2021 Lemelson Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 750 ml

You haven’t heard it from the critics yet, but everyone in Oregon is talking about 2021.

It started off dramatically: The year was one of Oregon’s driest in memory, and a “heat dome” punctuated the hottest June ever recorded in North America. Thankfully, the rest of the summer was relatively mild. A few refreshing rains in September and October cemented what turned out to be one of the best vintages in the last 10 years—resulting in fresh, concentrated, deeply-colored Pinots.

Eric Lemelson and his team nailed 2021, and it shows in their Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Bottlings like this are why Wine Enthusiast, in an article titled “America’s Best Pinot Noirs,” named Lemelson an “elite” producer, placing it alongside the likes of Archery Summit and Domaine Serene.

Harvested from estate vines in Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, and Yamhill-Carlton, this superb Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is the perfect introduction to the 2021 vintage. One veteran winemaker said, “It will certainly rank as one of our top five vintages. It’s certainly a great vintage in the making and I don’t say that lightly.”

Since we discovered Lemelson Vineyards years ago, they have steadfastly maintained a commitment to quality and value. And like the Cuvée X that preceded it—a white-hot sell-out each time we offered it—their 2021 Pinot Noir is a special blend that comes from a selection of individual barrels and bottled earlier, preserving mouthwatering vibrancy and pristine red fruit.

While many producers have opted for a quick buck by riding the wave of soaring Pinot Noir prices, Lemelson has been content to keep price tags modest—and the winery’s bottles fly off the shelves year after year.