Pinot Noir

The best Quality-Price-Ratio (QPR) California Pinot Noir we’ve tasted in years! It’s from one of the Central Coast’s very first Pinot Noir vineyards, Mission Ranch in the Salinas Valley planted in 1961. Fifty-five... Read More

Organic/Bio While Stephen Hagen and his team are fine winemakers, the real story here is winegrowing. Stephen’s unique “grazing based viticulture” replaces herbicides, mowing, plowing and fertilizers with something... Read More

Organic/Bio There’s something wild going on in Stephen Hagen’s Willamette Valley vineyard, and the 2023 Juel Pinot Noir is a great way to get a taste of what grazing based viticulture delivers. Stephen replaces herbicides,... Read More

Organic/Bio There’s something joyfully incongruous about a bearded outdoors guy who wears flannel, farms his vineyard with horses, chickens, sheep, geese and (his own) children, and waxes on passionately about the quality... Read More

Organic/Bio The edges of Antiquum Farm’s “Big Field” vineyard are kind of the far edge of what Pinot Noir can do. The winemaking is simple enough – fully de-stemmed fruit, open top fermenters, a bit of... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV If you think this is impressive right now (and it is!), just wait until you give it some time in decanter or a year or two in cellar. Plenty of succulent fruit but also amazing old-vine intensity from a large... Read More

Organic/Bio Always one of Oregon's finest, the 2022 Casteel Pinot is also remarkably open, delicious and ready to enjoy. As Wine Advocate says in the 96 point rave, intoxicating scents of pomegranate liqueur, blackberry jam,... Read More

There aren’t a lot of “great” California Pinot Noirs at this price point; this is one of them. From a vineyard at the foot of the Santa Cruz Mountains first planted in 1910 and then replanted with cuttings from... Read More

One of the longest-running high-quality “value” Pinots we know of. As Robert Parker said of the 2013 edition: An authentic tasting Pinot Noir that sells for a song. Aromas of sweet red and black cherry fruit intermixed... Read More

Pinot from Carneros, at the southern end of Napa/Sonoma, gives a distinctive blend of freshness (from the cold bay nearby) and heft (from the clay-rich soils). This is a great example, serving up bold black cherry and blackberry... Read More

From the south of France, this is easy-drinking Pinot Noir that will satisfy at table as well as just sipping with a crowd. Dark black and Bing cherry fruit show on the nose and palate with a fine juiciness that lifts the flavor... Read More

Topline: This is crazy delicious Pinot Noir and very fine red Burgundy that's seriously under-priced. Grab it before the market catches on. Caroline Fyot and Alexia Russo created this small estate in Mercurey in 2018 and make... Read More

Organic/Bio Christophe Mignon is really a Pinot Meunier specialist but here he crafts 100% Pinot Noir into something pretty spectacular. From organically farmed vines in the Valle de Marne and with nearly six years on the lees,... Read More

Organic/Bio From the sister winery of Radio-Couteau, County Line wines look to deliver that level of style and quality in a more immediately drinkable (and less expensive) format. Fermented in steel and aged in neutral (meaning... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV A great example of a quality Pinot Noir from the Eola-Amity region when put in the hands of iconic winemaker Steve Doerner, pioneer of whole cluster ferments in Oregon. Cristom Vineyards predominately works... Read More

Organic/Bio This is sunshine in a bottle and for winemakers in Burgundy, 2022 came as “a year of relief,” or at least according to the Berthelemot family. There is a freshness about this wine that just makes you get... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Wow, is this ever good, especially coming from the hills up above the Cotes de Beaune. From a small vineyard with cool clay soils, Jerome and Elizabeth Billard captured brilliant ripeness in the form of sweet... Read More

Organic/Bio Jerome Billard makes Burgundy that he loves to drink – and can drink sooner rather than just later. This is a classic in his style. There’s plenty of Pommard structure here, with vivid acidity and firm,... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV The region is obscure but the wine delicious! Champlitte’s vines grow about halfway between Jura and Champagne, about 1.5 hours drive east from Beaune. Before phylloxera and WWI, the region was big... Read More

Charming bistro Pinot Noir with dark raspberry and mulberry fruit, a touch of earth and a gentle tannic grip to make your mouth water and get you ready for the next sip. Like Sancerre just a few miles to the south, the Coteaux... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Pioneering organic farming in this slice of Burgundy near Moroges and Givry, Martine Huberdeau and Pierre d’Heilly and their son, Lucas, make wonderfully soulful Burgundy in white, red and even sparkling.... Read More

Lower ABV When the owner of Romanee Conti says, “Hey, you should think about importing this guy’s wines,” you pay attention. Which is how Kermit Lynch connected with Gachot-Monot, a small estate just outside... Read More

Lower ABV From 35 year-old vines in and just outside of Chorey-les-Beaune, this is just exactly what good Bourgogne Rouge should be with just one touch of something extra special from the rich 2022 vintage. Ripe and fruit-filled... Read More

This 15 acre vineyard was planted in 2001 and purchased by Joe and Pat Campbell in 2009 where they built a home – and a clay tennis court. The east-facing Pommard and Dijon 115 vines give a terrific blend of rich red fruit... Read More

Pat and Joe Campbell planted this site in 1985 from Estate Vyd cuttings and named it for the favorite Puccini opera of the folks who sold them the land. Silky and lush are always apt descriptors for La Boheme Pinot Noir's... Read More