DUNDEE, Oregon — An Oregon pinot noir has been named one of the world’s “Top 10 Most Exciting Wines” by Wine Spectator magazine.
The Drouhin Oregon Roserock Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills 2022 ranked sixth on this year’s prestigious “Top 100” list.
Customers Zach Pointer and Erin Allison visited Domaine Drouhin’s Dundee winery Wednesday to celebrate Pointer’s 28th birthday. They had no idea they would be treated to a special tasting of the celebrated Roserock varietal, which earned a Wine Spectator score of 94 out of 100.
"It's good!” said Allison.
“It's very good," Pointer agreed.
Pointer is a former cellar employee for Domaine Drouhin in Dundee. Although he didn’t work on the 2022 Roserock vintage, he said it’s fun to see a wine develop from grapes to fermenting to bottle.
“It’s very fulfilling,” said Pointer.
David Millman has been the president and CEO at Domaine Drouhin for 20 years and said this “Top 10” honor for the Roserock Pinot Noir is a first.
“When you look at Wine Spectator's Top 100, it's a carefully considered list of great wines,” Millman said. “To be included is terrific, but once you're in the top 10, it's pretty rarified air.”
Those who want to taste the ‘22 Roserock, though, may find it hard to find: Nearly 16,000 cases have dwindled to a small number of bottles.
“It's been non-stop phone ringing off the hook this week,” said Millman. “It's super exciting.”
The winery is now releasing the wine’s 2023 vintage to keep customers happy.
Millman said Domaine Drouhin isn't the only winery finding success producing wine from the Eola-Amity Hills. He said many winemakers have noticed the area's vineyards are special.
“If you look at all the elements, they may look like other places, but certain pieces of land just have that bit of magic,” he said.
Millman said many Oregon wineries are garnering attention around the world.
“You can see there are six of us on the “Top 100” list, even though Oregon makes up just 1% of the total U.S. wine production,” he observed, adding that as winemakers learn from each vintage, he expects this is only the beginning for Oregon's wine industry.
“I think for a lot of people, they feel it's still a sense of discovery. It's a good story that gets better and better,” Millman said.