Archery Summit Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 2021

Founded by former Olympic skier turned passionate winemaker Gary Andrus, Archery Summit was considered a success from right out of the starting gate (see what I did there?) He had previously founded Pine Ridge Vineyards in Stag’s Leap and helped turn that into a global success, but Gary was looking to Oregon as the closest thing to Burgundy in the States and the place to grow his favorite varietal, Pinot Noir.

Gary picked the Dundee Hills in particular due to the amazing red, iron-rich volcanic Jory soils that run parallel to the Willamette River, which facilitate an optimal ripening schedule. The Dundee Hills is one of the few places untouched by the great Missoula Floods from 15,000 years ago. While much of the valley has sedimentary soils from the floods, the high-altitude Dundee Hills sat above the valley and maintained its volcanic soils. Archery Summit is dab smack in the middle of Dundee Hills and its wines have been a spotlight of the region for 30 years now.

Archery Summit’s 2021 bottling takes things to a level the winery has not yet reached before. In this year’s Decanter Wine Awards, they absolutely stole the show. Completely stole it. Out of 18,250 wines submitted from 57 countries, only 50 earned Best in Show honors. Not only was Archery Summit’s Pinot the only Pinot Noir to earn this honor, it was also the only ‘Best in Show’ wine that came from the United States. Insanity.