Oregon Chardonnay has been buzzing in the wine world, and if you’re looking to understand why, ask Josh Bergstrom. His parents, Swedish immigrants, founded their Willamette Valley vineyard decades ago. They didn’t quite mean to start a wine legacy — his father moved to the United States from Sweden at the age of 17 and didn’t speak a lick of English. But now, the Bergstroms have bloomed beautiful Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays out of an idyllic parcel of land perched over the Willamette Valley.
One look at the land and you realize why such wonderful wines are born from them. While Napa has been fraught with natural disasters and insidious weather, Oregon has had a wonderful decade — each vintage is hot and dry and devoid of well, wildfires. 60 million years ago, this land was underwater and today, the ancient seabed lends minerality to reds and whites.
Both Bergstrom’s Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs capture a beautiful example of Oregon’s potential. The line of Pinot Noirs each capture a specific part of the valley — for example, one vineyard atop an ancient lava flow makes a sanguin pinot noir (La Spirale, $98) full of violet and tarragon.
The Sigrid Chardonnay is an ode to the family’s roots in the valley. Named after his grandmother, it’s aromatic with driving minerality; lushly layered with honeysuckle and stone fruit. $140
Kate Dingwall is a WSET-trained sommelier and spirits writer. Her work has appeared in Wine Enthusiast, Eater, Forbes.com, and Food & Wine, and she pours wine at one of Canada’s top restaurants.