Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir 2021

I usually have a rule for Pinot Noir to not buy any unless I can really afford to splurge. My experience is that you truly do not get good Pinot unless you spend above 40. So here I am breaking my rule. The Willamette Valley area of Oregon is one of the great Pinot regions so I took the risk. The wine has soft but lovely aromas of cherry and violets with a hint of clove. On the palate, there are bright cherries, strawberry and cola. It is reminiscent of a light cherry cola. The tannin structure is very soft. This not a terribly complex wine, but it is still enjoyable. It makes me think of a Grenache wine more than a Pinot. Because they fermented this wine without crushing the grapes first it makes sense that the wine is so light and not that complex. I do believe I prefer to have the grapes crushed before fermentation. I will notice that next time around.

Rating 8.8