Best Oregon Pinot?

There are probably more $100+ Pinots in Oregon than in California. So who makes the best pinots in Oregon? Is the quality sufficient to justify the price?

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There is no need to spend $100+ for good Oregon Pinot Noir. We visited the Willamette Valley this summer and discovered plenty of well made Pinot priced significantly less than $100. I suggest trying wines produced by Marcus Goodfellow, Patricia Green Cellars and Walter Scott. Walter Scott also makes fantastic Chardonnay. I’m sure others will chimes in on this subject.

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I agree with all of this. Patricia Green is my single most opened producer and always good. Walter Scott makes stunning wines as well. neither have the astronomical price tag you can see in Oregon.

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I wasn’t interested in good affordable Pinot, of which there are certainly many in Oregon. I was specifically interested in the very high end. How good are they? Who makes the best? Is the high price justified by what’s in the bottle?

“The best” is going to come down to preference. Some might think Domaine Serene’s wines are “the best” but I’d never go near them. Antica Terra is another “hot” producer that folks clamor to get but I’ve never liked. Both make wines well over $100
and in my mind are not worth the money. However, if you go to Eyrie Vineyards they sell some older bottles for over $100 that I think are well worth the money
but my S.O. would disagree. So back to your question, which seems to be looking for a fact but is mostly asking for opinion. Top end Oregon Pinot Noir is worth it
but in my mind most of them are around $60+ dollars. I THINK that Patricia Green’s Etzel Block is one of the BEST wines made in Oregon (for my palate). I think John Thomas’ Dundee Hills is another and that’s about $70. I would take any bottle, any vintage of either of these wines over the $100+ luxury cuvees that a lot of the modern producers offer
and that’s the best I think I could answer this. There are other producers, as others have stated
and they’re all special. I think I’m echoing what Jeff was saying
you don’t have to spend $100 for “the best” in Oregon.

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Well said Kirk. Agree that what we are discussing here is opinion rather than fact.

I can vouch for the Eyrie with age. Had an ‘85 back in May that was simply haunting. Worth the ~$300? For me it was much more worth it’s tariff than the top end Domaine Serenes and Antica Terras.

I’m a long time Oregon advocate, but don’t count out California for top end Pinot Noir. As everyone else is saying, it really depends on the style of Pinot Noir you like. If you like the jammy, decadent style, go to California. You want something a little more refined, and a little less alcoholic, go with Oregon.

Sounds like you’re a baller. Perhaps you should just go buy some Domaine Serene wines and everyone will be really impressed about how much you spend for wine, and I’m sure the Evenstadt will appreciate the help in financing their helicopter pad.

Unfortunately, it won’t mean that you’re getting the best wine. While there is a general correlation between price and quality, in Oregon, it tends to fall apart once you get north of $60. A good part of this is a recognition that a good share of the higher-end wine made in Oregon is sold here as well. Oregon has a limited number of people that are willing to spend $100 for a bottle of wine relative to the amount of superb wine produced. This is good news for wine buyers (although ballers might not think so). As far as names are concerned, Cameron, Goodfellow, Walter Scott, Patty Green, and a number of others top out around $70-90. Eyrie can get really expensive ($300+) if you buy some of their older wines, but I think their current production tops out at $90. I you really want a treat, track down a bottle of 1999 Cameron Screaming Ego (probably $250+ if you can find it). It would seem appropriate.

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Maybe you would like White Rose?

Shout out for Kelley Fox wines. Only have had a few but so far fantastic

I refuse to participate in this thread.

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Back a decade ago, I thought DS’s wines were well worth their price when selling in th $60-$75 range. Today not so much.

I love Brickhouse wines, both white and reds. The Evelyn, which is my favorite, sells in the $70 range minus discounts.

With time, I still think Beau Frers is worth their price tags, both the BF Vineyard and upper Terrace.

Thomas is always a sure bet. Tony Soter makes lovely wines and I really enjoy his Brut Rose.

Caution! None of these wines, IMO, are same vintage pop and pour wines. They all need cellar time, which some wine buyers refuse to give. The many posters on CT deeply into infantcide do not favor these wines.

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Eyrie South Block Reserve

From there, plenty of outstanding runner-ups. I do very much agree that discussing the best “high end” seems silly and antithetical to OR wine.

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There are “the most expensive” and there are “the best”. In many places they align (i.e. DRC/Rousseau/Coche in burg, 1st growths in LB/RB bdx), but in Oregon that’s not necessarily the case.
I’m not an expert by any means, but i’ve found my favorites are in the $50-75 range. As someone already mentioned, Oregon really isn’t great for ‘name recognition/show off btls’, say if you needed a flashy gift.

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I thought that Kirk’s post was pretty much ‘nuf said . . . but here is another way to look at it (and maybe we end up at the same place Kirk is).
Let’s go quantitative! Wine Spectator’s March 2018 Oregon report has the price and “rating” for several hundred recent Oregon Pinot Noir releases. Oregon Pinot Noir Alphabetical Listing | Wine Spectator.
I made a spreadsheet of the Pinot Noir wines that had a WS score of at least 88 and tried to take a look at the relationship between price and the estimated “quality” as reflected by the WS score. Here is a graph of Price range of the individual wines within a WS score category.


Within each WS score category there is a pretty wide range in prices that you can pay. For example you could spend less than $40 for a 92 point Oregon Pinot Noir or over $100 if that is your preference. Another apparent conclusion is that paying over $100 does not guarantee that the wine is “best” in terms of score - there are $100 wines at each score category. Of course your own assessment of quality might differ from Wine Spectator. I myself would question the need to go over $100 in search of extra quality.
FWIW, YMMV , caveat emptor, etc. . .
[cheers.gif]
-Jim
P.S. I think I will go listen to some music now.

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As with most all the regions, winemaker changes can have a huge impact. At DS, for example, I personally don’t believe that Eric Kramer made the same quality wines as Tony Rynder. At Eyrie, I personally like the son just fine, but I don’t believe he makes as good of wines as his dad . Patricia Green is unfortunately no longer with us likewise. It will be interesting seeing what happens there and at Beaux F, as the changes occur with the Etzel’s Departure.

What I might be willing to pay for a wine before can definitely change when the winemaker changes.

An additional $100 wine that I have always found “ worth” it is the DDO Louisa! Always a spectacular wine. One, that again needs cellar time.

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Oregon Pinot has so many good options at the high end. There are now dozens of producers now that are making top quality Pinot that deserve a place in your cellar.

Many of these are around $100, but a few are a real steal:

Antica Terra
Beaux Freres
Bergstrom
Domaine Serene
Eisele Vineyards
Evesham Wood (the best price at this quality quality level that you will find in American Pinot)
Lingua Franca
Walter Scott

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Me too -

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I have long thoughts on this topic. Let’s see if I can keep it to a dull roar.

First, I’m betting there are more CA Pinots at over $100. That’s neither here nor there and I don’t care at all. Just saying.

I have bought a decent amount of Burgundy in my life. Certainly over the past 20+ years I have invested a decent amount of money there. I’ve seen, as you all have, wines go from, let’s say, $70 to $100 to $150 to lord knows what. Thousands in some instances. If you’re buying Burgundy and you want good producers, top sites and vintages
the starting point is around $100. I certainly know there are fine wines from Burgundy under $100. I am not trying to debate the fine points of pricing across a region with multiple 1000s of producers. I think if we are being honest about what we are discussing I am far from exaggerating. And, if you want to dabble in the top stuff, what? $250+ up to the sky is the limit pricing? It is what it is. Burgundy produces only so much and that used to go to a certain section(s) of the world but now? Goes all over with demand from places that were unimaginable even 15 years ago. Good for the domaines.

As a producer and member of the Oregon wine community I have seen the quality of Oregon Pinot increase significantly and it is now a broader and deeper pool than ever before. Are there top producers, top sites and regions that define and dominate the upper echelon of the wines? Of course. No different than any where else, really.

Oregon, in my biased mind, is the predominant force in the world in extremely high quality Pinots that feel, smell, taste, act and deliver like folks familiar with wines from the Motherland would expect and appreciate at prices that are more than fair. Does that disallow for wines at $100+ that are exceptional to be worth buying? Again, this is going to depend on what you think about spending $100+ on wine. Napa Cab routinely gets it. So, are the two dozen (guessing) Oregon Pinots at that price worth it?

This is my perspective and of course it is wildy biased especially since we make 2 of those rare bottlings. Yes. Emphatically. I know what we are producing with our 2 plus-$100 Pinots. I am hopeful and assuming that the other producers that are over that magic dollar mark are likewise creating wines of pedigree, place and of exceptional quality and age worthiness. I have tasted the most expensive wines of Burgundy and several of the top tier wines from Oregon. At the most magical levels are we there yet? No. However, generally speaking, hundreds of dollars per bottle separate the wines. If you simply look at the plethora of $100-$200 Burgundies and the relatively few that exist in Oregon I think you would find wines that easily fit into the price slots in which they are being listed at.

But maybe you don’t want to spend that money on Oregon Pinot for any variety of reasons. Maybe you would spend $300 on Burgundy but not over $50 on Oregon. That’s okay. I get it. I also know that we are earning it here. There are 2nd generation winemakers, winemakers with 25+ years on the job in the state, 30-50 year old vines, better everything across the board that makes vineyards and wineries more capable, etc.

If you are happy and more than satisfied buying our $42 Estate Vineyard Old Vine Pinot Noir (for instance) as opposed to our $100 Mysterious Vineyard or $150 Freedom Hill Vineyard Perspicacious Cuvée I get it but I will still tell you I think those wines are worth what we charge. Whether you agree is entirely up to you but that is no different than anywhere that the best wines from the best grapes are produced.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Always has been.

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my favorite has been Drouhin Louise

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