Talk-A-Vino

Source: WillaKenzie Estate

The first LIVE Certified Sustainable winery in the Pacific Northwest, LIVE member 0001. Wines worthy of serving at the White House gala, state dinners, and even to the French President and British First lady. One of the first Direct to Consumer wine programs in Willamette valley. The list of accolades of the WillaKenzie Estate can go on and on.

Founded a little more than 30 years ago, WillaKenzie Estate takes its name from the eponymous sedimentary soils of Willamette Valley in Oregon where the winery is located. The name is also a tribute to the Willamette Valley’s two major rivers, the Willamette and McKenzie which are also displayed on the winery’s crest.

WilleKenzie Estate was founded in 1991 by Bernard and Ronni Lacroute who purchased 420 acres of farmland near the town of Yamhill, Oregon. Bernard and Ronni brought their Burgundian heritage to the newly planted vineyards, and with the help of another Frenchman, Laurent Montalieu, the first winemaker at WillaKanzie, produced its first vintage in 1995. The rest is history, as they say (if you are interested in more historical details, here is the link). In 2016, Lacroutes entrusted their legacy to the Jackson Family Wines.

In 2017, Erik Kramer became WillaKenzie’s third winemaker. I had an opportunity to sit down with Erik (yes, virtually), and ask him a few questions. Here is what transpired in our conversation:

[TaV]: Before making wines in Willamette Valley, you were working in New Zealand. New Zealand is also world-famous for its Pinot Noirs. How would you compare New Zealand and Oregon Pinot Noirs?
[EK]: That’s a broad question. With the Willamette Valley, we’re generally talking about one region with a few sub-appellations (e.g. Yamhill Carlton, Dundee Hills, etc.). When speaking about Pinot from the Willamette, it’s tough for me to do so without speaking about the climate, which moves between Mediterranean and Maritime. The result is a balanced expression of Pinot anchored in freshness and clarity of fruit. With New Zealand, there are quite a few different regions within the country where Pinot is being grown and each is a bit different. The region in New Zealand that often seems to garner the most attention is Central Otago, which has a climate that is much more continental than the Willamette Valley and it’s reflected in the wines that are grown there (dark, savory, and energetic). For me, the region in New Zealand that most resembles the Willamette Valley in terms of Pinot expression is Martinborough (complex Pinots with great energy and complexity). I believe Martinborough leans toward Mediterranean in terms of climate with similar levels of heat accumulation to the Willamette. It may just be a little drier on a year-round basis.

[TaV]: This conversation series is about “Passion for Pinot Noir”. What drives your passion for this grape commonly identified as a “finicky grape”?
[EK]: One of the things I love about Pinot is the level of complexity and cellaring potential it can offer in such a graceful and balanced package. It really can be the proverbial ‘iron fist in the velvet glove.’ One of my favorite Pinot memories dates to a conversation I had one evening at the home of a famous consulting oenologist named Andrea Paoletti. He’d consulted with many of the world’s best producers on viticulture, what to plant and where, clones, etc. We were sitting on his patio, overlooking his olive tree grove on a hillside just outside Chianti (it was a great evening!). I remember him saying to me over a glass of wine, “when Pinot Noir is good, I think it’s the best one.” He was speaking about the grape compared to all the others he’d worked with. That stuck with me, and I tend to agree.

[TaV]: It seems that you grow all the components of the sparkling wines (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, even Pinot Meunier), and yet I don’t see a sparkling wine as part of WillaKenzie’s offerings. Will this change in the future, or do you have a particular reason not to produce Sparkling wines?
[EK]: Funny you ask this question! We tirage bottled our first WillaKenzie Estate Brut from the 2019 vintage in the summer of 2020 and have been bottling sparkling wines ever since then (made from the grapes you asked about). We just haven’t released anything yet. Our club members will be the first to get a glimpse of our first-ever Brut later this year.

[TaV]: Outside of the sparkling wines, any plans to plant new grapes? How about new types of wines, maybe Pinot Noir Blanco?
[EK]: On the new planting front, Chardonnay has become a much more important role player in our portfolio. We added about 4 acres of Chardonnay a few years ago and have an additional 3 acres planned for this spring (and more a few years down the road). We produce several terroir specific Pinot Noirs from several parts of the Estate and are moving in the same direction with Chardonnay (blanc and rouges from the same location). As far as new wines go, we bottled our first vintage of Tourdion (named after a 14^th century Burgundian dance meant to signify a play on grape varieties). It’s a barrel fermented white blend that is made from Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier.

[TaV]: Today you make single vineyard wines. Any plans to produce “single block” wines?
[EK]: WillaKenzie Estate is a large, contiguous farm from which we produce several terroir specific wines that tell a story about the place. In essence, they are all single block wines from one Estate.

[TaV]: WillaKenzie was the first winery in Oregon to receive LIVE certification back in 2008. How do you see sustainability evolving at WillaKenzie today? Are there things you would like to change to further advance sustainability?
[EK]: Sustainability has always been an important part of the WillaKenzie identity. The farm has been managed sustainably since it was established in 1992. Maintaining a healthy, biologically diverse landscape is part of our holistic approach to land management. More recently, we established a bee colony on the Estate as well as experimented with different wildflower species. We also have several initiatives in place aimed at lowering our carbon footprint. We already have a solar array that provides between 40% and 50% of our power and we are looking at increasing the size of our array to provide up to 100% of our power. With that, we’re transitioning heavily to an all-electric model to move away from greenhouse gases and become more carbon neutral. We have a brand-new Ford F150 Lightning pickup truck that just rolled up last week. We already have one electric forklift and next year, we’ll replace the remaining gas-powered forklift with another electric unit. So yeah, we have a lot going on here.

[TaV]: Other than WKE, if you would have an opportunity to make wine at any winery in the world, what winery would you choose and why?
[EK]: This is a tough one. So many choices! I’ve already been very fortunate to work at some great places in and outside of the US. I guess if push comes to shove, I’d go with Ata Rangi in Martinborough, New Zealand right now. Those Pinots are so delicious, and I’ve not worked in Martinborough, but love the area. The bonus would be that I’d be able to visit my son on weekends (he’ll be studying at the University of Auckland for the next few years, which is only a few hours drive from there). Ask me again in 4 years and I’ll have a different answer. Probably something more obscure like living and working at Boutari in Santorini making delicious Asyrtiko and enjoying the view after work and on the weekend.

[TaV]: Where do you see yourself, and also WillaKenzie in 10 years?
[EK]: Me? I honestly don’t know and am not looking that far ahead right now, which is unusual since I’m a goal-oriented planner. Perhaps I’m still involved with WillaKenzie in some capacity? Perhaps I’m working on some exciting new wine project outside of the U.S.? Perhaps I’m teaching wine production or viticulture classes at some community college? As Eddie Vetter sings in the song ‘Release’ off Pearl Jam’s first album (Ten) – I’ll ride the wave where it takes me!

WillaKenzie in ten years? That’s easier. It’s regarded as one of the great estates of the Willamette Valley. The winery’s Estate Cuvee Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are on important wine lists around the country. Our club members have been enjoying WillaKenzie’s Brut and Blanc de Blanc in their club shipments. We are not just growing terroir specific Pinot Noirs from places on the Estate like Aliette and Emery, but also Chardonnays. Tourdion (that exciting white blend) is available nationally. The winery’s solar array now provides 100% of the Estate’s power supply. Our HVAC systems have been modified from LPG to electric. We have not just one bee colony, but several and our club members are taking WillaKenzie Estate honey home as gifts at club events. The list goes on and the future is very bright.

Okay, it is time to taste some wines:

2018 WillaKenzie Estate Chardonnay Yamhill-Carlton (13.8% ABV)
Straw pale
Apples, vanilla, a touch of honey, hint of fresh herbs
Granny Smith apple, tart lemon and lemon zest, good structure, crisp, good body, well integrated tannins on the finish
8, excellent by itself, but will work well with a range of dishes.

2019 WillaKenzie Estate Cuvée Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton (13.9% ABV)
Dark garnet
Cherries, sage, violets
Cherries, a hint of dark chocolate, cut-through, lip-smacking acidity supported by well-integrated tannins on the back end. Good structure, good balance. Succulent dark cherries on the medium+ finish.
8-/8, very nice.

Here you, my friends. Another story of passion for the finicky grape. When it’s good, it is really good. Until the next time – cheers!

P.S.  For more stories of Passion and Pinot please visit the series’ main page.