A decade ago, Willamette Valley winemaker Isabelle Meunier and business partner Greg Ralston co-founded their single-vineyard wine brand, Lavinea.
Her winemaking, which includes a focus on site-specific transparency and minimal oak influence, has landed Lavinea releases on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year numerous times and frequently receives high scores from the global critics such as James Suckling and Jeb Dunnuck.
A Quebec native, Isabelle studied winemaking and viticulture in Burgundy and New Zealand prior to working with French-Canadian Pascal Marchand at Domaine de la Vougeraie and at Felton Road in New Zealand with Blair Walter.
Meunier’s star began to rise in 2007 when Marchand recommended her to famed winemaker Dominique Lafon and Master Sommelier Larry Stone for their new Evening Land Vineyards project in Oregon’s Eola- Amity Hills. Four years later, Wine Spectator awarded 97 points to the 2009 Seven Springs Vineyard La Source Chardonnay. It was the highest score that had ever been bestowed upon an Oregon Chardonnay.
In 2014, Meunier and Ralston — the international winery executive recruited to Oregon in 2012 to become CEO of Evening Lands — went out on their own to launch Lavinea. A year later came the news that the 2012 Seven Springs La Source Pinot Noir made by Meunier placed No. 3 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 list in 2015 with 98 points.
Among her favorite Willamette Valley vintages in recent years was the “perfectly balanced” 2017, she says. Her early characterizations of the 2023 vintage include “interesting” and “amazing” after a rollercoaster growing season.
“Spring was colder than normal, and budburst came in late April,” Meunier says. “But by the end of July, they caught up beautifully with summer’s steady, sunny weather, which provided the perfect conditions to ripen relatively quickly at most vineyards. The wines show fruitful aromas, wonderfully concentrated flavors, silky textures and wonderful length.”
Meunier and Ralston aim to express the purest form of site-specific terroir. They believe the greatest wine regions in the world are defined by their most highly touted vineyards, and they maintain that not many vineyards within Oregon are “yet” well known.
That is thankfully changing, she says, “and we wish to help elevate, and promote, some of the great vineyard sites that the Willamette Valley has to offer.”
To achieve that goal, they embrace the vintage variations in their winemaking but minimize winemaking intervention. And moderate levels of alcohol factor into why Lavinea wines age gracefully.
“We wish to guide the wines as a true representation of that vineyard within the context of the vintage, yet avoid anything in the winemakers’ toolbox that would greatly impact one vineyard over the other,” she says.
“In a nutshell, we treat each vineyard the same way through winemaking so that the difference in the glass between each wine can be tasted and seen as terroir driven, not winemaker driven,” she adds.
“Our goal is to provide a wonderful selection of wines that is a discovery of our vineyards for that specific vintage.”
The only barrels she uses are from Burgundy, adding that grain tightness has improved consistency. She prefers “tight and extra-tight oak profiles to suit the long élevage in barrel, while preserving freshness.”
Meunier’s passion for wine is strong, and she shares that it started as a passion for the complexity of the craft and the beauty of what is in the glass.
“It requires a skillful blend of science, art and intuition, which I view as wonderful challenges,” she says.
If she were not making wine, what other direction might she head?
“I find myself paying much more attention to how things grow — not just grapes — and have developed many interests in fermentations of all kinds — not just wine!
“Overall, I value being close to nature and following the rhythms of the seasons, which is why winemaking has been so rewarding.”
Thanks to what she and Ralston are accomplishing, wine aficionados near and far are also rewarded. The wines can be experienced at their young tasting room along Kutch Road in downtown Carlton. Reservations can be made via Lavinea.com.
Lavinea Winery 2021 Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills $77: From this 100-acre, certified organic vineyard comes this provocative Pinot Noir grown at elevations ranging from 660 to 860 feet, higher than most in the Eola-Amity Hills. Florals on the nose lead to a brilliantly balanced medley of blackberries and olallieberries entwined with forest floor notes, hints of nutmeg and clove, and oak nuances. Full-bodied while elegant, it showcases velvety tannins, brilliant balance, and a persistent finish. (13.2% alc.)
Lavinea Winery 2017 Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills $82: Earth tones and exotic spice on the nose and entry wrap around a gorgeous core of Bing cherries, marionberries, and blueberries. Graceful from the start to its compelling finish, this brings hints of black tea, beautifully integrated oak and wild mushrooms with herbs de Provence adding further dimension. Polished tannins, impeccable balance and deep fruit promise this gem has many more years to impress. (13.9% alc.)
Lavinea Winery 2021 Elton Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills $65: The luminous hue and expressive aroma of tree fruits and citrus blossom heightens the senses and will keep you hanging over the glass. White peach, creamy Bartlett pears, Meyer lemon brioche, tinges of earth, a thread of minerality, and honeysuckle blossom on the palate keep you mesmerized. Purity and depth from the first sip through the long-lasting finale. (13.1% alc.)
Lavinea Winery 2017 Elton Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills $69: A tantalizing aroma of citrus-splashed summer peaches wafts from the glass. Complex and sophisticated as layers of juicy freestone peaches, flaky lemon pastry, poached pear, hints of Marcona almonds, quince paste, underlying oak, and minerality flow seamlessly across the palate. The lively, elegant finish lingers far beyond the last swallow; brilliant. (13.2% alc.)
Lavinea Winery 2021 Tualatin Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir, Tualatin Hills $77: A walk in the forest comes to mind as this gem nears the nose, with lovely scents of wildflowers and cherries. Blossoming on the palate are flavors of juicy red cherries, spiced raspberry/ blueberry compote, sauteed mushrooms, anise and blood orange accents. Decant if enjoying now or hold for future enjoyment. While approachable, it is cellar worthy if you have patience to wait. (13.3% alc.)
Lavinea Winery 2017 Tualatin Estate Vineyards Pinot Noir, Tualatin Hills $82: From own-rooted vines planted in Laurelwood soil 50 years ago, this gorgeous Pinot Noir opens with a perfumed floral aroma. Exquisitely balanced on the palate as Sweetheart cherries, boysenberries, anise, earthy tones, orange zest, subtle French oak nuances and a splash of cola fully coat the mouth. Well defined, satin smooth and tantalizing with persistent length; irresistible. (13.2% alc.)
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