Vineyard in Willamette Valley. (Wikimedia)

In VinePair, Rachel Tepper Paley looks at how Willamette Valley wineries are experimenting with lesser-known varieties with promising success. “Pinot Noir is the region’s most famous varietal, and for good reason: The thin-skinned grape thrives in Willamette Valley’s mild year-round climate…But the Willamette Valley is still nascent as wine regions go, only officially established in 1983. A growing chorus of vintners say there’s still much to learn about what grapes might prosper there.”

In Wine Enthusiast, Stacy Briscoe explores Randall Grahm’s quest for a sense of place at Popelouchum estate, where he is dabbling with what he calls “varietal auto-tuning.”

Roederer moves on from non-vintage Champagne, opting for multivintage instead, reports W. Blake Gray in Wine-Searcher. “The most interesting part, to me, is that Roederer is abandoning the idea of achieving a consistent house style for its entry-level Champagne. Instead, each annual release from the Louis Roederer Collection will be based on mostly wine from a specific vintage, augmented by two different types of reserve wine…”

Jancis Robinson MW OBE has sold her website to Recurrent Media, a venture capital business. In Meininger’s, Robert Joseph looks back on the many years of work that led up to the sale. “Over the last 20 years, that site has become an impressive media platform. She, and a growing number of contributors, have created and are constantly building a publication which, if it were available in print form, would arguably outclass everything else on the market in its combination of breadth and depth.”

Sacramento Magazine provides updates on Wine Country and the Caldor Fire.

Amanda Barnes explores the serious side of Vinho Verde in the Drop.