Van Duzer Dijon Blocks Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2021

In 1998, Carl and Marilynn Thoma helped open up a new frontier of Oregon’s Willamette Valley when they chose a wild, beautiful, out of the way place, where the winds blew just right.

Perched upon a windy knoll 2 miles down a dirt road in Dallas, Oregon (no not Texas … this is Oregon) about an hour away from just about anywhere, you’ll find Van Duzer Vineyards. Here, 82 acres of vines lie in the direct path of cooling marine winds that rush through a deep gap in the Coast Range—its namesake Van Duzer Corridor.

While a few vines had been planted in the wind-blown region previously, the site was anything but a sure thing. But caution has never been a prerequisite for the wine business, and there was something about that persistent breeze off the pacific that convinced the Thoma’s that this was a risk worth taking. For them, the opportunity to uncover something new and special in an unproven wine region was what brought them to Oregon in the first place.

Their instinct told them that extraordinary wines could be produced in these challenging conditions, and that climate was going to be the most important thing affecting the style of wines.

Dijon Blocks Pinot Noir displays bright fruit aromatics of blackberry and black cherry. Fruit aromatics blend nicely against coffee, cinnamon, cloves, and caramel from the oak. Behind the fruit and oak is a savory forest floor character that brings intrigue to the nose. The mouthfeel is rich and delicate at first, but with a substantial amount of tannin and acidity to balance the opulence from the fruit profile. The wine has a long finish with delicate tannins. 

Pairs nicely with roasted pork chops, grilled ribeye or mushroom risotto.