Over the past couple of weeks, I have picked up and opened a few entry-level 2007 Oregon pinot noirs with dinner, including Erath, Evesham Woods, and Lange. If these are any indication of what's to come, then the 2007 vintage is going to be my kind of pinot noir. Each of these understated wines offered modest fruit, good acidity, and low alcohol. Put another way, they were a clear departure from their overstated predecessors from 2006, a vintage that produced wines that too often tasted of candied fruit and heat from the higher alcohol.

Here's what the Oregon Wine Board had to say about the 2007 harvest back in November of that same year:

Oregon’s 2007 growing season started off strong, with a slightly warmer spring than normal that provided ideal conditions for fruit set throughout the state. Moderate temperatures persisted during the summer, with no major heat spikes, leading to nearly ideal fruit maturation going into late September, until significant rain events began and didn’t let up until late October. But try as it might to dampen spirits, the state’s winemakers and growers remained focused and diligent with picking decisions. Many say this challenging harvest has left them pleasantly surprised with the resulting wine quality.

When all was said and done, the 2007 vintage was a record crush, producing over 20,000 tons, a 16% increase over the previous year's harvest. This increase in production was apparent on recent visits to various retailers, as the shelves seem to be filling up with 2007 pinot from producers not seen before in Seattle. As a result of all of this fruit combined with the downturn in the economy, it appears prices are holding steady, if not even declining a bit, for entry-level Oregon pinot noir, especially those in the $15 to $25 range.

With the prospect of a really good vintage at reasonable prices, I am going to focus this month on sampling as many 2007 Oregon pinot noirs as are available for purchase at my local retailers. Here is a mixed case I have picked up for this purpose, specifically to see which wines consumed with dinner show the most promise for being a regular accompaniment to meals in the year ahead:

Brick House 2007 Pinot Noir Select Ribbon Ridge (13.4%) - $25
Broadley Vineyards 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13.5%) - $23
Chateau Bianca 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (12.5%) - $16
Chehalem 2007 Pinot Noir 3 Vineyard Willamette Valley (13.5%) - $32
Cooper Hill 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13%) - $18
Cooper Mountain 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve Willamette Valley (13%) - $22
Evesham Wood 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13%) - $18
Lange 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13.2%) - $23
Patricia Green 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve Willamette Valley (13%) - $26
Patricia Green 2007 Pinot Noir Four Winds Vineyard McMinnville (12.5%) - $29
Terrapin Cellars 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13.2%) - $18
Westrey 2007 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley (13.5%) - $23

For those unfamiliar with my approach toward reviewing wine, each bottle will be opened and consumed with dinner, as opposed to being tasted on its own without food or all together in a comparative way. My goal is to cover each of these wines over the next three weeks, with the possibility that other wines might be added as a result of future shopping excursions.

I hope you will join me in the coming weeks and share your own experiences with any of these wines you happen to serve at your table. It should be a fun experiment to cover these entry-level wines, while keeping an eye out for the mid-tier 2007 Oregon pinot noirs that will be released in the coming months.

2007 Harvest Reports
Oregon Wine Board's Report
Harvey Steiman of Wine Spectator