It took years to find the ideal site on which to grow Pinot Noir but after an exhaustive search, Brittan Vineyards began on an 128-acre hillside in Oregon in December 2004. The soils are a mixture of glacial deposits and volcanic material, with a predominant presence of broken basalt.At that time, there were 18 acres of existing vines. However, close to 50% has subsequently been re-planted in order to fine-tune the viticultural practices and improve the clonal and rootstock combinations. This included one of the first plantings of the Swan clonal selection of Pinot Noir in Oregon.After dropping all of the crop in 2005 to allow the vines to get better established, the first two Pinot Noirs from the mature vines on the property came from the 2006 vintage, a total of 720 cases.In the spring of 2008, an additional 3.5 acres of Pinot Noir were planted, which are now in production— the rocky soils and low water retention often means that it takes five years for a vine to get into production.In addition to the Pinot, 4 acres of Chardonnay and 1.5 acres of Syrah have been planted. These are two varietals that benefit greatly from a cool growing climate.
TripAdvisor
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Serious wine for serious tasters.
Top notch wine and tasting-leaning more towards Burgundy. Great informative tasting. This is not a place to quaff wine, it is a place to think about wine. The owner, which we didn't meet makes this wine and also fairsing and Winderlea. His wines need time and thought. The pinot blocks are all quick distinct and not just a small difference or nuance to create another sku. Make this your first taste of the day when in Mcminville. Their chardonnay might just be the best in the valley. We love DDO Arthur, but this wine (open now as I speak) is concentrated, lush, dense, mineral and complex. It is probably the first Oregon chardonnay in Oregon that is Age worthy. It is a serious wine. They also make a Syrah that tastes more french than new world. could double for a high end cote du rhone. Enjoyable.
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Best stop of the weekend!
As Willamette Valley wine lovers, it's always wonderful to find a new "great" stop during a visit. Brittan is just that! Brittan shares its tasting room with Winderlea, a long time favorite of ours, so we stopped looking primarily to revisit some wines we knew we loved. As it turns out, we both became lovers of the bold, deep, rich characteristics Brittan embraces with its wines. As soft, layered, and fruit forward as Winderlea is, Brittan is very rich, luscious, melt in your mouth, want to join the wine club good. You won't be disappointed stopping here- IF Brittan is too bold for your palate, Winderlea will certainly knock your socks off.
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Wine worth tasting!
If you can’t find it, stand in front of the warehouse where Waze told you it’s supposed to be, then walk to your right until you come to the entrance to a parking lot of the old granaries. You’ll soon see the entrance to the Brittan Vineyards tasting room. Stop by and see Ben and he will tell you everything you didn’t know about the wines and the geology/terroir that created them. You’ll leave carrying more than you came in with!
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Good wine here and very knowledgeable tasting server
We went here since the wines were highly rated by Wine Enthusiast. While there were other wineries we liked a bit more, we were not disappointed here. A little hard to find, but worth it. the server was very knowledgeable and helped make the experience a good one. This place is in town, so not the ambiance of being at the vineyard, but still a good experience.
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Great Wine
I have tasted all of their wines and not disappointed with any of them. The tasting room staff was very knowledgeable about all aspects of the whole process of growing the grapes, soils, wind, slope, etc. very friendly. Very nice experience. A must stop if your in the area.