Westrey Wines
Westrey Wine CompanyWestrey is a serious wine collector's winery, with Burgundian influences and an emphasis on ageable, classic wines made to pair with fine cuisine. Their wines are approachable, and in the case of the Pinot noir Willamette Valley 04, even forward, but benefit from cellaring and attention to food pairings. David and Amy know their wine and have deep experience of wine and food pairing. A chef's winery, where every wine calls for fine food. Westrey Wine Company is David Autrey and Amy Wesselman, and now their twins as well. Their first harvests were1989 for David and 1991 for Amy, and both winemakers bring a deep understanding of the seasons, the soils, the terroir, and the unique grape growing and winemaking conditions of the Willamette Valley. Westrey's first vintage was in 1993, and they have operated out of a plain cement building down a gravel road in McMinnville since then. The scenery is of cell phone and powerline towers, with a bit of railroad added for even more industrial flavor. Out of such unlikely quarters come some quite superb wines.
Westrey White Wines Westrey Reserve Chardonnay 04 This elegant Chardonnay is made from 75% Oracle Vineyard (their own Estate vineyard) and 25% Justice Vineyard fruit. It was aged in 25% new oak to enhance the midpalate, add length, and evoke the terroir of the vineyards. Oracle Vineyard, which Westrey owns, is close to Abbey Ridge Vineyard. Its white wine grapes show a pronounced minerality, inherent to the Draper Clone (with which it is planted). Its red wine grapes (Pinot noir) show floral rose petal in the nose, and crushed red fruit flavors on the palate. Oracle is a cooler site, higher up on the hill than other vineyards in the area, and is predominantly Jory soil. Maresh and Weber Vineyards are on the other side of the hill from Oracle, and Le Pavillon and Clos Electrique Vineyards are lower than Oracle, and hotter. Oracle and Abbey Ridge Vineyards ripen a full two weeks after the lower vineyard, Abbey Ridge. Westrey Pinot noirs Westrey Shea 02 was made from Block 21 (75%) and the East Hill's Back Block (25%). Block 21 was planted in 1989 to Pommard clone Pinot noir. Westrey made only eight barrels of the Shea 02, aging 12.5% in new oak. David says: "Shea Vineyard has lots of earth character that accentuates the flavors of the barrel, so I backed off on the use of new oak for this wine." The Shea 02 shows a tension between red and black fruits, an inherent opulence resulting, perhaps, from a higher Ph. To maintain balance and not overdo the opulent qualities of the Shea fruit, David backed off on the amount of extraction he allowed to occur in the winemaking process. The Shea 02, with its black and red fruit tension and good, flavorful earth qualities underneath, showed well (tasted 4/06). The wine is still definitely on the young side, and could cellar for 5-8 more years. The wine shows less up front fruit and more subtle dried floral and dried cherry character than, for example, Westrey's Willamette Valley wine. The Shea 02 is a wine to hold and enjoy for the nuanced flavors and scents over a period of years. Shea Reserve 02 Shea Reserve Pinot noir 02 is the flagship Westry wine. Made from four of the five AVAs existing at the time, the wine is made from grapes sourced from across the Willamette Valley, and represents Westrey's take on the vintage as a whole. The Reserve 02 is made from 25% Justice Vineyard 777 clone (freerun) from the Eola AVA; 25% Stony Mountain from the McMinnville Hills AVA; 25% Shea Block 21 in the Yamhill Carlton AVA, and 25% Abbey Ridge, in the Dundee Hills AVA. The wine was aged in 25% new oak barrels and 25% one year old barrels. The wine shows more wood character than other Westrey wines, with hints of coffee bean and vanilla in the wine. The Westrey Reserve 02 shows both the best of Oregon's Pinot noir fruit character and the unique character of the 2002 vintage. From the Abbey RIdge fruit come floral and high tone notes; from the Stony Vineyard, a dark, rich, muscular character; the lush, rich flavors of the lower elevation sites are blended with the cooler sites to add structure. Temperance Hill Pinot noirs Westrey made Pinot noirs from Temperance Hill fruit in 2000 and 2001. The Guam Block ,from which the fruit was sourced, is considered the best block of the vineyard. Harvested on October 5, 2002 at less than a ton of fruit per acre, the Pinot is DIjon Clone 777. The 115 block, highest and most east in the vineyard, provided additional fruit. It was harvested on October 12, 2002 and providedd 2.1 tons/acre of Pinot grapes. The Temperance Hill fruit produces a Pinot noir with pronounced red cherry fruit flavors, a structured wine where the tannins are in line. The Nekia soil of the vineyard adds an earthy/mineral character to Pinot noirs made from the site. The Westrey Temperance Hill 00 is showing earth, minerals, and pronounced charry fruit that come out with air. As of spring 2006, decanting and aeration is recommended. The Westrey Temperance Hill 01 has a ripe and intensely floral character. It is a bigger, rounder wine than the 00, the result, perhaps, of higher potassium in 01. It is not known why Potassium varies from year to year, but some winemakers attribute style changes to its fluctuation. The Westrey 01 has high tone red cherry notes, lush fruit, and less earth character than the 00. THere is a subtle yet present slate/mineral quality to the finish.
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