Interesting scents: white flowers, citrus, with yeasty and liquorice notes. So well-textured, offering mouth-filling stone fruit and citrus. Crisp acidity balances a little residual sugar. A lovely aperitif wine. Now-2013

Product Code: BRP710

Brooks winery was founded by Portland-born Jimi Brooks, who trained in Beaujolais before working at Willakenzie and Maysara, whilst founding Brooks in 1998. His sudden death in 2004 might have ended the venture, but so highly regarded was he in the Oregon wine community that family and friends rallied round to keep it going. Since 2006 the wine has been made by tall, pony-tailed Chris Williams, with Jimi’s sister Janie running the business as steward for Jimi’s son Pascal, now 15. (As Pascal says, “I love seeing the expression on people’s faces when I tell them I own a winery”)!

Jimi was an early convert to organic cultivation. The estate’s own vineyards are all farmed bio-dynamically, and in addition bio-dynamically farmed fruit is bought in from Maysara, plus some other grapes. Jimi was also a lover of Riesling, and the two Rieslings, both dry and both of relatively low alcohol, are superb, richly textured and intensely flavoured. An earlier vintage of Ara Riesling has been served at a State Dinner in the White House itself! As for the terrific Pinots, Burgundy lovers should buy these wines and also consider laying them down - top Oregon Pinot ages superbly.

Note the relatively low alcohol levels here, testifying to the quality of Oregon as a top cool climate region for the Pinot varieties and Riesling.