MCMINNVILLE, Ore. — It’s a bit of a paradox that Francis Ford Coppola doesn’t have a stage right now for Dave Petterson, who makes some of the Willamette Valley’s top examples of Pinot Noir, evidenced by Domaine de Broglie winning the award for Best of Show at the 2023 McMinnville Wine Competition.
Petterson has worked with Coppola’s Dundee Hills vineyard for nearly two decades, and that experience and skill led to a pair of double gold medals for Pinot Noir. The 2019 Domaine de Broglie Vineyard Block C Clone 777 ($62) was the judging’s No. 1 wine, and the 2018 Domaine de Broglie Vineyard Pinot Noir Cuvée ($44) also was in the running for best of class.
“Francis is a busy man so we don’t see a lot of him, but he is a huge fan of the property, the Willamette Valley and the wines we are producing,” Petterson told Great Northwest Wine. “It is important to him that Domaine de Broglie function independently, so we have a lot of autonomy.”
In 2020, Petterson and his team dealt with wildfires and smoke that plagued the entire Pacific Northwest. A year later, a structure fire destroyed the Domaine de Broglie tasting room atop the Dundee Hills.
All along, however, Petterson has been crafting his wines in downtown McMinnville, inside the historic power plant Ken Wright famously reconfigured in 1990 for Panther Creek Cellars. The winery building and its tasting room now has new owners with a different mission, so Domaine de Broglie must move out and make its 2023 vintage elsewhere.
“Because our tasting room burned down in October 2021, and because the facility where we make wine was recently sold, I don’t have a lot of information about this at the moment,” Petterson said. “The long-term plan is to move all operations to the vineyard, but I don’t think that will happen this year.”
Lange Estate Winery amasses 6 gold medals
No winery earned more gold medals during the Jan. 7 evaluations than second-generation winemaker Jesse Lange and his family’s Lange Estate Winery and Vineyards as the storied Dundee Hills producer received four golds for Pinot Noir and two for Chardonnay — all six from the 2021 vintage. That list of golds also cast a spotlight on their entry-level yet stylish Classique program, priced at $25 for the Chardonnay and $30 for Pinot Noir.
Cardwell Hills Cellars in Philomath, selected as 2021 Oregon Winery of the Year by the Great Northwest Wine editorial team, won the awards for Best White Wine and Best Chardonnay with Dan Chapel’s 2021 The Bard Chard ($25), which also earned a double gold. It was the second consecutive vintage that The Bard Chard was the competition’s Best Chardonnay, and it marked the fourth time in the past five years that Cardwell Hills received an award for either the judging’s top Pinot Noir or top Chardonnay.
Judges highlighted another Dundee Hills producer — Durant Vineyards — when selecting the 2019 Durant Vineyards Brut as the competition’s top sparkling wine. Durant also was awarded a double gold for its 2019 Frontier Pinot Noir.
The Campbell family, owners of storied Elk Cove Vineyards, are pouring the McMinnville Wine Classic’s top sweet wine at its Pike Road Wines tasting room in downtown McMinnville — the Pike Road Wines 2021 Route 47 Dessert Wine ($25), an Alsace-inspired blend of Muscat, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. Pike Road winemaker Heather Perkin also won a double gold medal for her 2018 Pinot Noir off historic Shea Vineyard.
40:31 Wines entered what proved to be the best rosé when Shari Price’s estate NV Sparkling Rosé ($45) from her Ten Peaks Vineyard in McMinnville received a double gold medal. Ruby Vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains received three gold medals, two for 2019 Pinot Noir. Kristin Hill Winery in Amity, now owned and operated by Dave and Briana Rasmussen, earned a trio of gold medals for red wine — two of those from Bordeaux varieties under its VinTyr brand.
Mt. Hood Winery in Hood River, coming off a heavily decorated year that included producing the No. 1 wine of the 23rd annual Platinum Awards in Washington state, began the 2023 competition season with gold medals for winemaker Rich Cushman’s 2021 Chardonnay and nonvintage Sparkling Brut Cuvée.
Last year, Iris Vineyards in Cottage Grove used a Pinot Gris to win best of show in McMinnville. This month, winemaker Aaron Lieberman received gold medals for two Pinot Noirs.
Among Southern Oregon entrants, Peter William Vineyard in the Rogue Valley produced two of the best whites, winning gold medals for 2021 Sauvignon Blanc and 2021 Chardonnay. Schultz Glory Oaks in the Applegate Valley provided the panel with delicious diversity and was rewarded with gold medals for Tempranillo and Malbec.
Coppola honors memory of French physicist
When the director of The Godfather and Apocalypse Now invested in Oregon, Coppola renamed the winery and picturesque vineyard near Domaine Serene as a tribute to Louis de Broglie, who won the 1929 Nobel Prize for physics and provided inspiration for the creation of the European Organization for Nuclear Research.
As a child, Coppola was nicknamed “Science” by kids at his New York high school, yet the Oregon-based homage to a leader in quantum theory is more than a passion project.
Despite the calamities and confusion for customers, Petterson’s work for Coppola does not miss the radar of critics. For example, last April, the Domaine de Broglie 2019 Reserve Pinot Noir earned a spot on Sara L. Schneider’s list of springtime Pinot Noirs from California and Oregon for luxury brand publication Robb Report.
“I remember a very interesting mix of conditions in 2019,” Petterson says. “We had some of the similar intense heat as 2018, but then we had quite a bit of rain during harvest. Although fruit generally got nice and ripe, these wines retained some nice acidic tension.
“It was the kind of year that played to the strengths of the block of Clone 777 this wine (the best-of-show winner) was made from,” he added. “That block doesn’t overreact to heat in the early season and doesn’t shut down early when the weather starts to turn. I think it’s the most multi-dimensional Pinot in the vineyard, and I think that shows in this wine.”
It’s also a testament to Petterson’s experience with the vineyard and the production facility. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native has been working with the vines since 2007 — when the planting was known as Vista Hills Vineyard. And those wines have been made at the historic power plant that became known as the home for Panther Creek Cellars.
Petterson’s start in the Oregon wine industry began at Panther Creek, where he became an assistant winemaker in 2003 for Michael Stevenson. Petterson’s future in-laws — the Kaplans — sold Panther Creek in 2005 to the Chambers family of Silvan Ridge Winery in Eugene.
In 2018, Vista Hills was sold by the McClintock family to Coppola, who has continued to have Petterson serve as head winemaker and general manager. It’s been a remarkable script for Petterson, who grew up overseas and graduated from Vassar College in New York. He earned a master’s degree in geographic information systems from Portland State and was working for local government when he became attracted to the Oregon wine industry.
“I really don’t do much GIS stuff anymore but incredible geographic technologies are all around us these days, which I marvel at,” Petterson says. “And I still love maps. The geology and geomorphology I studied comes up a lot, though.
“I do give a pretty mean Missoula Floods talk,” he adds.
It is telling that when Coppola turned over his namesake winery in Sonoma to Delicato — a transaction that generated national headlines — the cinematic icon held onto two brands.
“When Vista Hills was sold to the Coppola family in 2018, we were rebranded as Domaine de Broglie and operated under the direction of Francis Coppola Winery (FCW) in Geyserville,” Petterson points out. “In June 2021, FCW merged with Delicato Family Wines and Delicato took over operation of FCW. Domaine de Broglie and Inglenook, in Napa, were not included in the merger with Delicato. The Coppola family retained full ownership of those two brands and properties. So the team here in Oregon now reports directly to the Coppola family, although we share a number of administrative and operational functions with Inglenook.”
This spring and summer, those operations will become more complicated because the family behind Silvan Ridge and Liz Chambers Cellar recently sold the building to The Ground, a multi-faceted hospitality group that includes Tabula Rasa Farms in Carlton, Humble Spirit restaurant in downtown McMinnville and is led by Brenda Smola-Foti.
Stillwater has become the new name for the building that Wright made famous for wine. (Wright said he bought the entire block from the City of McMinnville for $100,000.) According to a representative for The Ground, Stillwater will serve as an events center with catering via Humble Spirit, which played host to one of the dinners for McMinnville Wine Classic judges. The restaurant along historic Third Street is a short walk from The Atticus Hotel — the annual headquarters for the judging panel.
Public pouring March 10-12 of McMinnville judging
McMinnville Wine + Food Classic is the public tasting that features award-winning wines from the Jan. 7 competition, and both serve as fundraisers for St. James Catholic School in McMinnville. The 30th annual festival will be held at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum, which has been rescued from financial difficulties since being purchased by Bill Stoller of Stoller Family Estate in nearby Dayton.
Organizers and volunteers recruited wine buyers, sommeliers, journalists and educators to score the competition, conducted for the third straight year at Abbey Road Farm in Carlton. Judges applauded when it was revealed that a Coppola wine stole the show.
“It’s an amazing honor for our whole team, especially given the amazing panel of judges assembled this year,” Petterson noted. “We’ve been participating in the McMinnville Classic for many years, and the event has maintained a great vibe throughout all of the changes. We really enjoy being a part of it. There were some really fantastic wines submitted by so many great producers and to have this group of judges unanimously single out Domaine de Broglie wines for recognition is very, very special.”
This year’s judging panel starred Michael Apstein, journalist, WineRevewOnLine.com, Boston, Mass.; Jusden Aumand, head buyer, Tri-Vin Imports, New York; Samantha Cole Johnson, writer, JancisRobinson.com, Portland, Ore.; Hoke Harden, writer/educator, Gresham, Ore.; Ellen Landis, certified sommelier/ writer, Great Northwest Wine Magazine, EllenOnWine.com, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Patrick McElligott, educator, Cannon Beach, Ore.; James Melendez, writer/educator, JamesTheWineGuy.com., San Francisco; Clive Pursehouse, writer/U.S. editor, Decanter Magazine, Seattle; Fred Swan, writer/educator, San Francisco; A.J. Weinzettel, certified sommelier/podcaster, Weinnotes, Portland; and Deborah Parker-Wong, writer/educator, national editor for Slow Food Slow Wine Guide USA, San Francisco.
2023 McMinnville Wine Competition results
Best of show / Best red wine / Best Pinot Noir / Double gold medal
Domaine de Broglie 2019 Domaine de Broglie Vineyard Block C Clone 777 Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills $62
Best white wine / Best Chardonnay / double gold medal
Cardwell Hill Cellars 2021 The Bard Chard Chardonnay, Willamette Valley $25
Best sparkling wine / double gold medal
Durant Vineyards 2019 Durant Vineyards Brut, Dundee Hills $60
Best sweet wine / double gold medal
Pike Road Wines 2021 Route 47 Dessert Wine, Yamhill-Carlton $25
Double gold medal
REX HILL 2019 Jacob-Hart Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Chehalem Mountains $60
Amaterra Wines 2019 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $45
Belle Fiore Winery 2019 Estate Teroldego, Rogue Valley $35
Brandborg Vineyard & Winery 2020 Ferris Wheel Estate Vineyard Fleur De Lis White Pinot Noir, Elkton Oregon $25
Domaine de Broglie 2018 Domaine de Broglie Vineyard Pinot Noir Cuvée, Dundee Hills $44
Durant Vineyards 2019 Frontier Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills $100
Golden Cluster 2020 On Wine Hill Millerandage Chardonnay, Tualatin Hills $35
Iris Vineyards 2021 Areté Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $50
Iris Vineyards 2021 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $25
King Estate Winery 2021 Domaine Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $30
King Estate Winery 2021 Pinot Gris, Willamette Valley $19
Kristin Hill Winery 2020 VinTyr Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley $36
Kristin Hill Winery 2019 Pinot Noir Nouveau, Eola-Amity Hills $32
Olea Vineyards 2019 Cockburn Vineyard Mix Tape Tempranillo, Columbia Valley $45
Peter William Vineyard 2021 Chardonnay, Rogue Valley $30
Pike Road Wines 2018 Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton $50
Pinot Vista Vineyards 2019 Syrah, Rogue Valley $39
Schultz Glory Oaks 2019 Majestic Malbec, Applegate Valley $32
Shumaker Vineyards 2021 Pinot Gris, Tualatin Hills AVA $20
Griffin Creek 2019 Cabernet Franc, Rogue Valley $55
Yamhill Valley Vineyards 2018 Estate Pinot Noir, McMinnville $28
40:31 Wines NV Sparkling Rosé, Willamette Valley $45
Gold medal
Adelsheim Vineyard 2019 Staking Claim, Chehalem Mountains $40
Awen Winecraft 2018 Malbec, Rogue Valley $50
Bluebird Hill Cellars 2019 Reserve Syrah, Columbia Valley $54
Cathedral Ridge Winery 2018 The Daughters’ Reserve, Columbia Valley $58
Chemeketa Cellars 2021 Pinot Blanc, Eola-Amity Hills $18
Le Cadeau Vineyard 2018 Merci Reserve, Chehalem Mountains $80
K & M Wines 2020 Syrah, Walla Walla Valley $45
Kristin Hill Winery 2020 VinTyr Cabernet Franc, Columbia Valley $36
Lange Estate Winery 2021 Classique Chardonnay, Willamette Valley $25
Lange Estate Winery 2021 Lange Estate Vineyard Chardonnay, Dundee Hills $65
Lange Estate Winery 2021 Classique Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $30
Lange Estate Winery 2021 Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $80
Lange Estate Winery 2021 Pinot Noir Reserve, Willamette Valley $40
Lange Estate Winery 2021 Three Hills Cuvée Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $55
Montinore Estate 2016 Parsons’ Ridge Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley $50
Mt. Hood Winery 2021 Chardonnay, Columbia Gorge $38
Mt. Hood Winery NV Sparkling Brut Cuvée, Columbia Gorge $52
Peter William Vineyard 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Rogue Valley $24
Pheasant Hill Vineyard 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, Yamhill-Carlton $21
Ruby Vineyard 2018 Chardonnay, Chehalem Mountains $40
Ruby Vineyard 2019 Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains $60
Ruby Vineyard 2019 Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains $40
Schultz Glory Oaks 2018 Rock Tempranillo, Applegate Valley $32
Vino Vasai 2019 Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains $58
Tresori Vineyards 2020 Viognier, Applegate Valley $35
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