United States 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

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

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

Organic/Bio A pioneering Willamette winery that's always kept a toe in Burgundy's waters, this is always one of Oregon's most elegant, pure, and grounded Pinots. Don't let the light color fool you - it's packed... Read More

Lower ABV A pretty style of Central Coast Pinot Noir with a nice depth to the ripe red and black fruits and then an elegant, refined, texture and structure. The aromas are especially nice, although there's plenty of flavor... Read More

Critic Antinio Galloni drank this at dinner in July 2024; his 96 point review: Foxen is one of my favorite producers in Santa Barbara. Their 2019 Pinot Noir Bien Nacido Vineyard Block 8 is stellar. What a wine. Deep and wonderfully... Read More

Ken Wright has owned Canary Hill Vyd in the Eola Hills since 2006 and keeps almost all of it for himself. In 2019 and 2021, though, he allocated a little fruit to Kelley, just enough to make 151 cases of pure joy. It's a dark-fruited,... Read More

Tasting for a couple of hours with Kelley can leave one in a bit of a buzzed daze – not because of alcohol (we were spitting, honest!), but because topic after topic comes up, images are evoked and allowed to fade, and very... Read More

The vines Jim Maresh planted on their own roots back in 1970 is today arguably the best, and certainly one of the most important, vineyards in the Dundee Hills. Jim’s grandson uses almost all the fruit for his Arterberry... Read More

Love the dark, smoky, intensity of wines grown on the volcanic Jory soils of the Dundee Hills? Well, then this is your Ken Wright because it delivers that rich depth for sure. The vineyard actually belongs to Ken’s son,... Read More

Ken’s signature wine and, arguably, Willamette Valley’s signature vineyard. Wine Advocate has suggested that Shea is the Willamette Valley’s one potential “superstar” vineyard and Ken makes the benchmark... Read More

Organic/Bio One of the most popular – and fine value – Willamette Valley Pinots for years, Thea’s showcases deep fruit and herbal, smoky, complexity. As Vinous says in their 92 point review, “A smoky blend... Read More

Lower ABV From vines across cooler sites in Mendocino, this delivers the ripeness of fruit we expect from California with beautiful lightness of texture and high levels of finesse. Aromas of Bing cherry, rose petal and iron filings... Read More