Brooks Winery is making some damn fine Riesling—good enough, in fact, for the White House.
The Brooks story is one that exemplifies the sense of camaraderie and commitment that exists in the Oregon wine community. 
In 2004 Jimi Brooks, owner and winemaker, passed away suddenly leaving the entire business to his then 8-year-old son Pascal. The winery’s management fell to Jimi’s sister, Janie Brooks Heuck, but working as a CPA she had no idea how to go about handling the winemaking. That’s when a group of Jimi’s friends—some of the best winemakers in the Willamette Valley—stepped up and took responsibility for producing the 2004 vintage for Brooks. Since then the winemaking has been taken over by Chris Williams, who worked with Jimi at WillaKenzie, and Matt Berson who alsoproduces his own label, Love and Squalor.
In the fall of 2009 the winery was contacted by a Chicago-based sommelier who was coordinating wines for a private event in Washington, DC. The event, it turns out, was Barack Obama’s first state dinner honoring the Indian Prime Minister and his wife. On November 28, 2009 the Brooks 2006 Ara Riesling was served with red lentil soup and fresh cheese. Read full local coverage of the event. Since then Brooks has experienced tremendous demand for their wines.
During my visit to the winery, located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, I was able to taste through all of the current release wines as well as a few yet to be released. I was particularly impressed with the diversity of Rielsing being produced, so I’m excited to share them with you. These four wines express a wide range from bone dry to super sweet.
Brooks 2008 Willamette Valley Riesling
Clear, medium-light straw gold color; Clean, medium intensity aromas: chalk, stone, and lime; Dry, high, searing acidity, medium body, flavors of tart green apple, under ripe peach and lime, nice minerality; long finish.
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Brooks 2008 Ara Riesling
Clear, medium-pale gold color; Clean, medium intensity aromas: peach, apricot, yellow apple, minerality, and mossy rocks; Dry, medium acidity, medium body, flavors of lush stone fruit, peach, apricot, and ripe pear; medium finish.
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Brooks 2009 Sweet P Riesling
Clear, pale water-white yellow color; Clean, medium-soft aromas: sweet floral, cooked pear, and apple; Medium-sweet, medium acidity, medium body, flavors of peach, pear, ripe yellow cherries, and sweet apple; medium-long finish.
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Brooks NV Tethys Late Harvest Riesling
Clear, medium-deep caramel gold color; Clean, medium aromas: toast, biscuit, cooked yellow apple and pear, dried floral; Sweet, medium-low acidity, full body, viscous, flavors of honey, citrus, hibiscus, herbal lemon lozenges; concentrated, long finish.
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These wines do a great job at expressing Riesling’s capabilities here in the Willamette Valley. With origins in Germany, there are marked similarities. It is helpful to look at how Riesling has been produced in Europe, and build an understanding of how the wines are categorized there. That said, it is unrealistic to draw any strong parallels between Oregon and any other producing region in the world. This is Oregon Riesling.
