1999 Bethel Heights Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir

Bethel Heights, in Salem, was founded in 1977 by Ted and Terry Casteel, Pat and Barbara Dudley and Marilyn Webb. The group was related by marriage or blood ties and shared the same dream of starting a winery. They bought 75 acres for vineyards, planted vines and in 1984 produced their first commercial vintage. Ted Casteel was vineyard manager for 30 years and with his wife Terry was winemaker. Bethel Heights today owns 100 acres of vineyards and produces 10,000 cases a year. The family-owned business now includes numerous sons, daughters and cousins and the Casteel’s son Ben is winemaker. Bethel Heights was one of the first of the Oregon Pinot Noir producers to win acclaim from reviewers, and the estate still focuses on Pinot Noir, though it also makes Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay.

Willamette Valley AVA was established in 1983, and it is the oldest appellation in Oregon. Oregon’s modern wine industry began in the Willamette Valley in the 1960s when artists, vagabond winemakers, and U.C. Davis oenology graduates looking for new territory started their own, small, off-the-grid wineries. The appellation is the state’s largest, and it extends 175 miles from Columbia River on the Washington/Oregon border to just south of Eugene, near central Oregon. The Willamette River runs through the area, helping to give the appellation a mild year-round climate. There are six smaller sub-appellations within this AVA, but altogether the Willamette Valley has the largest concentration of wineries in Oregon, as well as the majority of the state’s most famous producers. Pinot Noir is king here, followed by Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling. To most admirers of Oregon Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley offers the most distinctive wine choices in the state.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.