Pinot Noir from the volcanic hills, Syrah from Oregon's cobblestones
22 bouteilles, du pinot des collines volcaniques à la syrah des galetsA cool-climate Pinot Noir, taut, speaking of its soil as much as of its fruit: that is what Burgundy lovers come looking for in the Willamette Valley. Between the Coast Range and the Cascades, the hills of Dundee and Eola-Amity also give saline Chardonnays, harvested under an ocean sky.
In the north-east of the state, on the stones of The Rocks District, Cayuse grows Syrah and Grenache biodynamically, in a warm, spicy register. Two faces, the same taste for terroir, from Erath's Pinot to the single-parcel cuvées.
Erath - Pinot Noir 2019
An honest, fruity Oregon Pinot, made for the everyday table.
Jay Christopher - Basalt Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2018
A world-class Pinot noir, with notes of spices and undergrowth
Nicolas Jay - Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2017
Willamette in the glass: ripe cherry and rose, with velvety tannins.
Cristom - Jessie 2019
A Pinot Noir from Eola-Amity Hills combining aromatic depth, freshness, and textural precision.
Cristom - Paul Gerrie 2021
A precise and elegant Pinot Noir from Eola-Amity Hills, combining freshness, aromatic depth, and a silky texture.
Cayuse - Impulsive 2019
Tempranillo from the pebbles of En Chamberlin: black cherry, cedar and marked salinity.
Cristom - Louise Vineyard 2021
A volcanic hillside Pinot Noir combining aromatic finesse, freshness, and textural depth.
Erath - Pinot Noir Estate Selection Willamette Valley 2019
La sélection parcellaire d'Erath, un pinot d'Oregon soyeux et parfumé.
Cristom - Estate Syrah 2014
A high-altitude Syrah with a fresh and spicy style, combining fruit depth with elegant texture.
Cristom - Eola Amity Hills Chardonnay 2020
A precise and saline Chardonnay from Eola-Amity Hills, where the freshness of the cool climate meets the depth of volcanic soils.
Cristom - Mt Jefferson 2021
A precise and vibrant Oregon Pinot Noir, where the coolness of the climate marries with a silky and deep texture.
Cristom - Eileen 2021
A high-altitude Pinot Noir from the Eola-Amity Hills, combining freshness, aromatic depth, and a silky texture.
Cayuse - Horsepower 2019
Vignes travaillées au cheval, biodynamie stricte, tanins fins et finale ronde.
Archery Summit - Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2021
A precise and silky Pinot Noir from Dundee Hills, where the purity of the fruit meets the elegance of the volcanic terroir.
Nicolas Jay - Pinot Noir as a whole 2019
Nicolas Jay's top cuvée: an Oregon Pinot built for long ageing.
Cayuse - God Only Knows 2019
Le clin d'œil de Christophe Baron à Châteauneuf, framboise, fraise et épices douces.
Cristom - Marjorie 2021
A Pinot Noir from an iconic parcel in the Eola-Amity Hills, combining aromatic finesse and elegant structure.
Cayuse - Pebbles 2019
Purple colour, black berries and fresh mint in a Syrah with caressing tannins.
Cayuse - God Only Knows 2018
Grenache planté sur galets roulés, pétale de rose et garrigue, bouche voluptueuse.
Archery Summit - Vireton Pinot Noir 2021
A precise and harmonious Oregon Pinot Noir, where the freshness of the fruit meets a silky and elegant texture.
Cayuse - Pebbles 2020
Blackberry, blackcurrant and prune, then a spicy finish that lingers in this silky-textured Syrah.
Archery Summit - Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2021
A Chardonnay from Dundee Hills that combines freshness, precision and elegance, carried by the finesse of Oregon's volcanic soils.
Quatre origines à lire sur l'étiquette
The Willamette Valley is the broad appellation; the hills within it have their own AVAs, each with a soil and a wind you can taste. The Rocks District, for its part, lies to the east, in the Oregon part of the Walla Walla Valley.
| Origine | Sol et climat | Style in the glass | Au catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee Hills AVA depuis 2005 | Argile rouge volcanique dite Jory, sur basalte, coteaux tournés vers le sud | Pinot au fruit rouge mûr, texture soyeuse ; chardonnay précis | Archery Summitpinot noir 91,80 €, chardonnay 78 € la bouteille, par lot de 2 |
| Eola-Amity Hills AVA depuis 2006 | Basalte volcanique, vent froid du Pacifique par le corridor de Van Duzer | Acidité haute, tanins serrés, cuvées de parcelle | Cristomde 40 € (lot de 3) à 97 € la bouteille (lot de 2) |
| Willamette Valley appellation large, depuis 1983 | Mosaïque de sols volcaniques, de loess et de sédiments marins, assemblés d'un coteau à l'autre | Pinot d'assemblage, fruité et souple, ou cuvée de sélection plus profonde | Erath, Nicolas Jay, Jay Christopherde 30,80 € à 119,20 € la bouteille |
| The Rocks District de Milton-Freewater, AVA depuis 2015 | Basalt cobblestones rolled by glacial floods, hot and dry summer | Syrah et grenache charnus, notes d'olive, de viande fumée et de garrigue | Cayusede 182 € à 256 € la bouteille |
Archery Summit's Vireton and Erath's two Pinots blend several vineyards from the valley: they carry the Willamette Valley appellation. Jay Christopher's Basalte comes from the Chehalem Mountains.
Cristom's cuvées, plot by plot
Founded in 1992 by Paul Gerrie in the Eola-Amity Hills, Cristom vinifies each vineyard separately, Burgundian style: whole bunches, open vats, native yeasts. Tasted side by side, its cuvées show what a slope or an altitude changes in a Pinot Noir.
| Cuvée | Origine | Ce qu'elle montre | Prix à la bouteille |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mt Jefferson 2021pinot noir | Selected plots in the Eola-Amity hills | La porte d'entrée : le style maison, fruit net, fraîcheur et grappes entières | 40 € par lot de 3 |
| Paul Gerrie 2021pinot noir | Coteaux entourant la cave, vent du Pacifique | Macération à froid et levures indigènes : une synthèse du domaine | 96 € par lot de 2 |
| Marjorie 2021pinot noir | Vignoble historique, sol volcanique basaltique | La parcelle de référence du domaine : structure, profondeur et longue garde | 96 € par lot de 2 |
| Louise Vineyard 2021pinot noir | Plantation à haute densité, coteau bien drainé | Forte part de vendange entière : la signature de la maison poussée plus loin | 97 € par lot de 2 |
| Jessie 2019pinot noir | Coteau pentu, sols volcaniques et sédimentaires | Tension and precision, with the most mature vintage in the range | 96 € par lot de 2 |
| Eileen 2021pinot noir | Parcelle d'altitude, sols basaltiques | La fraîcheur de la hauteur, une acidité vive et une texture soyeuse | 96 € par lot de 2 |
| Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay 2020blanc | Sols volcaniques et dépôts marins anciens | Pressurage en grappes entières, élevage en fût mesuré, bouche saline | 46 € par lot de 3 |
| Estate Syrah 2014rouge | Pentes exposées du domaine, altitude modérée | Une syrah de climat frais, épicée, à point après dix ans de bouteille | 77,80 € par lot de 2 |
To compare with the Côte de Nuits, the single-plot Pinots in our Burgundy section can be read the same way.
An Oregon bottle for every mood
A bottle for every mood, from everyday Pinot to Syrah for the cellar, with a detour via Burgundy to compare.
Découvrir le pinot d'Oregon à petit prix
A blend of Willamette vineyards, with bright red fruit and supple tannins, for everyday meals.
Erath Pinot Noir 2019 · 30,80 € la bouteilleGoûter un pinot de parcelle
Cristom's historic vineyard on the basalt of Eola-Amity, vinified with whole bunches and native yeasts, for roast poultry.
Cristom Marjorie 2021 · 96 € la bouteille, par lot de 2Un chardonnay de climat frais
Vent du Pacifique et sols volcaniques donnent un blanc salin et droit, à servir sur un poisson au beurre blanc.
Cristom Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay 2020 · 46 € la bouteille, par lot de 3L'accent bourguignon en Oregon
The age-worthy cuvée from the estate founded with Jean-Nicolas Méo, of Méo-Camuzet: a selection of the valley's best plots.
Nicolas Jay Pinot Noir L'Ensemble 2019 · 119,20 € la bouteilleUn pinot biodynamique et artisanal
The Chehalem Mountains, a volcanic soil, native yeasts and eighteen months in barrel: red cherry, spice and forest floor.
Jay Christopher Basalte Pinot Noir 2018 · 49,90 € la bouteilleA Syrah for grilled meat
Blackberry, blackcurrant and a spicy finish from the cobblestones of The Rocks District, a fleshy Syrah that calls for lamb or rib of beef.
Cayuse Cailloux 2020 · 182 € la bouteilleUne bouteille d'exception à offrir
Le grenache de Christophe Baron, planté sur galets roulés en clin d'œil à Châteauneuf-du-Pape, complété d'un cépage tenu secret.
Cayuse God Only Knows 2019 · 210 € la bouteilleCompare with Burgundy
Same grape, same plot-by-plot approach: go from the Willamette to the Côte d'Or to measure what the climate changes.
Rayon Bourgogne
Pourquoi la Bourgogne a traversé l'Atlantique
In 1965, David Lett planted Pinot Noir in the Dundee Hills, convinced that a cool, cloudy climate suited the grape better than the Californian heat. Dick Erath joined him a few years later. Proof came in 1987, when the Drouhin family settled on the same hills: for a Burgundian, the Willamette offers a latitude and a season close to those of the Côte d'Or.
The movement continues with Nicolas Jay, who has partnered with Jean-Nicolas Méo of Domaine Méo-Camuzet. To the east, Cayuse, founded in 1997 by Christophe Baron, follows another inspiration: the Rhône, its cobblestones and its Syrah, farmed biodynamically.
Comment on choisit
Every cuvée is tasted before it joins our range, with Burgundy as the benchmark. We choose Pinots that keep their acidity, well-judged whole-bunch vinifications and estates that bottle their plots separately. In The Rocks District, we look for freshness beneath the ripeness, with wines capable of ageing.
L'équipe du Baroudeur du Vin
Ce qu'on nous demande sur l'Oregon
Quelle différence entre un pinot noir d'Oregon et un bourgogne ?
The climate of the Willamette Valley is close to that of Burgundy, cool and damp in spring, with dry, sunnier summers. Pinot ripens a little further here: more generous red fruit, rounder tannins, lively acidity. Volcanic and marine soils replace limestone. To compare, also browse our Burgundy section.
Which Oregon Pinot Noir should you start with?
Erath's Pinot Noir 2019, at €30.80 a bottle, gives you the style of the valley: red fruit, suppleness, freshness. A step up, Cristom's Mt Jefferson 2021, at €40 a bottle in a pack of 3, adds the precision of the Eola-Amity Hills. Archery Summit's Vireton 2021, at €49.80 in a pack of 3, completes the trio.
What is the Jory soil of the Dundee Hills?
Jory is a red clay formed by the weathering of basalt flows around fifteen million years old. Deep and well drained, it holds enough water to see the vines through the summer. It gives Dundee Hills Pinots ripe red fruit, a silky texture and earthy notes. The wines of Archery Summit are a good example.
What are the cobblestones of The Rocks District?
South of Walla Walla, on the Oregon side, the ground is covered with basalt cobblestones deposited by the Missoula glacial floods. They store the heat of the day and release it at night. Syrah takes on notes of olive, smoked meat and earth here. The appellation dates from 2015 and Cayuse farms its vines biodynamically. See also our Syrah section.
Is Cayuse an Oregon or a Washington estate?
Cayuse's vines are in Milton-Freewater, Oregon, in the southern part of the Walla Walla Valley, an appellation shared between the two states. The winery and a large part of the valley are on the Washington side, hence the confusion. For wines produced north of the border, see our Washington State page.
L'Oregon produit-il de bons vins blancs ?
Yes, and Chardonnay is making rapid progress there. The cool climate preserves acidity and the volcanic soils bring a marked saltiness. Cristom's Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay is €46 a bottle, in a pack of 3, and Archery Summit's Dundee Hills Chardonnay €78 a bottle, in a pack of 2. Find every style in our Chardonnay section.
What food should you serve with an Oregon Pinot Noir?
Its red fruit and freshness go well with grilled salmon, roast poultry, duck, mushrooms and lentil dishes. The more structured single-plot cuvées suit game birds or beef fillet. Serve it at 15–16 °C, in a large glass, and open it an hour beforehand for young vintages.
Combien de temps garder un pinot noir d'Oregon ?
A blended Pinot is best drunk within five years of the harvest. The single-plot cuvées of Cristom or Archery Summit benefit from eight to twelve years. Cayuse's Syrahs and Grenaches last fifteen years or more. Keep the bottles lying down, away from light, at around 12 °C.