34 WINE SPECTATOR • SEPT. 30, 2019DAVIDYELLENL
ooking back on Lynn
Penner-Ash’s 30 years of
winemaking in Oregon,
one might reasonably as-
sume that she’s seen it all,
or pretty close. The past few years dis-
pel that notion, however. For one, she
and husband Ron Penner-Ash sold
their namesake winery to Jackson Fam-
ily Wines in 2016, freeing Lynn from
business demands to focus on making
wine. Another, more challenging new
facet is happening in the vineyard as
Oregon’s growing seasons inch warmer.
I caught up with Penner-Ash re-
cently after tasting several of her new-
release 2016 Pinot Noirs, and we talked
about the transition away from winery
ownership, as well as her thoughts on
winemaking and the future.
“Willamette Valley has changed a
lot in my 30-plus years,” Penner-Ash
says. “When I arrived in Oregon in
1988 there were 49 wineries—there
are now well over 700. It is so much
easier to travel around the country and
talk about Oregon wine. Most people
have heard of Oregon Pinot Noir these
days, but that wasn’t the case in the early years. I feel the consis-
tency of Oregon Pinot is at an all-time high—partially because
we’ve had less challenging vintages the past five years but also
because we’ve shared what we’ve learned and passed on the
knowledge freely to those just starting out.”
When you’ve worked in the industry as long as I have, you
quickly recognize a woman who knows her way around a male-
dominated field. Penner-Ash has a disarming smile and banters
with the boys, but when it comes to the winemaking, she’s all
business, focused on the type of wines she’s determined to make.
Stylistically, her Pinots are best described as supple and elegantly
complex, with a richness and structure that slowly reveals itself.
“I’m not a big fan of monster Pinot Noir,” she confides.
Three of her outstanding 2016 Pinots make that clear. Penner-
Ash Pinot Noir Eola-Amity Hills Zena Crown Vineyard 2016 is
supple and sleek, with elegantly layered violet, raspberry and or-
ange peel flavors. Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Pas De Nom
2016 is impressively structured and expressive, with refined
cherry, orange peel, smoky spice and clove notes. Pinot Noir
Yamhill-Carlton District Shea Vineyard 2016 is elegant yet dy-
namic, with violet, raspberry and spiced cinnamon flavors.“I felt like we had 2014 and 2015 to
practice, and with the 2016s we nailed
it on the head,” Penner-Ash says.
She’s talking about the series of un-
usually warm and dry growing seasons
in Oregon in recent vintages. In 1988,
when she moved to Willamette Valley
from Napa, getting the grapes ripe
some years was the issue. Summers
were generally cooler and rain was
more frequent, particularly in late
August and early September.
Penner-Ash believes the altered
weather patterns are here to stay. “I
think it’s a long-term adjustment, I
have to be honest. You can really start
to see the climate change in Oregon.”
A key adjustment in 2016 was allow-
ing a larger crop to hang in the vine-
yard, about 3 tons per acre as opposed
to the old rule of 2 to 2.5 tons. A
larger crop that’s properly managed
typically matures and ripens more
slowly, which supports better balance
and complexity in the wines.
You don’t become a sucessful wine-
maker if you can’t learn to adapt. For
Penner-Ash it started at the University
of California, Davis, where she began as a botany major before
switching to viticulture her junior year. Later, she worked crush at
Domaine Chandon and changed her degree again, to enology.
After college she worked at Stag’s Leap and Chateau St. Jean
before joining Rex Hill in Willamette Valley in 1988, becoming
one of the first female winemakers in Oregon. Over time, she
worked her way up to Rex Hill president before leaving in 2002
to focus on the Penner-Ash label, which she started in 1998.
By 2016, the Penner-Ashes were looking for ways to simplify
life. Jackson Family Wines, which allows winemakers consider-
able freedom, seemed a wise fit. And with more than 1,300 acres
of vineyards in Oregon, the company gives Penner-Ash access
to a bigger cache of fruit, particularly Zena Crown Vineyard.
Penner-Ash has a long history with that vineyard, which Jackson
Family purchased in 2013. “We realized,” Penner-Ash said in
2016, “that we were spending too much of our time on the busi-
ness side, dealing with distributors and label compliances.”
If the 2016 Pinot Noirs are any indication of what change can
bring, Penner-Ash is thriving as she forges this newest path.Senior editor Tim Fish has been with Wine Spectator since 2001. He is
lead taster on the wines of Oregon.Catching Up With Lynn Penner-Ash
Selling her winery to Jackson
Family in 2016 freed Lynn
Penner-Ash from business de-
mands to focus on winemaking.
TIM FISH