Oregon's acclaimed Willamette Valley produces beautiful expressions of Pinot Noir. The region benefits from a cool climate and free-draining sedimentary soils, both ideal for Pinot Noir growth. Stylistically, its wines often draw closer to those of Burgundy than to versions made in other regions. In our latest Tasting Highlights, we feature eight Oregon Pinot Noir bottlings from recent tastings, and all deliver the goods at $50 or less.
In this lineup, the top-scoring wine comes from Amaterra Winery, which is located in a distinctive area, Portland's West Hills, on the northern edge of Willamette Valley. Co-founders Werner and Colleen Nistler planted a 12-acre vineyard there in 2013; today, they also buy grapes from many growers in the area. Featured below, Amaterra's seductively textured and rich Willamette Valley 2021 is made from grapes harvested throughout the valley, and it shows raspberry and cherry flavors with spice accents.
This lineup also includes the Shea Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton Shea Vineyard Estate 2022, a lean red with bright acidity and cherry and tea notes. Read on to get our score and full tasting note for this wonderful Oregon Pinot Noir and seven others.
Tasting Highlights' wine reviews are fresh out of the tasting room, offering a sneak peek of our editors' most recent ratings—including scores and full tasting notes—to WineSpectator.com members.
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