The Grower’s Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 is sourced from select vineyards throughout Oregon. Grower’s Guild is the affordable line of wines from Owen Roe Winery, which David O’Reilly owned. And that is why the Grower’s Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 is chosen as CheapWineFinders St Patrick’s Day wine.
Owen Roe was an Irish Rebel commander from the 1500s and 1600s, and David O’Reilly has an Irish name. I am sure there are other affordable Irish-related wines available, but I couldn’t find one at local shops. Ireland has more of a beer and whiskey history.
Vintage Wine Estates purchased Owen Roe Winery in 1999, which has a whole portfolio of wines, and David O’Reilly now serves as the head of winemaking for the Northwest coast. Owen Roe’s value-priced wines had been the Sharecropper line of wine, and that brand seems to be replaced by the Grower’s Guild wines.
Owen Roe wines featured vineyards in Yakima Valley in Washington and the Willamette Valley in Oregon. The Grower’s Guild wines do not seem to be exclusively sourced from Willamette Valley but from “dedicated growers up and down the state’s best regions.” Willamette Valley gets all the wine writers’ attention, but there are grape-growing regions all along Oregon’s coast.
I always like Owen Roe Winery because even though they are a producer of excellent, splurge-worthy, they always also produced top-quality affordable (under $20, the Grower’s Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 was found for $16). Not every high-end winery has paid attention to value-priced wine drinkers.
An interesting feature of Oregon Pinot Noir is that wines selling for about $40 and under have screw-cap enclosures, and the $40 plus wine have corks. I think more wine regions should follow this example; a typical $40 and under wine is not going to be cellared, and a screw-top is far easier to deal with. Most value-priced wines have inexpensive corks or cork substitutes. They are nothing to get excited about; give me a decent screw cap.
The technical notes for the Grower’s Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 do not give much information. They mention that the spring and fall had cool weather and the summer was warm, and that is exactly what you look for when growing Pinot Noir grapes. The wine was aged in oak, but other details are given. The alcohol content is 13%.
Grower’s Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 Tasting Notes
The color is a very see-thru garnet red. The nose is bright, ripe cherry, sharp spice, vanilla, herbs, crushed dried fall leaves, strong black coffee, and tea. It is full of interesting aromas; if I kept my nose in the glass, it would offer up additional scents, but on to the taste portion.
Often with value-priced Pinot Noir, you would describe them as soft, silky, and smooth, but the Grower’s Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 has that and another dark side and brooding. It tastes black cherry, exotic spice, bitter dark chocolate, licorice, and ripe plum.
The mid-palate adds non-sweet Dr. Pepper, a sharp slap of rougher-edged spice, raspberry, and a salty, cashew sensation. The tannins are sweet, and the acidity gives this Pinot Noir a bright, lively appeal.
The Summary
- The Grower’s Guild Oregon Pinot Noir 2019 is a solid example of an Oregon Pinot Noir.
- I know the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir gets all the press, but in this price range except growers and a talented winemaker matter more.
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