2020 Norris Estate Pinot Noir Norris McKinley Vineyard Ribbon Ridge Willamette Valley 750 ml

“This is our best under-$25 Oregon Pinot Noir deal of the year.”

That was Master Sommelier Sur Lucero’s mic-drop appraisal of this extremely rare single-vineyard Pinot, fashioned from 100% estate fruit. 

It comes from a still more rarefied plot of land inside the hallowed Willamette Valley region—the smallest and perhaps the most prestigious appellation in Oregon. 

The Ribbon Ridge AVA rises like an island 600 feet above the Chehalem Valley floor. It’s a magical strip of land—just three-and-a-half miles long and less than two miles wide—that’s home to some of the state’s highest-scoring wineries, including Beaux Frères, Brick House, and Penner-Ash.

Norris winemaker Robert McKinley has a feel for this coveted terroir is second to none. His parents planted the Norris McKinley Vineyard, where this bottle hails from, in 2007. He practically grew up on the 12-acre plot, then honed his craft at renowned estates like Williams Selyem and WillaKenzie as well as Torbreck in Australia’s Barossa Valley.

In recent vintages, Ribbon Ridge wines have netted Wine Advocate’s highest scores across all the AVAs in Oregon.

The reason is simple: Like Burgundy, this tiny plot of land is phenomenally well-suited to cultivating high-end Pinot Noir. Topographically set apart from its surroundings, it boasts a unique microclimate: Hillside sites soak up the sun, fog falls on the valley floor below, and clouds settle on the surrounding ridges that protect the AVA’s cherished vineyards.

A paragon of complexity, the Norris McKinley Vineyard features six different types of prized Willakenzie soils. Combined with McKinley’s organic farming practices, the resulting wines offer masterclasses in expressing Ribbon Ridge terroir.