At the northern end of Oregon’s Willamette Valley is a relatively new American Viticultural Area (AVA) called Laurelwood District. Nested within the Chehalem Mountains AVA and the much larger Willamette Valley AVA, the distinct soils here are formed by volcanic rock beneath a top layer of windblown silt that accumulated over centuries. The combination is know as Laurelwood Soil, and it lends itself to rich, spicy Pinot Noir. The Willamette Valley runs 150 miles north to south, from Portland to Eugene, Oregon, and has gained a stellar reputation for Pinot Noir over the past few decades, but the region also makes equally good Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Syrah, among 60 or 70 others. The Pinot Noirs can have a very Burgundian profile, with earthy tones and deep cherry flavors. It’s a great region all around for wine making.
This is a major reason that Ron Benza and Trish Damkroger bought their sixteen+ acres in Hillsboro, Oregon. That and a job offer that Trish couldn’t say no to. I had a chance to talk to Ron for an hour or so recently, which was a great way to spend some time learning what drives him and his vision for Benza Vineyards. Ron had caught the bug decades back, while living in Paris and Brussels in the eighties. He wanted to get into winemaking from the ground up, from the farming through the bottling. That meant he wanted to own the whole operation, and the only way to do that is to buy a vineyard and winery. They got the vineyard immediately, as there were 12 acres under vine, but the previous owner sold his grapes, and didn’t make any appreciable amount of wine. Fortunately that owner had also built a 3000 square foot tractor barn, and this is now in the last stages of becoming the winemaking facility for Benza Vineyards.
That will start with this year’s vintage. For now, the wine is made at next door neighbor Ruby Vineyards. Ruby winemaker Andrew Kirkland crafts the Benza wines from Benza Vineyards fruit, and he will continue to do so once the operation moves onto Benza Vineyards property. All of the equipment is in, and the move to the old tractor barn will start soon.
The major wine here is Pinot Noir, which is no surprise as it is the mainstay throughout the Willamette Valley. They make several, ranging from the premium Three Tuxedos Reserve Pinot Noir to a light and lively Pinot Noir made with sourced fruit from a nearby vineyard. An estate Chardonnay and Pinot Gris are also offered. The Chardonnay is oak aged, spends 16-18 months on the lees, but stays fresh and doesn’t go to that buttery, heavy oak place. As for the Pinot Gris, we’ll rave about that shortly. Also prominent are sparkling wines. Ron is putting more of a focus on sparklers going forward, and their current bottles include a traditional method wine made with a field blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as a forced carbonation Brut Rosé which is very popular.
We got hold of four wines from Benza late last year, and the cross section tells us a lot about the quality and style. Let’s take a look at them.
2018 Estate Pinot Gris – made with grapes from a north facing vineyard block, this juice is a
light straw color, with apple, pear, a hint of peach and floral notes on the nose. It has good body and is very smooth, while maintaining freshness. The apple shines on the palate, along with some hints of citrus. The touch of sweetness in the wine provides the perfect balance to an elegant white wine. No wood is involved in the production, this only sees stainless steel. I love this, and it was #16 on our Top 20 Wines of 2022 list. $24 and very much worth it.
2019 Estate Rosé of Pinot Noir – this is made from 100% Pinot Noir grown at the highest part
of the estate. It spent six hours on the skins prior to a light pressing. The color is a bright reddish pink, with a nose of strawberry, tropical fruits, a little citrus and some floral notes. It’s an elegant profile, not too in your face or over-exuberant. The palate shows a bright and crisp wine with a clean finish. This is a higher quality Rosé and is quite excellent. $24
2017 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir – this juice is made with sourced grapes from nearby Noren Vineyard, and thirty year old vines. It is aged in French oak. Color is
a medium red with pink and orange hues. The nose is dark cherry, berry and earthy notes. It is very bright on the palate, and medium to light bodied. Cherry fruit is front and center, along with coffee cream. It is edgy with good length and would go well with a wide variety of foods. It really reminds me of a good quality Beaujolais. $26
2018 Estate Pinot Noir – the estate Pinot Noir is made from various estate blocks in the vineyards. The 2018 vintage was warm and very dry, leading to intense flavors. 
Aging was done in French oak for 10 months. Alcohol here checks in at 13.5%. The color is a medium dark, purple red. Cherry and berry fruit are wrapped with earth, and nuanced with orange peel and floral notes. On the palate it is medium+ in body, with a solid fruit core. This is rich and fresh at the same time, with excellent balance. That rich fruit holds sway through the mid-palate and right to the end of the long finish. This is excellent. $50 and a good example of a high quality Willamette Pinot Noir.
The wines above demonstrate an across the board quality level that is impressive. The Pinot Gris is one of my favorite white wines of last year, and you can see that in our Top 20 of 2022 list. The Rosé is crisp but elegant. On the Pinot Noir side, the Willamette Valley juice is really vibrant and fruit forward, while the Estate Pinot Noir brings richness. There is something for everyone, especially considering we still have much of their lineup to try. It’s good to have something to look forward to.
With current production of around 1500 cases, the winery can easily extend to double that. That said, Ron has no plans to “go big”. The model will stay direct to consumer, through their tasting room, wine club and other on-line sales. Throw in a few good restaurant lists for exposure and that’s it. Focus on quality and value and it’s hard to go wrong. Ron is solidly on that path.
Looking forward to the 2021 vintage, Ron believes it is exceptional. A combination of smoke damage from the 2020 fires, the driest Spring on record and June downpours during the bloom resulted in ultra low yields, but very concentrated fruit. The 2021 vintage is one to look for.
You can learn more about Benza Vineyards at their website, www.benza.com. You can also join their wine club and enjoy 20% discounts. With the discount all of these are excellent value wines.
We’ll be buying more.
A votre santé!
[…] wines from Benza Vineyards in for review which did not make it into the our earlier article (see that here). They are both Pinot Noir. One is their signature wine and one is a blend made with grapes […]