Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/807387
{ SOMMjournal.com } 63 Reustle continues the story: "We were heading back to California in the RV, and I'm on the internet, and I happened to see a little ad in Umpqua Valley for a property with vineyard potential, so I called right away. When we saw the beautiful south-facing slopes on a 15 to 36 percent grade, we fell in love. I decided I can either be a small fish in a big pond, or I can be on the pioneering side trying to get a new AVA more recognition. At the time I bought, there was a new wave of people coming to Southern Oregon to invest." Notably, Reustle was the first winery to commercially produce Grüner Veltliner in the U.S., a variety he crafts with a deft hand. This flight, poured alongside a Grüner Veltliner from Pichler-Krutler, in Austria's granitic Wachau region, was richly perfumed with blanched almonds, mandarin orange, wet pomace, anise, green tea and pear. Aged in concrete eggs, they exhibited textural elegance and a soaring inner tension that crescendoed with a spicy streak of white pepper and mâche. Tasted blind, it was almost impossible to single out the Grüner Veltliner from the Wachau. Reustle's Grüners thrive in clay loam and sandy loam soils. His Prayer Rock and Romancing Rock Vineyards are in central Umpqua Valley, midway between the AVA's cool, marine north and warm Mediterranean south. "If you look at Brandborg, Reustle and Abacela, what you'll find is three distinct sub-regions in terms of heat units," explained Reustle. "We're always told that terroir is all about the soil. In my opinion, the most important characteristic of soil is that it's well-drained. Beyond this, climate is what determines terroir. Terry's total heat unit accumulation is equivalent to the coolest sites in the Willamette Valley. We're in between Terry and Earl, and Earl's vines receive significantly more heat units annually than we do. The different temperature zones are the biggest factor." We transition from Grüner to Syrah. A pair of 2014 Estate Syrahs and a 2010 face off against a Paul Jaboulet Aîné 2010 Domaine de Thalabert Crozes-Hermitage. The parallels between this smoky Northern Rhône and Reustle's Syrahs are astonishing. His 2010 Estate Syrah is particularly riveting, with its cascading aromas of black olive, steeped blackberries, serrano ham, graphite and violet pastille. It's a wine that conjures freshness, with pitch-perfect acidity lending balance and grace to layered black fruit, finely sueded tannins and a cracked black pepper finish. It's clear that Reustle's research and care have paid off; his 2012 Masada Bloc Syrah won first place at the 6 Nations Competition in Sydney, Australia. Since that time, his Syrahs have won Double Gold at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and Double Platinum awards in other highly competitive wine competitions. Most recently, the winery was named 2017 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year. A Rising Tide For the final flight, Abacela's inky and opaque Tempranillos radiated warmth and gravitas. Waves of roasted black cherries and plums emerged from over the course of the flight, followed by more ethereal notes of brick dust, dark chocolate shav - ings, tomato leaf, leather and char. Awash in concentr ated black fruit and fine tan- nins, Abacela's Tempranillos are wines with substantiv e energy and power. The outlier in the flight, Bodega Numanthia's 2011 Numanthia Toro, was mistaken for one of the Tempranillos from the Umpqua Valley. In a group of 20 tasters, all but two thought that the Abacela 2005 Reserve Tempranillo was the European wine. "Those of us who believe that a ris - ing tide floats all boats, we've rolled up our sleeves and we're trying to bring more attention to the region," confided Terry Brandborg. "It's a funny thing—Sue and I went to the International Cool Climate Wine Symposium where Dr. Jamie Goode discussed climate change and England's emerging sparkling wine market. He had a slide titled "Diversity is a Horrible Marketing Message." That isn't a choice Umpqua Valley growers have—we have embraced diversity, and we have to celebrate it. We're hoping this tasting sheds light on what we have accomplished." Despite the fact that its earliest plantings predate those of the Willamette Valley— Richard Sommer was the first to plant Pinot Noir in Oregon—Umpqua remains eclipsed by its northern sister. I had, after all, moved back to Oregon after an absence of nearly 20 years with the intent of focus - ing on Willamette Valley's excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonna y wines. Since then, subsequent visits to Umpqua and this tasting have convinced me to broaden my scope. I was struck by the emphasis that all three winemakers placed on climate over soil; all three have crafted varietal wines of great pedigree and finesse. And all the wines featured by The Somm Journal rivaled—and perhaps even transcended—those from some of the celebrated producers in the Old World. Europe does indeed exist in our backyard. Co-owners Gloria Reustle, Sales & Marketing Director, and Stephen Reustle, Winemaker, of Reustle- Prayer Rock Vineyards in Roseburg, Oregon. PHOTO: ANNE BLODGETT