2018 Ernest Vineyards Pinot Noir Edaphos Giving Tree Vineyard Oregon 750 ml

With its elegant fruit and Old World-inspired structure, Ernest’s 100% whole-cluster bottling from the Giving Tree Vineyard captured our hearts from the first taste. Vinous called it “a beautiful wine” in their 93-point review, and it shows off why Ernest has become one of the hottest names in Pinot Noir. 

That’s due in large part to winemaker Joseph Ryan, who has a deft hand with Pinot Noir and knew the exact strings to pull with this 2018. The Willamette Valley's near-perfect growing season meant he could push the percentage of whole bunches in the fermentation to 100%, allowing the fully ripe stems to enhance the savory aromatics of the wine and provide beautiful structure.

Showing perfumed, lifted aromatics and freshness earned through whole-cluster fermentation—a technique often used in great Burgundies—this Pinot shows off the low-intervention, site-focused style that’s made Ernest a darling of the jet-setting sommelier crowd: Ernest Vineyards wines have been featured on the wine lists of starry restaurants like The French Laundry, Danny Meyer’s The Modern, and NoMad in Los Angeles. Thankfully, though, you won’t be paying $180 for this bottle, like you would if you wanted to drink an Ernest Pinot at The French Laundry.

This 2018 shows a deep ruby color, with the explosive aromatics we look for in Oregon Pinot. Whole-cluster-derived scents of black tea, Chinese five-spice, and wild thyme mix with a core of red cherries, Santa Rosa plum, and a hint of lilac to preview a palate that’s packed with flavor. There’s the firm core that’s typical of Pinot made on the stems, but the tannins remain elegant rather than stern, especially as the juicy red fruit carries through on the long finish. The result is a classic Oregon bottling that’s drinking beautifully today but will cellar with ease.

Ernest’s Edaphos label is so named—for the Greek word for “soil” or “ground”—because of its focus on place. The Giving Tree Vineyard is located on the 45th parallel—the same latitude as Burgundy—just a few miles from Freedom Hill, one of Oregon’s Grand Cru sites. It’s a perfect place to ripen Pinot Noir, with cool breezes coming off the Pacific and shallow marine-sedimentary soils promoting the deep root penetration that spawns exquisite concentration and complexity.