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From a year Decanter’s Clive Pursehouse calls “a five star vintage for the Willamette Valley,” this selection of 21 exceptional 2021 Oregon Pinot Noir offers a comprehensive range of the vintage’s top rated wines value priced for lovers and collectors of exceptional Pinot Noir, a vintage filled with high scoring Pinots “worthy of your investment of time and money” according to Jeb Dunnuck whether selecting a few favorites or mixing a case.
After a challenging 2020 vintage of unprecedented wildfires in which many producers did not even produce red wines, Willamette Valley winemakers enjoyed a relatively easy 2021 growing season, starting with warm and dry conditions at the beginning of the vines’ dormant season in Fall 2020 and followed by a Winter without any significant damage despite severe snow and ice storms. Following budbreak in mid-April, an early bloom occurred in the first part of June with heavy rains that normally would have been problematic had they not been followed by a record setting “heat dome” when temperatures reached up to an astounding 117.5°F over a three day period across the Pacific Northwest, the wet soil protecting the vines from damage and encouraging healthy growth. The warm and dry remainder of the season prevented any mildew or disease, while cooler temperatures and substantial rain in September allowed the grapes to fully ripen and led to an extended and nearly perfect harvest producing “concentrated Pinot Noirs with fine tannins sure to become age worthy collectables” according to Decanter.
Describing the 2021 Oregon growing season, Audrey Frick of Jeb Dunnuck sums it up as “a stellar vintage, with the wines displaying an outstanding balance of ripeness, depth, and tension" and "equally compelling" as wines from California and Burgundy at a fraction of the price, these exceptional, top rated 2021 Oregon Pinots certain to match a broad array of individual tastes and all over delivering value. |