Bio-Dynamic Triumph at Rex Hill

Happy vines beget unique wines-- and Newberg's Rex Hill Winery has very happy vines. From their 17 vineyard acres, Rex Hill creates fabulously energetic wines. Rex Hill's animated Mike Willison recently took us on a facility tour. The atmosphere at the estate was friendly and real. We learned that while too many wineries capitalize on tourism, focusing on vineyard aesthetics, Rex Hill emphasizes bio-dynamic growth in order to retain the true flavor of each varietal. Willison enlightened us on how, through the cultivation of natural pest defense, chemical sprays are unnecessary-- employee gardens blockade against hungry slugs, voles are kept at bay by attracting hawks, and wild flowers and buckwheat crops invite bees to pollinate. No shiny pesticides to suffocate the hillside leaves grapes free to develop a true personality and to produce wines of expert quality.

With the general American palate craving bigger, fatter, slap-you-across-the-face flavor, finding a Chardonnay that isn't essentially extract of buttered popcorn can prove daunting.

Willison jovially walked us through numerous wines. What instantly excited my palate were the beautifully complex and airy Chardonnays. With the general American palate craving bigger, fatter, slap-you-across-the-face flavor, finding a Chardonnay that isn't essentially extract of buttered popcorn can prove daunting (how my boyfriends sister can enjoy Kendall Jackson on the rocks defies all reason). Fortunately for oak skeptics, Rex Hill exists. The 08 A-Z Chardonnay delighted with fresh, un-oaked fruits, honey, and acidic minerality. The 07 Rex Hill Reserve Chardonnay, which spent merely 15% of its life in new French oak, and whose earthiness and mouthfeel mimicked that of a lite pinot noir, dazzled me to speechlessness.

In northern Oregon thrives Pinot Noir. The 06 vintage was criticized for producing flamboyant pinot bombs, yet Rex Hill managed to shirk the showy attitude, keeping it simple, and ultimately superior. Their Sims Vineyard 06 pinot noir, showcases excellent balance and revitalizing acidity despite dangerously approaching 16%abv. Willison described the 07 Dundee Hills pinot as bearing "brambly giddy-up terrior," and joked he couldn't sell us a bottle, "this is the special line I keep for myself."

Also recommended from Rex Hill/A-Z:

• Rex Hill 2007 Chardonnay, un-oaked, Willamette Valley.
• Newly released 2008 A-Z pinot noir, Willamette Valley.
• Southern Oregon's dusty 2006 Chemin de Terre, which aptly translates to "dirt road."