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So he spends all his money making the facility and doesn't even bother building it in the Willamette Valley in Oregon? WV soil makes way better Pinot Noir than

So he spends all his money making the facility and doesn't even bother building it in the Willamette Valley in Oregon? WV soil makes way better Pinot Noir than anywhere in California. All the tech in the world isn't going to turn good grapes into great grapes. Typical tech billionaire, trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist and completely missing the basics.

te_chris 9y ago
And gets fleeced by a few enterprising consultants along the way I'm sure. A fool and his money and all that.
mmmpop 9y ago
I would, however, support the idea of space wine. Grape vines enjoy tough conditions right? What's tougher than ISS? ~~space terroir~~
- rhcom2 9y ago
  Your post sent me down a long hole about plants in space. The ISS has grown romanian lettuce to eat and even a sunflower [1]. 1: https://blogs.nasa.gov/letters/2012/06/29/post_1340814534271/ https://blogs.nasa.gov/letters/2012/06/29/post_1340814534271...
  - ralfd 9y ago
    According to the picture that was a sorry wilted sunflower.
malchow 9y ago
You're crazy. Higher altitudes and steep slopes in California work very well for Pinot Noir. Pinot planted on flatland in the valleys, however, I would indeed leave alone.
- Mikeb85 9y ago
  Maybe, can't say I've ever had a PN from California that stacks up to the WV or Burgundy though.
  - boulos 9y ago
    I would encourage you to try say Littorai or another small-scale Sonoma coast producer. I also enjoy Toulouse from Anderson Valley. Both have much cooler climates than say Napa and focus on wine that is both Burgundian in style yet distinct. I certainly agree there are great wines from Willamette, but don't miss out on ours!
  - greensoap 9y ago
    William Sylem from Russian River. Golden Eye from Anderson Valley. I think they both stack up very well though I will admit they are a bit less earthy than a typical Burgundy.
    - mmmpop 9y ago
      +1 for Russian River. Rodney Strong has a damn fine RR Pinot for a reasonable price.
  - cschmidt 9y ago
    Merry Edwards is just as good as Oregon (which I love). Her single vineyard stuff, in particular.
- ibejoeb 9y ago
  Elevation and slope are indeed important, but the comment was about soil, which is an equally important component of terroir. Burgundy is the standard for Pinot Noir, and WV certainly is closer than anything California offers in those aspects. Pinot noir is really tough in general. If not for Burgundy, we probably wouldn't cultivate it, because it's really not that good elsewhere. WV is producing a pretty good product, but it still has some of that "whole fruit" element to it. Of course, to each his own. California wine makers have recognized that they're not producing something like a Burgundy wine, and they have experimented in style. I don't enjoy it, personally, but I like that people are feeling free to experiment. Some people appreciate that distinct style on its own merits. I think it'd be good on pancakes. Nothing against CA either; I really don't like any new world PN.
mankash666 9y ago
If he can afford a $1000 barrel, I'm sure he can ship some of the WV soil to SV. "Typical tech billionaire, trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist" - He's not trying to solve a problem. This is his serious-ish hobby.
jeff3dx 9y ago
+1 If the actual goal was to make the world's best Pinot Noir he would have built in the Oregon valley or in eastern Washington state. Santa Cruz Mountains has a few wineries because it's there, but not known for wine making, and certainly not for Pinot Noir.
- mmmpop 9y ago
  My girlfriend's sister is a big-time Oregon wine snob (hates Pinot Noir oddly), but she claims "you can thank global warming for the great Oregon wine". Is this true? Has the quality gotten higher? I seem to recall hearing that Napa is starting to get a bit too hot.

te_chris 9y ago

And gets fleeced by a few enterprising consultants along the way I'm sure. A fool and his money and all that.

mmmpop 9y ago

I would, however, support the idea of space wine. Grape vines enjoy tough conditions right? What's tougher than ISS? ~~space terroir~~

rhcom2 9y ago
Your post sent me down a long hole about plants in space. The ISS has grown romanian lettuce to eat and even a sunflower [1]. 1: https://blogs.nasa.gov/letters/2012/06/29/post_1340814534271/ https://blogs.nasa.gov/letters/2012/06/29/post_1340814534271...
- ralfd 9y ago
  According to the picture that was a sorry wilted sunflower.

malchow 9y ago

You're crazy. Higher altitudes and steep slopes in California work very well for Pinot Noir. Pinot planted on flatland in the valleys, however, I would indeed leave alone.

Mikeb85 9y ago
Maybe, can't say I've ever had a PN from California that stacks up to the WV or Burgundy though.
- boulos 9y ago
  I would encourage you to try say Littorai or another small-scale Sonoma coast producer. I also enjoy Toulouse from Anderson Valley. Both have much cooler climates than say Napa and focus on wine that is both Burgundian in style yet distinct. I certainly agree there are great wines from Willamette, but don't miss out on ours!
- greensoap 9y ago
  William Sylem from Russian River. Golden Eye from Anderson Valley. I think they both stack up very well though I will admit they are a bit less earthy than a typical Burgundy.
  - mmmpop 9y ago
    +1 for Russian River. Rodney Strong has a damn fine RR Pinot for a reasonable price.
- cschmidt 9y ago
  Merry Edwards is just as good as Oregon (which I love). Her single vineyard stuff, in particular.
ibejoeb 9y ago
Elevation and slope are indeed important, but the comment was about soil, which is an equally important component of terroir. Burgundy is the standard for Pinot Noir, and WV certainly is closer than anything California offers in those aspects. Pinot noir is really tough in general. If not for Burgundy, we probably wouldn't cultivate it, because it's really not that good elsewhere. WV is producing a pretty good product, but it still has some of that "whole fruit" element to it. Of course, to each his own. California wine makers have recognized that they're not producing something like a Burgundy wine, and they have experimented in style. I don't enjoy it, personally, but I like that people are feeling free to experiment. Some people appreciate that distinct style on its own merits. I think it'd be good on pancakes. Nothing against CA either; I really don't like any new world PN.

mankash666 9y ago

If he can afford a $1000 barrel, I'm sure he can ship some of the WV soil to SV. "Typical tech billionaire, trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist" - He's not trying to solve a problem. This is his serious-ish hobby.

jeff3dx 9y ago

+1 If the actual goal was to make the world's best Pinot Noir he would have built in the Oregon valley or in eastern Washington state. Santa Cruz Mountains has a few wineries because it's there, but not known for wine making, and certainly not for Pinot Noir.

mmmpop 9y ago
My girlfriend's sister is a big-time Oregon wine snob (hates Pinot Noir oddly), but she claims "you can thank global warming for the great Oregon wine". Is this true? Has the quality gotten higher? I seem to recall hearing that Napa is starting to get a bit too hot.