After tasting 180 wines from the 2021 vintage in the Willamette Valley, Clive Pursehouse presents a mix of top scorers, solid performers and wines to seek out.
Here we present a quick and easy way to see tasting notes and scores for all 68 wines that scored 94 points or above.
| Producer | Appellation | Vintage | Score | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethel Heights, Casteel Estate Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 97 | A gorgeous Chardonnay from estates vines planted in 1977 and 1994. This is a showy wine that retains its elegance while flirting with opulence. Lemon cream, nutmeg and petrichor announce the aromatics alongside a touch of ginger. The palate is impressive. Smoky flint leads into lanolin, almond cream, cardamom, baked apple and just a hint of cheese rind. This beautiful wine comes together wonderfully, showing just how impressive Willamette Valley Chardonnay can be. Click to see full details | |
| Martin Woods, Hyland Vineyard Pinot Noir, McMinnville | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 97 | Evan Martin's 2021 Hyland Pinot Noir shows masterfully but promises to get even better in time. From the dry-farmed old vines at 200m in the McMinnville AVA comes a wine of purity, finesse and elegance. Fresh, mineral and full of life, the aromatics hint at early-season bright raspberry, crushed stone and violets, all expressed with an underlying verve and electricity. The palate is simply beautiful. Elegant and supple, accented by ripe yet energetic berry fruits, and a minerality savouriness that show a great depth and complexity with many years to unravel. Click to see full details | |
| Walter Scott, Freedom Hill Vineyard Chardonnay, Mt. Pisgah | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 97 | A stunning wine from the iconic Freedom Hill vineyard in the Mount Pisgah AVA. It balances savoury brilliance with finely etched seaspray minerality. A reductive, smoky flint aromatic opens and morphs into saline notes, beeswax and petrichor alongside a grilled lemon peel note. The palate walks a razor's edge of oyster shell minerality, savoury grilled salt, and beeswax notes. Powerful, beautiful and undeniably full of joy. Click to see full details | |
| Walter Scott, X Novo Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 97 | This a staggering example of Oregon's prowess when it comes to Chardonnay. Sophisticated, racy and electrifying, along with any other superlatives you care to throw at it. Aromas of crushed chalk and mid-summer petrichor give over to early-season stone fruit and green mango highlight the lean style Ken Pahlow embraces with his Chardonnays. There's an underlying reductive note of gunpowder along the way. The palate is finely etched. Filigreed notes of seafoam, bruised apple and lemongrass. This wine gives so much. Click to see full details | |
| Beaux Frères, Upper Terrace Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | The Upper Terrace is just as it's named, terraced rows on a steep slope above the estate on Ribbon Ridge; the site was planted in 1999 and is surrounded by a forest of conifers and local oak trees. The aromatics offer lots of savoury Christmas spice and evergreen tips while teasing notes of red berries and tomato leaves. On the palate, juicy and delicious red and black fruits combine alongside a candied raspberry and notes of pine bough. Minerality moves to the fore as turned earth and streaks of graphite and crushed slate race across the palate. Elegant, stately and built to last, this is a picture of complexity and longevity that has long been associated with the wines of Beaux Frères. Click to see full details | |
| Bethel Heights, Casteel Estate Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | A wonderful wine. Balances an elegant determination to be serious and contemplative with a gregarious fresh fruit and minty spice that is undeniably enjoyable. Aromas of candied cherry, savoury spice, peat, soft violets and a touch of baking chocolate are at once inviting and reserved. The palate is an epiphany. Gorgeous red fruit character, raspberry and pomegranate are backed by savoury notes that mix pine tar, pine needles and soy-laced umami character. There is Christmas spice, and a fresh mint character carries the finish. Click to see full details | |
| Bergström, Silice, Chehalem Mountains | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | Elegance is personified in this 2021 bottling of Bergström's renowned Silice. So-named for the sandy silica soils, the hallmark of the hilly Chehalem Mountain vineyard source. Beautiful bright fruit aromas are further framed by touches of tomato leaf, pine bough and mossy forest floor. The palate is marked by fleshy red raspberries, early season blackberry and fine grain tannin that provides a structure that shows this wine's longevity. Click to see full details | |
| Cristom Vineyards, Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | A revelatory Chardonnay from the non-estate Seven Springs Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills. The wine ages for eleven months on its lees in 30% new French oak, followed by five months in stainless steel tanks. This wine has outstanding freshness and filigreed elegance that complement the depth and character of the site and the astute winemaking technique. Aromatics of wet slate, petrichor and bruised apples hint at the wine's delicate demeanour and real complexity. The palate lingers in crushed chalk, stony minerality and lime pith, dashes of lemon curd and cardamom savoury finish. Delicious. Click to see full details | |
| Eyrie Vineyards, Daphne Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | The highest elevation of the Eyrie sites, the Daphne vineyard planted in 1974, sits at 260m and on very shallow topsoil. Its hallmark is a Pinot Noir of great aromatic richness and complexity. The 2021 Daphne is wildly fragrant with crushed savoury herbs, wild violet florals and a great depth marked by tea leaves and smashed berry fruits. Despite the herbal character, a real purity of fruit shines through on the palate. Crunchy red berry fruits, notes of pomegranate molasses amid pine tar and flinty mineral flecks lift the wine's finish but promise of a developing character worth revisiting in a decade. Click to see full details | |
| Eyrie Vineyards, The Eyrie Chardonnay, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | This flagship Chardonnay is one of Oregon's best-in-class year after year. From the oldest vines in the Willamette Valley and among the last surviving remnants of the Draper field selection, a French import from the 1930s is now extinct outside of the region. Aromatics lean into a mineral character, with stony notes of crushed chalk, petrichor and a touch of yellow pollen. The palate opens with texture and depth. Hints of grilled pineapple, lemon curd and spice are tempered by a finely etched elegance and filigreed mineral notes of petrichor, stone and savoury spice. Wonderful. Click to see full details | |
| Eyrie Vineyards, The Eyrie Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | ‘The Eyrie always brings an earthen character’, says winemaker Jason Lett and true to form, this Pinot from 56-year-old vines shows forest floor, garden soil, moss and deep blue fruits on the aromatics. Tasting the Willamette Valley's original Pinot Noir is a special experience for a wine lover, and this wine lives up to the billing. A great depth of blue berry fruits alongside a blood orange zest is wrapped around a stony, mineral-laden core. Sous bois, crushed stone and five-star anise, announce the finish of this wine that is just getting started and has 15 or 20 years to come into its own. Click to see full details | |
| Hundred Suns, Sequitur Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | Pungent floral aromatics introduce this wine from Sequitur, which sits above the Beaux Frères estate sites in Ribbon Ridge, surrounded by native forests. The palate shows great depth, elegance, and umami character collide; plum skins, blue berry fruits, and turned earth highlight an array of complexity. This wine is made with 35-40% whole cluster, and its structure communicates a great ageability. Click to see full details | |
| Lingua Franca, Bunker Hill Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | A wonderfully alluring wine that marries savoury richness with a bright minerality. Sourced from the Bunker Hill estate vineyard at Lingua Franca, planted in 1995. Aromas of beeswax, petrichor and roast corn husk make way for peeks of citrus pith and stone. The palate is wildly complex. Flavours of crushed chalk, bee pollen, and lemon cream mingle with plenty of citrus, lanolin and savoury herbal notes. A gorgeous wine that shows ample elegance. Click to see full details | |
| Martin Woods, Koosah Vineyard Chardonnay,Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | Another stunning 2021 vintage Chardonnay from the Eola-Amity AVA, this site Koosah sits at the region's highest planted elevations. Great mineral lift introduces this wine with a beautiful depth of complexity. Aromatics of crushed chalk and lemon pith swerve towards more layered savoury notes of petrichor, smoked salt and struck flint. There is a beautiful tension across the palate, marked by a graceful balance between fleshy stone fruits and streaks of thirst-slaking minerality—a fantastic culmination of the terroir's elements. Click to see full details | |
| Walter Scott, Sojeau Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | Planted on the rocky slope above the iconic Eola Springs Vineyard in 2007, this is a special wine. A beautifully made Pinot Noir from the Sojeau Vineyard that shows elegance that begins in its aromatics and carries through from its flavour profile to its texture. The aromas of cassia bark, soft violets, fresh mint and turned earth lead into a palate of rounded red and black fruits, clove, cola and a strawberry balsamic note. It's wonderful. Click to see full details | |
| Walter Scott, Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mt. Pisgah | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 96 | A gorgeous Pinot Noir from Mount Pisgah AVA's Freedom Hill Vineyard. Pungent floral and earthen aromatics open with violets, sage and turned topsoil. The palate is fresh and lively yet refined. Flavours of pomegranate mingle with umami-driven truffle, forest floor and evergreen tips. Yet another Freedom Hill designate from Walter Scott that is beautiful to behold. Click to see full details | |
| Beaux Frères, Beaux Frères Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | This estate's signature vineyard was a plum orchard for many years. This site is a mix of own-rooted vines along with grafted Dijon clones. The oldest vines are 34 years old. This wine combines elegance and depth of complexity to a tee. The aromatics of the site's signature forest floor and exotic spices hint at lingering dark fruit notes. Red berry fruits give way to pluots, black plums and mint. There is a savoury underline throughout the wine's balanced, elegant texture. Silky tannins to finish. Click to see full details | |
| Big Table Farm, Pelos Sandberg Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | A delicious wine combining fruity depths with savoury richness to soft delight. Aromas of soft ripe red and blue berry fruits alongside strawberries in balsamic and a touch of purple florals. The palate is dusted with minerality over bright pomegranate, raspberry and wet clay flavours. There are notes of fennel frond, fresh dill and mint that carry a savoury finish. Click to see full details | |
| Cristom Vineyards, Eileen Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | At the top of this estate site, the Eileen Vineyard sits adjacent to Eola's iconic Temperance Hill and stares down the barrel of the Van Duzer Corridor, where those Pacific winds take dead aim at this part of the AVA. The resulting wine is a study in Eola-Amity terroir, a combination of soil diversity and those famed winds that make this place possible. White pepper and crushed basalt aromas blend with violet florals and juicy cut blood orange. The palate is fleshy, with a core of dark fruit wrapped up in savoury elegance, white pepper, and spice from these stony hills carry the wine into its amply structured finish. Click to see full details | |
| Cristom Vineyards, Jessie Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | Winemaker (and vineyard manager) Daniel Estrin refers to the Jessie Vineyard Pinot as a velvet sledgehammer, saying ‘this site has power and intensity with smooth edges.’ Aromas kick off a sweet blue fruit note with turned earth and fresh herbs accented by plenty of violets. These east-facing slopes see no afternoon sun and retain great freshness. The palate reflects those lively blue fruits, showing real depth and texture. There is fresh mint and touches of balsamic and soy umami. Seriously structured to lay down for many years. Click to see full details | |
| Cristom Vineyards, Louise Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | An opulent and showy Chardonnay even in its youth. Full malolactic fermentation leaves this wine with plenty of texture and depth. Honeyed aromatics of ripe apricot and spiced pear hint at a real sophistication. Fleshy apricot accents this wine's rich and vivid texture, followed by a tang of lemon curd and a honeyed, candied ginger depth throughout. Click to see full details | |
| Cristom Vineyards, Louise Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | The Louise Vineyard is about 10% warmer than Jessie, and it also sees less wind, so these vines have life a little easier and as such, you see that in the wine's opulence. Aromas of dark bramble berries, black plum skin, and touches of savoury spice. The palate shows flashes of black tea, clove and rose hips alongside early-season blackberries. This site has a lot of geological complexity, and this structured Pinot will go the distance. Click to see full details | |
| Hundred Suns, Own Rooted Pinot Noir | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | A barrel selection from three own-rooted vineyards, Bednarik, Noren and Koosah. This wine is a homage to own-rooted Pinot Noir and a picture of a special moment that may not always be possible in Oregon. This wine is wonderfully luxurious and elegant. It shows a real softness for such youth. A note of mossy earth underlines delicate aromatics emphasising purple florals, violet, and lavender. The palate is delicate and well-knit with tangy and juicy blue fruits leading to a sweet, red-fruited elegance; candied blood orange and ripe bramble fruits carry to a structured finish that shows real ageability. Click to see full details | |
| Ken Wright Cellars, Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mt Pisgah | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | Showing real elegance and depth, this is an exemplary Pinot Noir, capturing a real sense of beauty even in a warm year. A bit of a throwback Pinot, showing purely elegant aromas of savoury thyme, forest floor and early-season blackberry. It gives a cool sense of itself, with lower alcohol and turned-up delicacy and refinement. The palate offers classic Oregon fresh berry fruits, a touch of umami, savoury herbs and earthen minerality. Gorgeous. Click to see full details | |
| Ken Wright Cellars, Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | A delicious wine from Ken Wright that shows the Yamhill-Carlton AVA signatures. The marine soils throughout the AVA lend the wines a great aromatic profile; this bottling is no different, with rose petals and violets coming to the fore, followed by whispers of savoury spice. The palate is fresh tart and sweet berries and savoury herbaceousness. Tay berries and bramble fruits give way to a kiss of baking chocolate, clove spice, and fresh mint carries the finish. Click to see full details | |
| Lingua Franca, Estate Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | This vibrant and electric Chardonnay is driven by fresh citrus verve and stony minerality—a citrus kiss and smoky flint back aromatics of briny seaspray and oyster shells. The palate is loaded with verve, Creamy lemon drives the texture and fleshy fruit, and there's ample fruit and notes of candied ginger. This wine finishes elegantly and fully energised. Click to see full details | |
| Lingua Franca, The Plow Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | A well-knit-together wine that shows polish and elegance. Fruit for The Plow 2021 comes from the three upper estate blocks with a unique massale selection of clone 777. Depth and sensuality come to the fore in the aromatics. Alluring notes of violet and rose petals, along with soy-scented umami. There is ample depth from the sous bois and dark fruit. The palate is so put together. Clove and cinnamon give way to mushroom-driven umami and elegantly placed black and red fruits. Savoury character abounds, but this wine's structure provides us with a sense that it will become far more showy in eight or so years. Click to see full details | |
| Martin Woods, Jessie James Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | The Jessie James site is east facing, meaning it's shaded from the afternoon heat and may take a bit longer to ripen, but it's positioned in a rain shadow, and so remains protected into the early autumn. Aromatics of sous bois, pine bough and notes of sweet early-season strawberry lead into a palate of sappy black and red berry fruits, notes of black tea all framed by fine tannin and a wonderful structure. Click to see full details | |
| Martin Woods, Koosah Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | ‘Koosah’ is from the Coast Salish dialect meaning ‘beautiful ceiling of the sky.’ This site, grown at 280 metres, is the highest in the AVA and planted on its own roots in rocky basalt and shallow top soils. This wine offers up effusive aromatics of alpine scrub and pine bough, followed on by cut persimmon aromatics. There is ample, fleshy blue fruit and a savoury spiced backbone to this elegantly knit Pinot Noir. Bramble berries, juicy blood orange and plenty of signature Eola-Amity spice carry into the finish. Click to see full details | |
| Martin Woods, Pearlstad Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | A saline and stunning Chardonnay from the Eola-Amity's Pearlstad Vineyard. Made in an oxidative style, with no sulphur for the first six months of the 14, it spent in barrel—aromas of candied lemon peel, seaspray and beeswax notes. The palate shows excellent minerality, tension and verve. Racy notes of early-season stone fruits accent the wine's mineral core. Apricot skin and cut pear lean into crushed chalk and sweet bee pollen. Click to see full details | |
| Nicolas-Jay, Bishop Creek Chardonnay, Yamhill-Carlton | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 95 | This Chardonnay comes from an upper block at Bishop Creek planted in the 1990s; it is light, airy and refined. With aromatics of peach skin and chamomile, there is a hint of savoury elegance at play. The palate shows more vibrant stone fruit alongside notes of cardamom pod, mandarin flesh and a kiss of salinity. Click to see full details | |
| Beaux Frères, Sequitir Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A grafted five-hectare vineyard of Calera, Swan and Mt Eden clone Pinot Noir. This wine shows a flashy core of dark fruits on the aromatic profile with an underlying note of mint. Done in concrete casks, you see lithe berries across the palate, earth, cherries and dusty gravel. Winemaker Mikey Etzel says, ‘This site shows young vines and some of their unresolved tannin issues.’ Click to see full details | |
| Bergström, Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A delicious melding of bright, fresh red fruits and savoury minerality that is classically Dundee Hills. Planted in 1999, these vines are really hitting their stride, delivering complexity and elegance. Juicy strawberries with basil and fresh mint mark the aromatics alongside crushed slate. The palate is lively, fresh and invigorated by delicate red berries intertwined with tomato leaf, turned soil and a kiss of fresh mint to finish. Click to see full details | |
| Bergström, Cumberland Reserve | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | The Cumberland Reserve is a throwback in the warmer 2021, with its 12.7% abv. Fresh brambleberry aromas mix with a touch of spice and tomato leaf with a hint of fresh mint. The palate shows fleshy blue and red fruits, complemented by clove, cedar plank and a touch of black tea. The finish offers pure refinement and elegance. This wine is just beginning to reveal itself. Click to see full details | |
| Bergström, Le Pré du Col Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Le Pré du Col is a vineyard site in the Ribbon Ridge AVA planted in 2006. It typically offers wines of great ageability. As the wine opens, aromas of frankincense, candied blue fruits and dried violets become more emphatic. The palate dances between soft red and blue fruits and a briny seaspray character. Flavours of black cherry, clove and sea air mix with heady, savoury dried herbs and a touch of cassia bark. Click to see full details | |
| Bergström, Winery Block Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A tiny parcel of 0.5ha planted as densely as possible is a bit of adventure in viticultural gardening for Bergström. The resulting wines are carefully crafted gems, meant to age and loaded with aromas of tomato leaf, candied blueberries and loads of spicy minerality. The palate is well structured owing to its 100% whole cluster fermentation. Flavours of smoky meat, crushed basalt and savoury herbs meld with strawberry balsamic, anise, and fresh mint for a well-integrated wine that's best days are yet to come. Click to see full details | |
| Bethel Heights, Estate Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | For less than $40, you'll struggle to find a better American Chardonnay. This wine shows classic Eola-Amity complexity, marrying spice, fruit and structure. Aromas of lemon verbena, nutmeg and sweet hay give way to a mineral streak of petrichor. The palate is lushly fruited. Ripe apricot and cardamom-spiced pear flavours trend towards a lemon cream finish accented by a mineral note of wet chalk. It has a lot to offer and, at this price point, shows such great depth and complexity from the Bethel Heights site. Click to see full details | |
| Big Table Farm, Earth Pinot Noir | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A wonderful Pinot Noir that is a barrel selection aimed at capturing the essence of a given vintage. Opening with pomegranate, raspberry, fresh mint, and a dollop of dusty gravel. The palate mixes lithe red fruit elegance with husky, dusty tannins. This Pinot Noir comes together beautifully, expressing a warm vintage that shows restraint and freshness. Click to see full details | |
| Brick House, Evelyn's Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | This is a stylistically Old World Pinot made with ample whole cluster, giving the wine plenty of structure and savoury notes—aromas of rose hip, crushed stone and tart cherry and cranberry notes. The palate delicately balances fruit and savoury notes. There is a hint of smoky minerality, turned earth and an overriding depth of fruit. Click to see full details | |
| Brick House, Les Dijonnais Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | This Pinot plot planted in 1995 to all Dijon clones delivers a wine that is fresh and delicate. Aromas of fresh crushed raspberry, lavender and wet slate lean into a palate that balances savoury fresh and dried herbs of fennel and thyme with tomato leaf notes and cedar plank. There are notes of mineral-driven umami and pine bough, all undergirded by blue fruit character throughout. The wine finishes fresh and bright. Click to see full details | |
| Brickhouse, Select Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Perhaps the lowest alcohol Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley that I've tasted for the 2021 vintage. This wine is exemplary of elegance, fresh berries, earthy minerality and a commitment to restraint in a warmer year. Crushed red berry fruits announce the aromatics alongside savoury fresh mint and mixed herbs. There are violets, turned earth and a hint of clove. The palate is lively and bright yet contemplative. Bright red and blue fruits interplay with savoury herbs, black tea and bay leaf. Fantastic. Click to see full details | |
| Cristom Vineyards, Marjorie Vineyard Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Planted in 1982, the estate's oldest vines, this is a site that gives structure and length year in and year out. The aromatics flash savoury and mineral with crushed stone and green tea leaf alongside pine bough and a hint of tomato leaf all with a backing of crushed red berries. The palate shows great concentration to match its ample structure. Red fruits, savoury herbs and spice to match the aromatics. Click to see full details | |
| Domaine Serene, Triple Crown Vineyard, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | From a high elevation site atop their Dundee Hills property from 250-300m, the Triple Crown Vineyard creates wines of clarity and depth. Altogether delicious lemon cream goodness dominates the aromatics alongside white flowers and a touch of biscuit. The palate is rich, fleshy grilled peaches make way for lemon meringue and a hint wet stone. Click to see full details | |
| Dusky Goose, Chardonnay | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A blend of Chardonnay from various clones and sites across the Willamette Valley results in a well-rounded and redolently rich wine. Spiced notes of cardamom and nutmeg open the aromatics, followed by lemon cream, petrichor and stone. The palate is marked by ripe stone fruits, late-season nectarine, ripe apricot and spiced pear. The finish offers a touch of almond and a hint of lanolin. Click to see full details | |
| Dusky Goose, Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Fantastically aromatic Pinot Noir from Dusky Goose that wonderfully balances power and elegance. Earth and umami predominate the aromatics as notes of forest floor leap forth, backed by notes of violet and marionberry. The palate is layered, complex and beguiling. Flavours of soy, balsamic, and wet earth notes wrap themselves around a core of elegantly framed dark red and black fruits. Click to see full details | |
| Eyrie Vineyards, Estate Chardonnay, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A blend of young and old vines, only one new barrel in the wine's entire production. Wente and the Sterling Clone total 39% of the blend and come from eight-year-old vines in the Sisters Vineyard. The Draper selection represents the balance of the blend and comes from 57-year-old vines in the original Eyrie Vineyard. This is a beautiful Chardonnay with aromatics of tinned peaches, honey, ginger and spiced pear. The palate shows a brilliant savoury character. Cardamom pods, chamomile and beeswax mark a depth and richness that is balanced by delicate fresh acidity and a spicy finish. Click to see full details | |
| Eyrie Vineyards, Outcrop Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | With the Outcrop Pinot, Jason Lett believes the site starts to mark the wines, offering a reliable savoury character and chewy tannins. Own-rooted, Wadenswil vines from a northern exposure produce wines of savoury structure. Aromas of brambleberries, Spanish lavender and wintergreen are marked by savoury herbal notes. The palate is deftly structured, offering savoury herbs, green tea leaf and a dollop of pomegranate. Click to see full details | |
| Eyrie Vineyards, Rolland Green Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Newer vines on six different rootstocks, planted in 1988 to Wadenswil and Pommard clones. This wine offers bright fruit aromatics with pine-bough accents. The palate is a display of tangy red fruits, cranberry, pomegranate and early-season strawberries, offering a red-fruited raciness that is finished with crushed stone minerals lifted by evergreen tips and fresh mint. Click to see full details | |
| Eyrie Vineyards, Sisters Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Jason Lett describes the Sisters Vineyard Pinot Noir as ‘juicy and joyful’ from a vineyard site with a terroir that ‘doesn't shout, but instead lets the fruit shine.’ A blend of half Pommard and half Wadenswil, this Pinot offers bright berry and mint aromatics that speak from Eyrie's lowest elevation site. The palate is lushly red-fruited. Strawberries, alongside cranberry relish and a smoky flintstone. The freshness of red fruit turns into notions of black tea and mint to carry us to the finish. Click to see full details | |
| Hundred Suns, Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Made with 35% whole cluster, this wine exudes that Eola-Amity spiciness—aromatics of violets accented by white pepper and exotic spice. The palate is rich and lushly fruited, all the while complemented with savoury dried herbs, pomegranate, a core of concentrated blue fruits and a richness and power to the finish. Click to see full details | |
| Hundred Suns, Bednarik Pinot Noir, Tualatin Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | From own-rooted Pommard and Wadenswil planted in the early 1980s. This is the coolest site that Grant and Renee work with. There are opulent florals and fresh yet rich red berry aromatics. The own-rooted vines seem to hone in on fruit and floral characters, and the palate shows rich strawberry and pomegranate flavours, tayberries and strawberry balsamic. This wine shows a mature sense of concentration. Click to see full details | |
| Hundred Suns, Carson Phillips Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Powerful fruit aromatics from this Dundee Hills site, followed on by a tremendous stony minerality. The palate shows tension and structure. There is ample red brambly fruit, a bit of clove and nutmeg, and a touch of smoky minerality to finish. Click to see full details | |
| Hundred Suns, Old Eight Cut Chardonnay | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Comprised of Chardonnay from mostly Koosah and Lone Feather vineyard and left on the lees with no stirring. Only 10% new oak really lets this fruit from all basalt soils shine through. The palate is richly textured, with lemon cream, stony petrichor and notes of cardamom and pear, showing real depth and elegance. Click to see full details | |
| Ken Wright Cellars, Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Given what Oregon Pinot Noir fetches, that this wine can be had for less than two Jacksons is a bit mind-boggling. Beautifully red fruited with ample structure. Ken Wright shows why he consistently makes some of the Valley's great wines, irrespective of vintage: mildly austere aromas, crushed basalt, seaspray and a hint of dusty blackberries. The palate offers sheer generosity, candied watermelon, dusty black cherry, savoury dried herbs and a bright kiss of fresh mint—quite the wine. Click to see full details | |
| Ken Wright Cellars, Bryce Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | From a 2ha parcel in the Ribbon Ridge AVA comes a structured Pinot Noir that leans into spice and savoury character. Aromas of dusty gravel, savoury dried herbs and Morello cherries announce the wine alongside a dollop of balsamic. The palate offers a mingling of red and blue fruits, raspberry and Montmorency cherry alongside sage, thyme and Christmas spice. It lingers long and shows structure and complexity across the finish. Click to see full details | |
| Ken Wright Cellars, Guadalupe Vineyard Pinot Noir | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | From the well-regarded Guadalupe Vineyard planted in 1989, this wine is rich and undeniably elegant—aromas of tea leaf, baked cherry and fresh-picked mushrooms. The palate is driven and savoury and balances fruit against a mineral edge: blue and red berry fruits, dried cherries, and savoury thyme with a finish emphasising umami. Click to see full details | |
| Lemelson Vineyards, Barrel Select Reserve Chardonnay | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | The best six barrels of Lemelson Chardonnay in a given vintage come together to create this wine which ferments and ages in barrel for 16 months. It's a glorious example of the richness and balance of Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Aromas of sweet white flower pollen are balanced against a not of nutmeg that hints at a barrelled richness with a touch of baked biscuit. The palate shows excellent complexity and tension. Flavours of lemon curd are accented with coriander, beeswax and riched spiced pear notes. A delicious Chardonnay that shows complexity, richness and brilliance. Click to see full details | |
| Martin Woods, Yamhill Valley Vineyard Chardonnay, McMinnville | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A broad, opulent Chardonnay from the lower elevation Yamhill Valey Vineyard. There is ample brilliance in the aromatics; hints of chamomile and cardamom go towards ripe pear flesh. The palate shows fleshy ripe stone fruits, peach, and apricot notes that are ripe and showy. There is a brilliant texture to it all, and a stony minerality balances the opulence. Click to see full details | |
| Nicolas-Jay, Affinités Chardonnay | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | This wine has great tension and intensity sourced from several biodynamically farmed sites in the Willamette Valley—aromatics of savoury white pepper, green mango and fleshy peach skin. The palate is marked with salinity and followed on by white tea, petrichor and a kiss of bruised green apples. Its lengthy finish shows real elegance. Click to see full details | |
| Nicolas-Jay, Bishop Creek Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A floral-driven aromatic leaps forward from these 30-year-old, own-rooted vines in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Notes of violets and savoury garrigue give way to red berries and earth. The palate is mouth-watering, with lush fruit and fresh acidity coming together in juicy berry flavours and ample structure that hint at this wine just getting warmed up. Click to see full details | |
| Nicolas-Jay, Own Rooted Pinot Noir | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A blend from three different vineyards planted on their own rootstocks, Hyland in McMinnville, the estate Bishop Creek site in the Yamhill Carlton and Nysa Vineyard in the Dundee Hills. This concentrated effort shows sweet blue and black fruit aromatics with ample floral notes. The palate shows lush elegance, with fruit and florals dominating the show. Crushed black and red berries mingle with notes of pine tar and finish with a lightness. Click to see full details | |
| Nicolas-Jay, Spirit Hill Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A rich, redolent Chardonnay from one of the Argyle winery's vineyards shows tremendous depth in the hands of Nicolas Jay winemaker Tracy Kendall. Lemon verbena and gardenia aromas announce a wildly elegant wine, followed by grapefruit pith and petrichor notes. The palate balances delicate white peach skin, fresh-cut pear and savoury notes of grass, sweet hay and honeyed ginger. It's a beauty. Click to see full details | |
| Nicolas-Jay, Temperance Hill Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Indicative of its Eola-Amity origins, this wine shows that renowned spicy character from one of the AVA's most significant sites. Aromatics show lean berry fruits and notes of wintergreen that give way to a spicy earth character. The palate is light on its feet. Early season raspberry, cranberry and pomegranate give way to evergreen tips and fresh mint. This wine has many years ahead of it and will age wonderfully. Click to see full details | |
| Sokol Blosser Winery, Temperance Hill Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Temperance Hill is one of the 'grand crus' of the Willamette Valley, at nearly 250 metres in elevation and planted in 1981 it has become a stalwart of some of the best Pinot Noirs in Oregon. It's elegant and graceful with bright floral and red fruit aromatics along with a kiss of evergreen bough. The palate is red fruited and lithe. Sappy red currant and cranberry, fresh mint, tarragon and red raspberries dance lightly across the palate, the finish is lifted, bright and very pretty. Click to see full details | |
| Soléna Estate, Domaine Danielle Laurent Vineyard Chardonnay, Yamhill-Carlton | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Finely etched and elegant, this single-vineyard Chardonnay from Yamhill Carlton is undeniably pretty. Aromatics of grilled lemon peel, crushed stone and apple blossom introduce a wine of delicate intensity. The palate is lush, lively and vibrant—grilled pineapple, crushed chalk and honeycomb flavours. The texture and balance are accented by mouthwatering acidity. Click to see full details | |
| Trisaetum, Wichmann Dundee Estate Riesling, Dundee Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | Everything you hope for in an off-dry Riesling from a higher elevation site in the Dundee Hills—gorgeous aromatics of honeyed ginger, petrol and poached pear. The palate is loaded with rich, unctuous golden raisins, honey, cardamom and ginger flavours. This wine gives so much with a long, lingering finish measured in five-minute intervals. Click to see full details | |
| Walter Scott, Cuvée Anne Chardonnay | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | A whimsically light and airy Chardonnay, a barrel selection across many of their favourite Willamette Valley sites. Aromas of white flowers, bee pollen and petrichor are accented with notes of cut green apple and peach skin. The palate is saline driven, with a note of smoky flint and delivers a depth of fruit from cut early-season pear and apricot skin. Click to see full details | |
| Walter Scott, Cuvée Ruth Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills | Willamette Valley | 2021 | 94 | This bottling is a blend crafted to highlight the brilliance of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Pinot Noir from Seven Springs, Sojeau, Temperance Hill, and X Novo Vineyards shows savoury character and minerality, signatures to the Eola-Amity Hills. A smoky flint aromatic leans into blood orange peel, pomegranate molasses and purple floral aromas. The palate is wildly savoury, with a melange of dried herbs, fresh fennel, liquorice, and a touch of crushed stone minerality haloed by fresh mint to finish. Click to see full details |