Oregon vintage 2022: Best Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs under $50

The Willamette Valley is unquestionably one of the world’s great Pinot Noir (and I’d argue Chardonnay) regions.

For those who remain sceptical, I would point to the long track record that the region’s founding producers, like Eyrie, Ponzi, Bethel Heights, and Sokol Blosser (to name only a few), have in producing quality Pinot Noir vintage after vintage.

Likewise, many second-generation winemakers continue to elevate the Willamette Valley’s profile. Second-wave producers like Beaux Frères and Cristom Vineyards have only added to the region’s growing reputation for quality and consistency.

Scroll down for top-scoring Willamette Valley Pinot Noirs of the 2022 vintage all under $50

The tide has long risen

In addition to the longstanding classics, the current wave of great Willamette Valley winemakers is tremendous. Names like Alban Debeaulieu at Abbott Claim, Grant Coulter of Hundred Suns, Granville’s Jackson Holstein, Kate Payne Brown now at Ambar Estate and the inimitable second-generation winemaker Jimmy Maresh, who grew up in the vine rows in the Dundee Hills.

It is no longer a surprise to anyone who follows the world of wine that this region and its top talents are producing some of the greatest Pinot Noirs in the world – and ones that offer considerable value.

For the 2022 Willamette Valley vintage report, I tasted nearly 300 wines from the region’s many sub-appellations and those labelled with a broader Willamette Valley designation. Of all those wines, only one was noticeably more than $100 (£77), at around $125. Many of the vintage’s top-rated wines are available for between $45 and $85.

Where I truly believe the Willamette Valley can astound any Pinot Noir aficionado is in the under $50 (£37) category.

A commitment to quality

‘I think that a commitment to high-level winemaking makes for outstanding entry-level wines,’ says Jimmy Maresh of Arterberry Maresh, who produced what one of the top three wines of the 2022 vintage.

His Arterberry Maresh Dundee Hills Pinot Noir (96-points) is only $33.50. I believe it may be the best $33.50 American-made wine you can find. Even his Weber Pinot Noir (98-points), retails for just under $75.

‘Domaine Leflaive’s Bourgogne Blanc is better than most producers’ Puligny 1er crus,’ Maresh continues. ‘I don’t source any grapes for the Dundee Hills bottlings. It’s all Weber and Maresh Pinot Noir that doesn’t make it into the single-vineyard designate. So, the pedigree of this fruit is very high for a broader appellation bottling.

‘It’s also important to note that I give the Dundee Hills 14-20 months in barrel. In many cases, entry-level wines are bottled in August out of convenience or necessity in some cases.’

Willamette Valley 2022: top five Pinot Noir values:

Arterberry Maresh, Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 96pts

Hundred Suns, Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills 96pts

Evesham Wood, Cuvée, Eola-Amity Hills 95pts

Haden Fig, Freedom Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir, Mt Pisgah 95pts

Bethel Heights, Estate Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, 94pts

A commitment to place

No one may produce more under-$50 wines of such tremendous quality than Erin Nuccio, who operates and makes the wines for the historic Evesham Wood and his more recent brand, Haden Fig. For him, it’s all about making wines of place.

Nuccio makes delicious Pinot Noirs, with classic Willamette Valley character at prices as low as $26.

‘The short answer is that I strongly believe that great wine belongs on every table,’ says Nuccio, ‘and I take great pride in striving to do that.’

The longer answer is that Nuccio’s philosophy follows in the footsteps of Russ Rainey, who founded the Evesham Wood winery in 1986. Nuccio then took ownership of Evesham Wood from the Rainey family in 2010.

‘Russ and I both started on the retail side of the wine business, and we cut our teeth tasting hundreds of wines a month, looking for exceptional value from wines worldwide. When he started Evesham Wood, he keenly remembered his retail roots, focusing on producing wines he could afford to buy and drink regularly,’ says Nuccio.

‘When I decided to start my winery, Haden Fig, in 2007,’ he continues, ‘I too was driven by the potential the Willamette Valley had to produce amazing Pinot Noir with a real sense of place.’

See the Willamette Valley 2022 Top 100 score table

‘I get a real sense of fulfilment from producing our Willamette Valley bottlings. We produce those cuvées exactly like our top single vineyards – carefully selected vineyards farmed organically and without irrigation, hand-picked and carefully sorted.

‘The only real difference is the length of time in the barrel. Bottling the Willamette Valley blend right before harvest frees up essential space and barrels, which allows us to keep costs down.’

He concludes: ‘When we had the opportunity to expand our estate vineyards a few years ago, we did so with the deliberate intention of expanding our Willamette Valley bottling production.

‘We started our vineyard search not in the highly regarded and sought sub-AVAs but in the lesser-known pockets of the greater Willamette Valley, where we felt we could find great value and a great sense of place to expand our Willamette Valley bottling.’

Intentionality counts

’I’ve always believed that if you are going to put your name on the label, then the wine is good, full stop,’ says second-generation winemaker Ben Casteel of Bethel Heights. ‘We work on blending our Estate Pinot Noir first to ensure it isn’t simply what is left in the cellar when the other wines are finished but a deliberate wine that speaks to our vineyard, the growing season, and the cellaring that followed.’

‘I grow grapes and make wine for a living, but I’m also a consumer, and I find myself drawn to producers not based on their higher price point, vineyard or block-specific wines, but by the entry-level wine they are putting their name on. When it is evident the attention to detail isn’t reserved for a handful of wines but the entire lineup, that resonates with me.’

The Willamette Valley’s Pinot Noirs should resonate with wine lovers looking for a great deal in a variety that has long been considered too expensive to provide true value. These wines will undoubtedly challenge that perception and make the case for wines of place still being affordable enough to have on every table.

Willamette Valley 2022: a lucky selection of 13 Pinot Noir values

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