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Willamette Valley 2023 vintage report: 20 of the year’s most polished and precocious Pinot Noirs

An idiosyncratic 2023 growing season in Willamette Valley has produced a collection of expressive Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of consistently high quality. Our US Editor, who is based in the Pacific Northwest, tasted some 400 wines in all, and here presents a vintage overview and his 20 top Pinot Noirs, with Chardonnay recommendations to follow soon.

The wines that were made from the 2023 vintage in Oregon’s Willamette Valley are beautiful.

They readily offer the elegance and delicacy for which cool-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are known throughout the wine world. These are remarkable wines.

The results of a growing season that started cool and slow, and ended rapidly, there’s a grace and refinement stamped across them, from their aromatics to their polished finishes.

And there’s a precocious nature to them, too: perfect for those without patience.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for 20 of the finest Pinot Noirs from Willamette Valley’s 2023 vintage


Pursehouse’s 20 great Pinot buys from 2023


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