2016 Lemelson Vineyards Thea's Selection Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 750 ml

Lemelson Vineyards is the standout Willamette Valley producer that has twice made Wine Spectator’s prestigious Top 100 list. Today, we have exclusive access to their 2016 Thea’s Selection Pinot Noir—a rare single-vineyard release from one of Oregon’s best vintages in recent memory.

The first time we tasted it, we had just finished a long morning of chanterelle hunting in the Willamette Valley—we know it sounds crazy, but yes, we did trek through the mud and hunt for the golden mushrooms because our foraging winemaker guide said we had to. After three hours of searching for the camouflaged mushrooms sprouting from the forest floor, we were exhausted and thirsty (and wishing we had just headed to the market). 

We headed to Lemelson, where we knew we wouldn’t have to forage for wine. When we arrived, winemaker Matt Wengel happened to walk through the tasting room and immediately recognized Vanessa.

He came over with a serious look on his face and a subtle smile playing across his lips. “Do you guys want to taste something that no one else has yet?”

We didn’t need to be asked twice. Five minutes later, we were all swirling and sniffing our glasses of the 2016 Thea’s Selection Pinot Noir, stunned by the seductive layers of fresh and dried violets, lavender, and red roses dancing alongside plums, cherries, black tea, and incense. We knew we had to lock this down for our members, and by the time the bottle was empty, we had secured the exclusive. You’d have paid $34 at the winery for it, but today at Wine Access, you can claim a bottle for just $30.00 each.

The 2016 Lemelson Thea’s Selection has everything going for it. Small berries with impeccable concentration were harvested at peak ripeness, which allowed Wengel to craft a wine of both propulsive energy and balance. The fruit comes from a number of Lemelson’s estate vineyards, which means that Matt was able to make a wine whose balance of fruit, spice, and floral tones are in perfect harmony. The cuvée was then aged in barrel—30% of it new French oak—and the result is a wine of harmony and excitement.

James Suckling called it “captivating” in his 93-point review, reserving particular praise for its “deeply rich dark-cherries” and “fluid, long and sturdy tannin lines.” Praise like that is par for the course when it comes to Lemelson’s Pinots. One Wine Access member, in their 5-star review of a previous Lemelson offering, asked, “What's not to like?”

The answer: Nothing. The 2016 Lemelson Vineyards Thea’s Selection Pinot Noir is a fantastic wine, a bottle that punches far above its proverbial weight. Combine Matt’s winemaking skills with the 2016 vintage in the Willamette Valley, which already has a reputation as one of the greatest years in a generation, and you have the makings of a deal you don’t want to miss.

Wine Spectator dispensed with any hedging and said, simply, that “Oregon [struck] gold with 2016 Pinot Noirs,” calling them “polished and sleek, so easy to drink on their own, yet with enough fresh acidity to sing with food.”

For Pinot lovers as well as members who simply clamor for world-class wines at bargain prices, the 2016 Lemelson Thea’s Selection Pinot Noir is a home run. Whether you drink it now or lay it down for a few more years, the pleasure it provides is huge. This is a remarkable red from a vintage that was as close to perfect as we’ve ever seen. And Lemelson has channeled it brilliantly with their 2016 Thea’s Selection Pinot.