What Do You Prefer in Oregon Pinot Noir: Double or Triple Digit?

Oregon experienced the greatest increase in direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales of all wine-producing regions in the U.S. in 2017 with a 31 percent gain according to an annual report by Wines & Vines magazine and Sovos. Oregon’s DTC wine shipments have increased 214 percent since 2012, with more than half of that volume due to Pinot Noir. Much of this increase is said to be due to tasting room sales.

The Wines & Vines report also noted that the average price per bottle increased in Oregon by 2.8% to $39.16 in 2017. I looked at the average price per bottle of all Oregon Pinot Noirs I reviewed from the 2005 to 2014 vintages. My data show an average bottle price increase from $40 in 2005 to $48 in 2014, a gain of 20%. Along with the rise in average bottle price, there was an increase in the number of bottles of Oregon Pinot Noir I reviewed from the 2005 through 2014 vintages priced at $70 and above of approximately 33%.

The growth rate by price point of Oregon wines exceeds all other wine producing regions of the world as shown by the 52 week change ending December 2, 2017:

It was only a few years ago that it was rare to find Oregon Pinot Noirs priced above $70 and extremely rare to find Oregon Pinot Noirs priced at triple digits. My data indicate that the acceleration in pricing of top-end Oregon Pinot Noir emerged with the 2012 vintage and has escalated further to date. Here is a list of some high double digit and triple digit Oregon Pinot Noirs in the marketplace:

2016 Antica Terra Botanica (and Ceras) Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $90
2015 Shea Wine Cellars Homer Shea Vineyard Yamhill Carlton Pinot Noir $92
2015 Beaux Frères Beaux Frères Vineyard Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir $95
2014 Domaine Serene Two Barns Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $95
2014 Domaine Serene Jerusalem Hill Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir $95
2014 White Rose Estate Anderson Family Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $95
2015 Elk Cove Reserve Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $96
2014 ROCO Private Stash Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir $97
2014 Domaine Serene Winery Hill Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $100
2015 Sequitor Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir $100
2014 Nicolas-Jay Bishop Creek Vineyard Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir $100
2014 Evening Land La Source Seven Springs Estate Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir $102
2015 Big Table Farm Earth Yamhill-Carlton Pinot Noir $105
2015 Ponzi Abetina (and Aurora) Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir $105
2014 White Rose Winemaker’s Cuvée Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $105
2015 Beaux Frères Upper Terrace Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noir $110

2014 Double Zero VGR Pinot Noir $119
2016 Chapter 24 Warden Hill (and Hopewell Hills) Pinot Noir $120
2014 Adelsheim Quarter Mile Lane Vineyard Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir $125
2014 Adelsheim Winderlea Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $125
2014 Domaine Serene Aspect Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $125
2014 Domaine Serene Mark Bradford Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $125
2015 Penner-Ash Pas De Nom Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $125
2014 White Rose Estate White Rose Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $125

2015 Guillen Family Wines Yuliana Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $150
2014 Antica Terra Antikythera Eola-Amity Hills Pinot Noir $155
2016 Chapter 24 Highland (and Stone Creek) Pinot Noir $180
2014 Domaine Serene Grace Vineyard Dundee Hills Pinot Noir $195
2012 Adelsheim Vintage 35 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir $195

Fortunately, there are still many outstanding Oregon Pinot Noirs including those reviewed in this issue that are well within the budgets of most pinotphiles. Let’s hope that the prediction of wine writer Charles Olken does not come true: “What happens when and if the predilection for Pinot gets even more widespread than it is? I can tell you. We will become Burgundy and our Pinots will come with price tags not dissimilar to those nowdiscouragingly costly beauties from across the pond.” If triple digit pricing becomes more the norm for premium Oregon Pinot Noir, the prophetic words of Bruce Schoenfeld in 2012 will be viewed cynically when revisited: “Nobody is getting rich making wine in Oregon.”

A simple wine truth should be kept in mind when equating price with quality. As Matt Kramer noted recently, “Price tells you almost nothing about quality. Forces such as land and grape costs, fashion and hype determine the cost of a wine as much as anything else. There’s just too much wiggle room for price and quality to align in an accurate way.”

Regardless of double or triple digit pricing, all Pinot Noir roads lead to Oregon these days.