He commented “2011 was the coolest in 50 years. the delicious news to report is that the 2011 wines are very high in quality!” Brian Marcy of Big Table Farm had not been living in Oregon long when he came into the 2011 vintage. And the best is yet to come.” Josh Bergstrom of Bergstrom Wines commented “The common misconception in the wine world is that late and cool vintages often spell disaster.

While somewhat austere out of the gate, the best wines of the vintage are still vibrant, youthful and complex. Innocent fame recently mentioned to me “Despite the latest ever beginning of harvest, the rains stayed away, and we were able to pick fruit with ripe tannins and great acidity, and make wines with less than 12.5% alcohol - essentially wines that will age beautifully.” The talented Tony Rynders of Tendril offered his thoughts on the 2011 vintage, noting “The 2011 was custom made for people that truly love Pinot Noir. Oregon Winemakers were typically positive about the 2011 vintage and saw the vintage as one that showed off some beautiful wines, despite obvious challenges with the growing season. Obviously with the 2014-16 vintages in Oregon, crafting wines in a Burgundian style is a good deal more challenging than producing wines that show more opulence and ripe fruit. I feel that a Burgundian style Pinot Noir from Oregon that is complex, layered and shows amazing range has the same potential for a high score than a Pinot Noir that shows marvelous concentration, richness and texture alongside good tension. It is worth noting that when I review Oregon Pinot Noir I do not particularly reward deep and concentrated wines. In fact, I tried a very high concentration of wine that I rated over 90 points. I have re-rated this vintage 90 as there are far more wines that are near or exceed 90 points. Originally upon release I saw this vintage as better than most Oregon wine reviewers, rating it 88, as I noted good and even great wines made upon release as well as some lean, bordering watery wines, particularly with some of the value Pinot Noirs that struggled with gaining adequate concentration.

I think that 2011 as a vintage, like 2007, is particularly challenging to rate, due to the range of quality in the wines. It is clear that many of these wines were not ready upon release and needed time to develop in the bottle. What is now in the glass is typically something more linear, earthy and in its best edition, thoroughly intoxicating. Initially panned as a poor vintage, many wine critics, including myself, were downright incorrect in reviewing the 2011 vintage.

William hill pinot noir 2024 review