastern France (bordering Switzerland). It has the highest production of all French Appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC) cheeses, at around 66,500 tonnes annually. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese.” The cheese is nutty (oozing hazelnuts), fine salt crystals yet rich and smooth with notes of brown butter, and was a perfect pairing. Harmonious and culinary ecstasy, the pairing brought out the beautiful earthiness of both the wine and cheese. We highly recommend that you give this a go.
If you have not tried a Oregon pinot noir, what are you waiting for? And if you have, what’s your favourite? #tastetheworld. ✌🏽🥂
Please note, uncredited images here were taken from the winery and cheese producer’s websites.
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You can order this wine via Vivino (where applicable): (Note, 4.1/5 rating, and top 4% in the world there).