Benton Lane Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2023
93 Points, Decanter
This wine is a true showcase of Orrego’s winemaking talents. It’s the ultimate labor of love. Winemaker Amael Orrego uses 82 different Pinot Noir blocks, keeping the fruit separate before blending the cuvée. This incredibly meticulous, time-consuming process for the winery’s signature Pinot allows him to evaluate his fruit cluster by cluster, identifying the vintage’s strengths and the traits he seeks to bring out in his ultimate cuvée.
Decanter gave the 2023 vintage 93 points, calling it “ripe and expressive” with “sois bois and mushroom notes showing an earthy immediacy” followed by “ripe cherries and a touch of dusty minerality.” They said the mouthfeel here was “sleek, showing freshness and a surprising structure” with “ripe, fleshy red berries, savoury herbs, and a fresh forest element.” Dunnuck and Vinous both came in at 91 points, with Dunnuck calling it “elegant” and “a breath of fresh air from the Benton-Lane team.” This is a great wine – not to be missed!
Original price was: $38.00.$30.00Current price is: $30.00.
Availability: In stock
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93 Points, Decanter
This is a ripe and expressive Pinot Noir blended by Amael Orrego, who crafts this wine across more than 80 Pinot Noir blocks. Sois bois and mushroom notes show an earthy immediacy in the aromatics, followed by ripe cherries and a touch of dusty minerality. The palate is sleek, showing freshness and a surprising structure. Ripe, fleshy red berries, savoury herbs, and a fresh forest element of pine bough and raspberry leaf balance the generosity of the fruit with the elegance of the savoury and umami nuances.
Oregon’s Willamette Valley was once considered a big risk as late as the 1980s. Most wine folks didn’t think Pinot Noir could fully ripen in such a rainy, cold environment. Attracting winemaking talent to the Pacific Northwest was nearly impossible.
Now, the region is widely considered the best place in the country to find great Pinot Noir outside of the Sonoma Coast. With temperatures hitting 100 degrees well into September, the area is flush with some of the world’s greatest winemakers from France, Italy, Portugal, New Zealand, and beyond. Hordes have come from Europe to cash in on the ‘Great Oregon Goldrush,’ including many from Burgundy. Yet amazingly, two of the best winemakers in the Willamette Valley right now are from Chile.
One is Felipe Ramirez of Rose and Arrow, whose cult Pinots sell for upwards of $200/bottle. The other is Amael Orrego, the man in charge of Benton Lane in the beloved Eola-Amity Hills. This Chilean-born winemaker honed his skills in America at Quintessa before fulfilling a dream of becoming a winemaker in his home country. Ultimately, an American love interest and an affinity for Pinot Noir drew him back to the States and the Pacific Northwest. Benton Lane has been soaring ever since.
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