Digging into fresh oysters in the vineyard of Antica Terra Winery in Dundee, Oregon, just inland from the Pacific Ocean. (Photos by JamesSuckling.com)

While the very top of Burgundy may still be the pinnacle for pinot noir for some wine lovers, it is perhaps easier to find outstanding bottles of pinot from Oregon at affordable prices. The consistency in quality of Oregon pinots is fantastic, as we saw in our annual report on Oregon – so much so that James opined that at the price point of $25 to $40, “Oregon generally makes better pinot” than Burgundy. And there are plenty of higher-quality Oregon pinots that can be had at slightly higher prices but still well below what you would pay in Burgundy.

On James’ trip to Oregon earlier this year with Associate Editor Nathan Slone, what he found to be particularly memorable was that “the clear Oregon nature of the wines, particularly pinot noir and chardonnay, shines through in the glass with their freshness and brilliance.”

Even though the 2020 vintage proved to be difficult, with wines risking smoke taint from wildfires on the U.S. West Coast, 2018 and 2019 were both stellar vintages for Oregon. 2018 was a warm and dry season, producing opulent, riper pinots with firm tannin structure. 2019, in contrast, broke a spell of warm and dry vintages. It was cool and wet, with rain close to harvest refreshing the vines, resulting in linear wines with more floral and blue fruit character and distinctly vivid acidity.

The Willamette Valley, where most of the best pinot noir originate in Oregon, is endowed with ancient and complex soils, with Jory volcanic basalt soils found at the highest elevations. These give distinct personalities to the fruit grown there, from high-toned, bright wines coming from deep volcanic soils in Dundee Hills, to darker, brooding wines from fruit grown in ancient sedimentary soils in Yamhill-Carlton and Ribbon Ridge.

The 10 pinots below are some of the best examples coming out of Oregon. As with an increasing number of great wines across the world, many of these are single-vineyard sites, like Cristom’s Eileen Vineyard, Domaine Drouhin’s Roserock, and Mimi Casteel’s vineyard (where fruit is grown for Lingua Franca’s Mimi’s Mind) in Eola-Amity Hills. Dundee Hills is also producing top-notch wines, like The Eyrie Vineyards Daphne, from their most elevated site.

Look out, too, for Beaux Freres’ Belles Soeurs Cuvée, a stunning blend of three of their parcels in Ribbon Ridge. All at 95+ points, and under $90, these are fantastic examples to try now or to cellar. Enjoy.

– Claire Nesbitt, Associate Editor