2016 Solena Estate Pinot Noir Grande Cuvee Willamette Valley 750 ml

Member Favorite from Spectator’s 97-Point Vintage

This spectacular Willamette Valley bargain sells out in rapid time every time we present it. Since our first offering, Laurent Montalieu’s opulent Grande Cuvée from Soléna Estate has amassed 612 4-star and 122 5-star reviews, drawing many happy raves along the way. But this one says it all: “This is the second time I purchased this wine. It’s well worth it.”

We wholeheartedly agree. Pound for pound, for value Oregon Pinot Noir, nothing holds a candle to Soléna Estate’s Grand Cuvée, which landed at #38 on the 2015 Wine Spectator Top 100 list for their 2012 vintage. $30 from the winery, just $22 today.

If you loved the 2015 release, just wait—the 2016s are the best yet, coming from a vintage that Wine Spectator rated “Classic,” saying the season lent “balance and elegance” to the finished wines. The last time Oregon’s vintage was this spectacular, this wine landed on the Top 100. And critic James Suckling has already gushed over the 2016 Grand Cuvée’s “smooth array of fresh, rich berry flavors with a long and focused finish.”

No one who’s followed Laurent’s rise from Bordeaux-educated student to Willamette Valley sage could claim to be surprised. Laurent continues to reach new heights, and has crafted a Pinot Noir equal to that of his Top 100 bottling, and in the only Oregon vintage that’s rivaled the heralded 2012 harvest season.

We remember clearly what Laurent told us during one visit 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, but he could have limited himself to just his Soléna Estate Grande Cuvée and been just as accurate. Laurent 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 every release since has set a new bar. But the showdown of Oregon’s best vintage EVER has begun. The 2016 harvest is being hailed as the greatest, rivaled only in the last 30 years by the 2012 vintage—with one major difference: prices. In the few years since the 2012s hit the market, the price of top-notch Oregon Pinot Noir has soared to dizzying heights, and that upward trajectory is only slated to continue.

Major producers like the Wagners (of Caymus fame), Burgundy heavyweight Domaine Drouhin, and star-studded sommeliers like Rajat Parr and Larry Stone are all getting on the Oregon bandwagon—all adding 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, and who knows how long we can offer it at such a terrific bargain price. There’s also less to go around this year, so, no dallying.