Resonance

Perched atop one of the Dundee Hills, Resonance was first planted in 1981 on a 20-acre plot of land in the Yamhill Carlton AVA. Purchased by the Louis Jadot & Kopf Family to become their first American venture and boy is it a great one. Producing some of the best Pinot Noirs year after year, they have already received Top 100 wines for their Willamette Valley Pinot Noir in a span of 3 years, 2017 for their 2015 vintage and 2020 for their 2017 vintage. This may have something to do with their winemaker, Jacques Lardiere who was the leading winemaker at Maison Louis Jadot for 42 vintages. After his retirement in 2012 he was given the opportunity to move to Oregon and run the ship at Resonance and now the rest is history. With these iconic names and iconic wines this is a no-brainer of a visit while in the Willamette Valley.

As you drive along Meadow Lake Road you will pass rolling hill after rolling hill on your way to Resonance. Be careful not to pass the entrance as it comes up quick, look out for the metal worked sign that signifies the entrance. As you drive back their gravel driveway you will wind up the hill to the top where you will be met with a stunning and elegant building that fits right in with the surrounding area. We choose to do a seated tasting during our visit and as we walked in, we were given the option to sit inside or outside. It is our recommendation to choose outside if you are okay with a little heat. Surprisingly while we were there in May we felt like an umbrella or shaded tasting might have been necessary. That being said we had our tasting in a pair of Adirondack chairs on top of the hill overlooking their vineyards and many of the surrounding ones.

We were given a tasting of five wines with a revisit to one of the five at the end. Our tasting included the Willamette Valley Rose, Les Coteaux Chardonnay, Les Coteaux Pinot Noir, Resonance Pinot Noir and the Decouverte Vineyard Pinot Noir. Our favorite of the group was the Resonance Pinot Noir, medium ruby in color with a high perfumed intensity. Black cherry, baking spice, smoke embers, pencil shavings and graphite can be found throughout. A higher tannin structure that usually for a Pinot Noir but not over the top, high acidity, and a nice pleasant finish.