The 7 Best White Wines From Oregon to Buy Now
Domaine Serene, Arterberry Maresh, Gran Moraine
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Chardonnay has been grown in Oregon’s Willamette Valley since the 1970s, but winemakers have recently started making wines from other white varieties such as Riesling, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Noir. Having said that, Chardonnay is still the king of Oregon white wines, so this list includes five incredible Chards, plus an excellent traditional method sparkling wine and a fantastic white Pinot Noir. We’re big fans of the wineries that French families founded about 20 years ago, and we’re very happy to see that some of that French winemaking style has rubbed off on other locals. Many ferment in stainless steel and concrete tanks and choose to use oak aging more judiciously, so the finished wines can be clean and crisp with little or no oak contact. Others opt for barrel aging, allowing the delightful fruit flavors to shine through in the wines. Here are the seven best white wines from Oregon to buy now.
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Arterberry Maresh 2023 Maresh Vineyard Chardonnay Dundee Hills
Image Credit: Arterberry Maresh Loie and Jim Maresh Sr. purchased a 27-acre hilltop farm in the red hills of Dundee in 1959. Their daughter, Martha, married Fred Arterberry Jr., one of Oregon’s first winemakers to graduate from the University of California at Davis. Their son Jim Arterberry was born in 1983 and grew up on the farm. Today, he oversees 140 acres and is the head winemaker. His 2023 Maresh Vineyard Chardonnay offers ethereal aromas of freshly cut ginger, dried sage, and lime zest. It has great minerality with a touch of salinity and flavors of apricot, peach, and dried sage leaves.
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Willamette Valley Vineyards 2021 White Pinot Noir
Image Credit: Willamette Valley Vineyards Vintner Jim Bernau founded Willamette Valley Vineyards in 1983 and cleared a fruit tree orchard to plant Pinot Noir in the Salem Hills. The first summer, he hand-watered the young vines with a standard garden hose as he did not yet have drip irrigation. A lot has changed since the early days, and the winery has grown exponentially through collaborative partnerships with other Oregon producers. Its white Pinot Noir was one of the best that we tasted. The straw color belied its aromas of red raspberry, peach, and pink grapefruit zest. In the mouth, it exploded with crisp freshness and flavors of white peach, apricot, and red Delicious apple.
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Ponzi Vineyards 2019 Blanc De Blanc Sparkling Wine Laurelwood District
Image Credit: Ponzi Vineyards Dick and Nancy Ponzi relocated to the Willamette Valley in the late 1960s with the dream of producing excellent, cool-climate Pinot Noir. They purchased a 20-acre farm, planted their first vines in 1968, and established Ponzi Vineyards in 1970 in the Laurelwood District AVA of the Willamette Valley. While they are known for their still Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, they make a stunning sparkling wine in the traditional method with second fermentation in the bottle. Their 2019 vintage Blanc de Blancs has great perlage and aromas of freshly baked bread, Gala apple, almond, and lemon blossom. It is lively and effervescent in the mouth with crisp, clean stone fruit flavors.
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Tan Fruit 2023 Eyrie Vineyard Chardonnay Dundee Hills Willamette Valley
Image Credit: Tan Fruit Winemaker Jim Maresh makes small-batch, high-quality wines from estate-grown grapes under his family label, Arterberry Maresh, but also produces excellent wines under his Tan Fruit brand with grapes sourced from other vineyards. This delicious wine is made from grapes grown in the Eyrie Vineyard and has aromas of white peach, pear, and lemon curd that lead the way for flavors of lemon zest, apricot, and Gala apple.
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OO Wines 2023 VGW Chardonnay
Image Credit: OO Wines Richard Hermann emigrated to the United States and earned his doctorate in forestry at Yale in Connecticut. After graduation, he, his wife, Freya, and their young son, Chris, drove across the U.S. to live in Oregon. Fast forward a few decades, and today Chris and his wife Kathryn make excellent Chardonnay wines in homage to Richard using Dijon, Wente, and Mendoza clones. VGW stands for “very good white,” and it’s made from three different Dijon clones and one Mendoza clone, which gives it excellent balance. Aromas of white peach, mandarin zest, and lemon blossom lead to flavors of freshly cut apricot, lemon zest, and a touch of lemon curd in the finish.
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Domaine Serene 2022 Evenstad Reserve Chardonnay Dundee Hills
Image Credit: Domaine Serene Domaine Serene, named after proprietors Ken and Grace Evenstad’s daughter, is one of the Willamette Valley’s best producers of wines made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Evenstads settled in the Willamette Valley in 1989 and purchased a 42-acre estate in the Dundee Hills. They completed their five-level gravity flow Pinot Noir winery in 2001, and 10 years later, they built a new winery to produce their amazing Chardonnays and sparklings. Domaine Serene 2022 Evenstad Reserve Chard has aromas of lemon zest, pineapple, and Gala apple. Flavors of peach, citrus blossom, and guava are wrapped in a sheath of brilliant acidity.
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Gran Moraine 2022 Yamhill-Carlton Chardonnay
Image Credit: Gran Moraine Winemaker Shane Moore grew up in Idaho but had an early interest in farming and wine, so he moved to Washington and attended Washington State University with a focus on enology. After graduating, he did winemaking stints in Canada, Western Australia, Sonoma, Israel’s Golan Heights, and finally found his home at Gran Moraine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 2013. His 2022 Yamhill-Carlton Chardonnay has heady aromas of Fuji apple, freshly baked brioche, and lemon blossoms. It is full-bodied in the mid palate with delightful flavors of creamy lemon curd, gooseberry, pineapple, and white peach.
