United States Pinot Noir

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

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

Brick & Mortar is really a California sparkling house, meaning they grow a lot of cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. When Pinot gets a bit too ripe for fizz, it’s perfect for elegant, pure, juicy still wines like this... Read More

Organic/Bio Mainly from McMinnville vines, this showcases a bit of that AVA’s classic structure plus pretty black cherry and pomegranate fruit. The long hang-time possible in 2023 gives this an extra nudge of plush texture... 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

A welcoming, generous and fully-fruited California Pinot Noir from this old-vine site just outside the town of Sonoma. Fully destemmed and aged in French oak (a little new), it’s bursting with dark black cherry and raspberry... 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

Lower ABV A deeply fruited Pinot that invites solo sipping and has the minerality and structure to shine with salmon, mushrooms and roasted birds. It’s mostly Chehalem Mountain fruit with around 25% from Ribbon Ridge and... 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

Willy Gianopulos has been growing Pinot on the Laurelwood soils of the Chehalem Mountains since 1988 and making his own wine since 1998. With a winemaking heritage from his family in Greece, a chemical engineering degree from... Read More

One of California's top Pinot houses reaches up to Oregon's Zena Crown vineyard for a Warrior Princess of a wine! Jeb Dunnuck captures it nicely in the 95 point rave, it’s a youthful ruby hue and is floral and ripe... Read More

If you were teaching a class on what really good Russian River Pinot Noir tastes like, you'd pour this. As Jeb Dunnuck says in his 93 point write-up: ripe and layered in the glass, with a generous, inviting, pure perfume of... Read More

Where Russian River Pinot is all about the fruit, move out to the Sonoma Coast (here just 4 miles from the Ocean) and things turn more savory and spiced. As Jeb Dunnuck says in the 93 point review, this offers a riper feel, with... 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

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

Excellent value in right down the middle Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. The whole valley is represented here, with fruit from Cascade Foothills, Corvallis, Carlton, Amity and Laurelwood, all aged in old oak. Shows more fresh, crisp,... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Within the foothills of the Coastal Range, Hylands was planted in the early 1970s to Charles Coury's suitcase clones and remains dense in Coury Clone Pinot today. This is simply beautiful Pinot Noir,... Read More

Corine Vyd (called Olenik through 2018) sits just down the hill from Lia’s and right beyond the boundary Ribbon Ridge in the Chehalem Mountain AVA. It's in the middle of a south-facing hillside with this block near the... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Smokin’ good Willamette Pinot Noir from a vineyard Dick Erath planted on marine sedimentary soils way back in 1968. Back then, most of the plant material available were Pinot Clones successful in California,... Read More

Organic/Bio Lower ABV Always one of the best values in Willamette Valley Pinot, the Estate Old Vine bottling benefits in 2022 from frost damage that dropped yields to a ton per acre and a decision to put all of the best blocks... Read More