North Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021

Tony Soter is a legendary Napa winemaker, who picked up, and leapt – in a single Kryptonian-bound, mind you – to Oregon, where he became – you guessed it – a legendary Willamette Valley winemaker. From mountain Cabernets on Napa’s Pritchard Hill, to elegant, floral, and Burgundian-inspired Pinot Noirs in Oregon’s Willamette Valley – this guy knows how to CRUSH!!! His longtime partner and day-to-day winemaker, James Cahill now runs the show as of 2021, and these wines haven’t missed a beat! 

And hey, even at the exceptionally priced winery retail of $35…that’s just what this 2021 does. It CRUSHES! But at our almost suspiciously low price of FIFTEEN DOLLARS?!?! Stop it. Just stop. Pull me off the coals, cover me with an aluminum tent, and wait about fifteen minutes – ‘cause I…am…DONE!!! 

Winemaking legend Tony Soter (Chappellet, Shafer, Spottswoode, Dalla Valle, and Etude) pulled a Pete Sampras and walked away from it all at the very peak of his powers in 2006. He went to the as-of-yet-quiet-and-unknown reaches of Oregon’s Willamette Valley and started crafting a completely different style of wine, partnering with James Cahill to create one of Oregon’s most recognizable Pinot Noir portfolios. Others have done it, sure, but none more successfully than Tony – a widely-respected pioneer that even inspired Napa icon Doug Shafer to quip, “I want to be Tony Soter when I grow up.”

My jaw dropped like the gloves at a recent USA/Canada hockey tilt – this is just TOO good to sell for only $15. Too layered, too perfumed, to quenchably delicious –  this is primed to land on the tippy-top BEST Oregonian Pinot deals in Last Bottle history by the time this is all gone…which could be a couple of hours or less, me thinks. Sappy floral notes of lilacs and violets, with this *puff* of baby powder-like freshness, immediately followed by macerated blueberries, and black cherries, with spiced plums, roasted herbs like rosemary and thyme, and this tart, spicy cranberry and pink peppercorn sensation that lingers on the tongue for a good 35 seconds after each greedy sip. Darker, fuller, and with a depth of intensity in the scope of your typical Oregonian Pinot – this could trick you into wandering down the road into the Russian River – but at a price you’ll pretty much NEVER see for RRV Pinot Noir – even in the magical universe of Last Bottle 707.C (Yeah, I just named my reality – so what?!)

92 POINTS! Only $15! Not nearly enough to survive the day! You know what’s coming…WHILE IT LASTS, good people!