2015 Solena Estate Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 750 ml

This spectacular Willamette Valley bargain sells out in rapid time every time we offer it.  For value Oregon Pinot Noir, nothing holds a candle to Laurent Montalieu’s opulent Grande Cuvée from Soléna Estate, which landed at #38 on the 2014 Wine Spectator Top 100 list. No one who’s followed Laurent’s rise from Bordeaux-educated student to Willamette Valley sage could claim to be surprised. Montalieu reached new heights in Oregon’s much-anticipated 2015 vintage.

Laurent put it succinctly on one of our recent visits to his pristine cellar in Yamhill: When it comes to “quality, complexity, and price, there is no finer value in the world.” The modest Montalieu was talking about the Pinot Noirs of Willamette Valley; he could have limited himself to just this 2015 Soléna Estate Grande Cuvée and been just as accurate. Laurent Montalieu has been crafting Oregon Pinot Noirs with Burgundian elegance for three decades now. He’s watched as the Willamette Valley’s wineries have gone from hopeful startups to market-setting juggernauts. Of course, he’s done more than watch.

The world truly began paying attention to Oregon’s Pinot Noir in 2008, and each even year since has set a new bar. The pattern broke in 2015, a phenomenal growing season that immediately followed and largely mirrored the exceptional 2014, with one major difference—above-average temperatures in the spring allowed for early bloom and exceptional fruit-set, which led to an early harvest overall.

Wine Spectator’s early reports predicted that it “could be the state’s most extraordinary vintage,” and their 95-point final vintage score affirms it is among the very top. James Suckling has just added fuel to the fire. Oregon Pinot is hot and there’s no better time than now to see for yourself—this Grand Cuvée will not disappoint.