The Winners: Oregon Pinot Everyday Values
The secret to finding the best values from famous wine regions—Oregon's Willamette Valley!— is to have knowledgeable guides who know the local scene. That's us.
As we taste Pinots throughout the year, we search for the bests of the bunch in style, drinkability, and (of course) price and we advise you of the everyday Pinot winners.
Here they are: four new standouts in Sunday-through-Saturday-priced Pinot, all below $25 before the case discount. Note: this price range in authentic, small-production Willamette Valley Pinot noir is going the way of the dodo bird. Take advantage of these truly outstanding values while you can!
$22.95 in any 12 bottle or Build a Case order ($24.95 regular)
Tim’s WV ‘19 is singing! The wonderful 2019 vintage shows us the refined side of Tim’s Pinot noirs. Red fruits abound accented by violet and a pinch of fresh nutmeg. The whole feel is suave and sophisticated, especially within the context of an everyday-priced Pinot. Great stuff, Mr. Malone!
Fun facts about Tim Malone:
- He is the best bassist in the Oregon wine industry (he’s a Berklee-trained musician).
- He has a robust collection of kitchen knives.
- He spent a vintage in the cellar of Cameron before becoming assistant winemaker at J. Christopher; the story comes full circle as Tim is now the winemaker for J. Christopher.
- He is a really good dude.
$22.95 in any 12 bottle or Build a Case order ($24.95 regular)
It's rare to find a sub-$25 Willamette Valley Pinot made from old vines. Cooper Mountain’s WVPN vine age–plantings from 1978, ‘82, and ‘99–is legit and so is this outstanding Pinot noir! Filled with black cherry goodness, a nice combination of elegance and stature. It had been years since I had tasted through the Cooper Mountain lineup and we are particularly impressed with the value in this beyond-organic, Biodynamically-certified everyday Pinot.
$21.95 in any 12 bottle or Build a Case order ($23.95 regular)
The first of the thrilling 2021s, Ayres captures the ideal mix of exuberance and Pinot purity in this delightfully fresh and precocious bottle. Juicy berries and cherries abound as Ayres does what they do best: continually over-deliver bang for the buck. The backbone of this fantastic value is Ayres' Ribbon Ridge estate fruit.
$19.95 in any 12 bottle or Build a Case order ($21.95 regular)
Love & Squalor’s side-label, Garageland 2018 shows the strength of the vintage with a lovely mixed cherry heart complemented by surprising depth and complexity for such a humble price. Color us impressed!
Garageland Pinot is a multi-vineyard and multi-appellation Willamette Valley blend. The name is stolen from a punk-rock song by The Clash, and is an homage to all of the artisans—from musicians and painters, to vintners and food makers, who toil away behind nondescript roll-up garage doors.