From the soil to the labels and in the tasting room, WillaKenzie Estate Winery views itself as a textural journey from vine to glass. Situated in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley, it encompasses 400 acres, with 100 planted, forming a mosaic of textures within the vineyard’s six distinct neighborhoods. Let’s delve into the spirit of WillaKenzie and the different textures that impart into the wine and the tasting experience.
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Yamhill-Carlton AVA
Established in 2004, the Yamhill-Carlton AVA is a horseshoe-shaped region recognized for its well-draining soils. These soils enable grapes to achieve full ripeness and optimal tannin development at lower acidity levels. The appellation lies between the towns of Yamhill and Carlton, just north of McMinnville.
The Coast Range to the west creates a rain shadow over the district. Chehalem Mountain provides extra protection to the north, while the Dundee Hills lie to the east.
The area’s Pinot Noir is known for its deep, ruby colors, dark fruit, and silky tannins.
WillaKenzie History
Bernard and Ronnie Lacroute bought a cattle farm near Yamhill, Oregon, in 1991. Bernard sought to reconnect with his Burgundian heritage, and the Willamette Valley, particularly the Yamhill–Carlton region with its rolling hills, embodied those aspirations. They named the estate WillaKenzie due to the region’s marine sedimentary soils, which rest on an ancient seabed.
Planting commenced in 1992, and Laurent Montalieu became the winemaker in 1994. By 1995, the Lacroutes had constructed one of the area’s first gravity-feed wineries. That same year, the winery opened, and WillaKenzie released its first vintage. The tasting room welcomed visitors the following year. Over the next three years, the Terres Basses, Emery, and Triple Black Slopes vineyards were established.
By 2000, Thibaud Mandet became the WillaKenzie Winemaker. That same year, the Lacroutes purchased Jory Hills Vineyard in the Dundee Hills, named after the area’s red volcanic soils.
The LIVE Certified Sustainable designation was established in 2008, and WillaKenzie was the first winery to be certified under the program.
In 2016, Jackson Family Wines purchased the estate intending to continue the Lacroute’s legacy in Oregon, emphasizing the land and its stewardship. To assist in that endeavor, Erik Kramer joined the team as winemaker.
Erik Kramer Winemaker
With a background in science, Erik Kramer earned his degree in geology from Florida State University. He worked for a short time as a hydrogeologist in the petrochemical industry. His passion for science and love of wine was a perfect fit to step into the wine industry. Erik started as a cellar worker in Washington State. Once hooked, he moved to New Zealand, where he graduated with honors and a degree in viticulture and enology from Lincoln University. Later, he moved back to the United States, specifically the Willamette Valley, and since 2004, he has created wines for Domaine Serene and Adelsheim Vineyard before joining the team at WillaKenzie.
Erik is a master of terroir and texture-driven wines. His background in geology provides a deeper understanding of the various soils in the vineyard and what they can impart in the variety. Erik utilizes a hands-off philosophy yet simultaneously knows how to express each vineyard and blocks the essence of the wine, whether it be Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.
The WillaKenzie Estate Vineyard
Many aspects weave through the vineyard, adding texture to the wines. Its diversity comes from the range of benches, ridgelines, elevations, slopes, and exposures, promoting a unique landscape that offers biodiversity to vines and their surrounding natural habitats. The patchwork of vineyard blocks or neighborhoods, as the team at WillaKenzie calls them, also reflects this diversity. The six sites are Kiana, Terra Basses, Triple Black Slopes, Emery, Clairière, and Aliette.
Kiana, in Hawaiian, means goddess, which is apropos because it sits facing south atop a sloping hill in the southern portion of the estate. The Willakenzie soils in this location are loamy, colluvium, sandstone, and siltstone. Pinot Noir from Kiana showcases red fruit and savory aromas with moderate structure and balanced acidity.
Terres Basses is French for lowlands, and this block is located at the lowest point on the estate. The grapes mature earliest. The Willakenzie soils are deep, poorly-drained, silty clay loam soil from colluvium over clay. Pinot Noir from this block offers savory and dark fruit flavors.
Triple Black Slopes is south-facing and considered the steepest vineyard. Soils consist of fine loam from colluvium, sandstone, and siltstone. The Pinot Noir from this vineyard is more powerful, with intense fruits and structural tannins. I found the Pinot bigger and bolder.
Emery, named after Bernard Lacroute’s grandfather, is located near the top of the estate. It faces southeast. Pinot Noir from this vineyard was more elegant and softer on the nose.
Clairière sits in a colluvial bowl near the highest portion of the estate.
Aliette, named after Bernard Lacroute’s mother, is the oldest planted vineyard on the estate. The soils consist of fine loam, colluvium, sandstone, and siltstone. Pinot from this location delivers an elegant wine with red fruit and savory flavors.
WillaKenzie Estate is planted with nine Pinot Noir clones: 113, 114, 115, 667, 777, 943, Pommard, Wädenswil, and Mount Eden. The Jory Hills Vineyard utilizes 667, Pommard, 777, 114, 828, and Swan.
Sustainability
Besides being LIVE certified, the WillaKenzie estate is also Salmon-Safe. To promote sustainability, most of the estate is a natural habitat, promoting a balanced ecosystem. The estate has beehives and longhorn cattle that roan and provide erosion control. Solar panels and lighter-weight glass in packaging are other ways WillaKenzie endorses reducing its carbon footprint.
Willakenzie Estate Winery Tasting Room
Like the textures found in the wine and vineyard, the tasting room is designed to stimulate all five senses. Tastefully designed to enhance the terroir-driven wine experience, a visit to the tasting emphasizes the quality and character of the wine.
WillaKenzie Wine
At a recent tasting with Erik Kramer, I sampled six wines from WillaKenzie Estate: a Rosé, a Chardonnay, and four Pinot Noirs.
2023 Rosé: This Rosé is unique in its composition of Pinot Noir and a small percentage of Pinot Blanc. It is a lovely Rosé with strawberry notes.
2022 Chardonnay Willamette Valley: Utilizing grapes from two different terroirs, Jory Hills in the Chehalem Mountains AVA and Zena Crown in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, this Chardonnay spends one year in a large-format cooperage followed by two months in stainless steel. I found the wine bright and refreshing flavors of apples. This texture-driven wine reflects the quality and style of Willamette Valley Chardonnay.
2022 Pinot Noir Estate Willamette Valley: This Pinot Noir consists of 9 clones, combining grapes from Jory Hills Vineyard and WillaKenzie Estate. Like many of the WillaKenzie wines from the 2022 vintage, it has a lovely vibrancy accented with savory notes.
2021 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée Yamill-Carton: The 2021 vintage in the Willamette Valley is fruitier.
2021 Pinot Noir Emery: This single parcel Pinot Noir was my favorite because of its softer nose, fruit-driven, and elegance. The wine exhibits flavors of cherry.
2021 Triple Black Slope: Another single parcel Pinot Noir delivered more intensity, structure, and cherry flavors with hints of Mocha.
WillaKenzie Estate Winery
The essence of WillaKenzie Estate Winery resides in the terroir of the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and the winery, as well as Erik Kramer’s distinctive approach to the textural tour from the vines to when we each raise our glasses and savor the WillaKenzie wine.
Note: As is common in the wine industry, this writer received a winetasting luncheon hosted by WillaKenzie Estate. While it has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure.