Van Duzer Elemental Reserve Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley, USA 2021

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

Our Elemental Reserve is always a blend of our winemaker's favorite barrels from a particular vintage. While Oregon's unpredictable weather kept us on our toes in 2021, our luck held up thanks to the Van Duzer winds and we were able to produce wines that we think you'll love! Bright red fruit aromatics of cherry, strawberry, and raspberry meld nicely with a subtle sweetness of oak. The mouthfeel of the wine is simultaneously fresh and structured with a dense fine-grained tannin.