World-class Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley — one of the great wine appellations on Earth, 30 minutes from Portland. Burgundian elegance in a Pacific Northwest landscape.
The Willamette Valley is Oregon's flagship — one of the world's premier Pinot Noir appellations.
Each sub-AVA produces Pinot Noir of distinctly different character.
Oregon has earned its place among the world's great Pinot Noir regions — a remarkable achievement for a wine industry that barely existed before the 1960s. David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards planted the first Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley in 1965, and by the 1980s Oregon Pinot Noir was competing with — and occasionally beating — the finest wines of Burgundy in international blind tastings.
The Willamette Valley's climate is the key: a long, cool growing season with maritime influence from the Pacific through the Van Duzer Corridor, volcanic and marine sedimentary soils from ancient ocean floors, and a latitude (45°N) that mirrors Burgundy almost exactly. These conditions produce Pinot Noir of extraordinary complexity — earthy, structured, age-worthy wines with natural acidity that makes them exceptional food partners.
Beyond Pinot Noir, Oregon produces excellent Pinot Gris (the state's signature white), Chardonnay (increasingly Burgundian in style), and Riesling. Southern Oregon's warmer Rogue and Umpqua Valleys grow Tempranillo, Syrah, and other warm-climate varieties. The Columbia Gorge AVA spans both Oregon and Washington, producing distinctive wines from one of the most dramatic landscapes in American wine.