Willamette Valley
America’s Burgundy
- Soil
- Marine-sediment and volcanic (“Jory”) soils; cool, rainy, marginal climate.
- Style
- Perfumed, elegant, high-acid Pinot Noir and crisp Pinot Gris and Chardonnay.
- Top sites
- Dundee Hills, Eola-Amity Hills, Ribbon Ridge (volcanic vs sedimentary soils).
- Vintages
- 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021
- Producers
- Eyrie VineyardsBergströmCristom
Tip · Cool, wet Willamette is the US’s Pinot Noir heartland — its marginal climate makes vivid, Burgundian reds. Burgundy’s Drouhin family famously set up here in 1987.
Value pick
A to Z Wineworks Pinot Noir · ~$18
A bright, juicy, statewide-blend Oregon Pinot — superb value and widely available.
Collector pick
Domaine Drouhin ‘Laurène’ Pinot Noir · ~$75 · 2019
Burgundy expertise in the Dundee Hills — silky, layered, age-worthy Willamette Pinot.