BURGUNDY VIA OREGON

Burgundy via Oregon... or might we say Burgundy in Oregon? Either way, this month the French #winophiles are exploring the houses of Burgundy, France, that also have wineries in N. America. Get the intro here from host LM Archer, and then join in the conversation on Saturday, 19 Dec at 8 AM PST on Twitter under #winophiles. And, read more about what everyone else has to say here:

• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm tells of “Countries United Through Food and Wine” https://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares “Galette au Chou + 2017 Résonance Pinot Noir” http://culinary-adventures-with-cam.blogspot.com/
• Terri at Our Good Life tells tells us about “Resonance Pinot Noir and Roasted Pork Loin” https://www.terristeffes.com
• Lynn from Savor the Harvest shares “Oregon Pinot Noir With a Burgundian Heart – Domaine Drouhin Laurène” https://savortheharvest.com/
• Jennifer at Vino Travels cooks up “BBQ Brisket with Domaine Drouhin Pinot Noir” www.vinotravelsitaly.com
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass shares “Oregon PN for a PNW holiday meal: A Résonance” https://www.myfullwineglass.com/
• Robin from Crushed Grape Chronicles has a discovery: “Découverte! Pinot Noir from Oregon’s Dundee Hills and Mediterranean Salmon” #Winophiles https://www.crushedgrapechronicles.com/
• David from Cooking Chat “Braised Moroccan Chicken Thighs with Oregon Pinot #Winophiles https://cookingchatfood.com/
• Jane from Always Ravenous has an “Oregon Pinot Noir Paired with Braised Chicken Thighs, Blackberries, and Fennel Purée” https://alwaysravenous.com/
• Melanie from Wining With Mel tells us “New World meets Old World: Oregon’s Résonance pinot noir paired with beef bourguignon” https://www.winingwithmel.com
• Liz from What’s In That Bottle shares a “Taste of the 45th Parallel” https://whatsinthatbottle.com/
• Jeff from Food Wine Click! tells us about “Louis Jadot on Both Sides of the Pond” https://foodwineclick.com/
• Payal from Keep the Peas shares “Burgundy via Oregon” https://keepthepeas.blogspot.com/
• Nicole at SommsTable has a “Burgundy vs Oregon Showdown with Drouhin Wines” SommsTable.com
• Jill at L’Occasion covers “Bourgogne’s Western Vineyards: Crafting Pinot Noir in Oregon” https://jillbarth.wordpress.com/
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares “From France’s Bourgogne to Oregon’s Willamette Valley: Domaine Drouhin does Pinot Noir” #Winophiles https://winepredator.com/
• Michelle from Rockin Red Blog takes on “Best Of Both Worlds: Burgundy Producers Craft High-Quality Wine in Willamette Valley” https://rockinredblog.com/
• Cindy from Grape Experiences offers “Résonance Wines Express a Burgundian Vibe in the Willamette Valley” http://www.grape-experiences.com/
• L.M. Archer shares life “À Table with Domaine Drouhin Oregon and Résonance Wines” https://lmarcher.com

THE WINES

I received a Résonance Découverte Vineyard wine sample for this review. Résonance is the Oregon, US based venture of the famed Maison Louis Jadot, a Burgundy maison - house - founded by Louis Henry Denis Jadot in 1859 in Beaune, France. Located in the (somewhat) Burgundy of N. America, Résonance wines and Louis Jadot have a fascinating story starting from 1859, when Maison Louis Jadot and the state of Oregon were both founded, on two vastly different continents. From the winery regarding the eponymous single-vineyard Résonance:

"It was a crisp spring day in April 2013 when Thibault Gagey and Jacques Lardière set out to survey a well-established vineyard named Résonance. Jacques had just retired after leading winemaking at Maison Louis Jadot for 42 years, and Thibault, whose family has operated Maison Louis Jadot since 1962, was ready to enter the business with a bold new project. They immediately felt a deep connection with the place, and after tasting through dozens of wines made with the vineyard’s fruit, Jacques sat back and said, “Perfect.” Pierre-Henry Gagey, the President of Maison Louis Jadot and Thibault’s father, agreed. They decided to keep the vineyard’s title, and they also named their new winery—Maison Louis Jadot’s first outside of Burgundy—in its honor. With the same meaning in English and French, Résonance evokes many great things to come. They added the tiny but all-important accent mark to represent this small but special connection between Oregon and France."

Given the intertwined past and present of Maison Louis Jadot and the families that have made it a label synonymous with Burgundy wine accessible to those looking for high quality wine across two continents, it seemed fitting that, for an (maybe) apples to apples comparison, I also open a bottle of a Louis Jadot Bourgogne. Read on to find out what I found out about both the wines.

2017 DÉCOUVERTE VINEYARD, DUNDEE HILLS AVA, RÉSONANCE

100% Pinot Noir

13.5% ABV | Sample (SRP $65)

Colour: 

Medium ruby

Nose: 

Ripe red fruit, flinty notes. A whiff of baking spices and black pepper.

Palate: 

Similar to nose: ripe red fruit, black pepper, baking spices, and a refreshing minerality. Juicy acidity, plush tannins, a medium body, with a lengthy finish. The wine opened up as it sat in the glass but overall it could use a rest in the bottle. I think it would be great in ~3 years.

2018 LOUIS JADOT PINOT NOIR BOURGOGNE

100% Pinot Noir

13% ABV | SRP $20

Colour: 

Medium ruby

Nose: 

Red fruits, black cherries, leather, forest floor, dried roses, white pepper, slight hint of capsicum

Palate: 

This is a very elegant savoury wine with surprising complexity given its young age. Plums, raspberries, cherries, and fresh red fruit flavors on the palate with earthy red flowers, leather, mushroom, mineral notes, and a faint meaty/barnyard sort of note. Balanced acidity, prominent but welcome tannins in a medium bodied wine with a medium finish. This wine is delicious now, especially as it sits in the glass, but would also be terrific in 2-3 years.

THE WINE + FOOD

The wines were different but similar, harking back to their different but similar terrior. Expectedly, the Louis Jadot Bourgogne, despite being a regional classification, was a serious and restrained wine. In comparison, also as expected, the OR wine was a more open, fruit-driven, plush, but also elegant wine. Both wines opened up beautifully with time.

We paired both wines with charcuterie, two washed rind cheeses, and homemade whole wheat bread. The charcuterie and cheeses were a superb match with the wines. The bread: an emphatic no. It has honey in it and that coupled with the sweetness of the whole wheat made a distracting flavour that did not clash but did nothing great to either wine. Because of Covid I was trying to "make do" rather than go out just for bread but next time I'll have biscuits if getting a baguette is not an option! Also, next time I'd pair the Bourgogne with herbed roasted chicken or quail and cherry compote, and the Résonance Découverte with garam masala lamb chops and pickled quince.