John Paul is a living legend of Oregon wine. His Cameron Winery is one of the original Willamette Valley pioneers. People often describe classic Oregon Pinot and Chardonnay as “Burgundian” – and his wines are as responsible for the framing of the whole state as anyone’s.
But he’s never seen the wines of Burgundy as something for him to emulate. He has different soils, a different climate, and mere decades – as opposed to centuries – of experimentation to understand it all. Of course, being a passionate wine lover, John does love Burgundy and has learned very much from it.
Certainly you’ll find a cool-climate acidity and old-world tannins in his wines that can make you think of the motherland. Even the flavor profile can have echoes of old French-style earth-touched complexity. But there’s something prior to those stylistic notes that are profoundly old world: winegrowing philosophy (massale selections, dry farming), cellar practices (minimally interventionist), and the entire culture of the winery and team.
The real magic here is that John takes the same approach to the other side of his project: the Italian grapes. That’s right, while Burgundy has blown up in the worldwide consciousness as a home of elegant Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, John has continued to experiment and come to understand his home terroir better. And this has meant making some of the greatest Italian-varietal wines in America.
His (limited) Nebbiolo is a high-toned and finely structured wine with true Nebbiolo charm and American, rather than Piedmontese, fruit. A bottle recently opened was even better on the second day. His Italianate take on everyone’s summer favorite, the “chillable red,” is a gem, and his Pinot Bianco is a lovely Italian expression of the high altitude Abbey Ridge terroir. Everything is limited, but we have only a few bottles of the Friulano and of his old-school “Ramato.”
Only in America could an acknowledged master of French grapes also be a pathbreaking master of Italian styles. Yet another reason to love American wine all year long. We only wish we could get more! Scarce as these wines are, we bought what we could (including stocking up on some back-vintage wines) and are very happy to share them with you today.
France:
Cameron, Dundee Hills Chardonnay, 2024 $42.99
Here’s what Cameron says: “Vinified from 40 year old vines at Abbey Ridge & Clos Electrique, this is the best Chardonnay in its price range on the market. Lime leaf, apple and orange blossom aromatics pair with vibrant, plush mouth. Acid plays well with a long, mineral finish allows it to be both an aperitif while you’re cooking and a perfect pairing with the meal — though if you drink enough while you’re cooking, this latter point will be unimportant!”
Cameron, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir, 2024 $47.99
Cameron says: “This year's Willamette Valley blend prominently features Alan Foster's vineyard on Ribbon Ridge -- with rich blue fruit and power on the palate -- but suggests some of the subtler tones we strive to show from our higher altitude Dundee Hills sites (Abbey Ridge, La Colina, La Sierra). Rose petal and cedar aromatics mingle with blueberries and plums… Drink it now or, hell, lay it down for a few years!”
Cameron, Dundee Hills Pinot Noir, 2024 $49.99
Silky benchmark drawn from four vineyards across the Dundee Hills and Ribbon Ridge. The volcanic and sedimentary soils give it real concentration and a few years' worth of upside.
Cameron, Abbey Ridge Pinot Noir, 2023 $84.99
From Cameron's oldest vineyard, with some vines dating back to 1975. Native-yeast fermented, aged nearly two years in French oak and bottled without filtration: old-vine Dundee Hills Pinot with wild berries, lavender and a silken structure that you can approach now, but that is built to age.
Cameron, Clos Electrique Rouge, 2023 $91.99
A Cameron grand cru, from a site planted in the ‘80s to old, low-yielding clones John personally hunted down. This has signature forest notes and is (arguably) their most profound, age-worthy red.
Italy:
Cameron, Giovanni Pinot Blanc, 2024 $33.99
Alto Adige-inspired (it really should be labelled “Pinot Bianco”) this is fermented in stainless steel to capture every bit of its energy. Old-vines bring deep fruit (pear, green fig, creme caramel) and altitude brings bright acidity and fresh aromatics (jasmine, mandarine orange citrus).
Cameron, Ramato, 2025 $39.99
Named for rame, the Italian word for copper: Pinot Grigio done the old Friulian way, macerated on its skins for just 4–5 hours before pressing for that gorgeous coppery hue and gentle grip.
Cameron, Friulano, 2024 $54.99
Inspired by the radicals Vodopivec and Radikon this is destemmed into amphora and left on the skins for at least two months, then rested at least 18 months in neutral barrel. A serious, textural orange wine from a grape almost no one else grows in Oregon.
Cameron, Willamette Valley Nebbiolo, 2021 $53.99
This is John’s Alto-Piemontese-inspired labor of love, an unrushed study in what 20(ish)-year-old Nebbiolo can do planted in Oregon. Cameron’s description is on point: “The nose offers very cool, ethereal aromas of menthol, leather, and dried rose petals. The palate is all Nebbiolo with its firm tannins, medium body and notes of orange peel, fine tobacco and dried porcini.”
Cameron, Supernatural of Pinot Grigio, 2024 $43.99
Cameron’s “chillable red” comes from Abbey Ridge Pinot Gris, which ferments in clay amphorae with wild ambient yeast and then ages in clay and neutral oak.
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