6 Oregon pinot noirs that stand out in a crowd

Have you ever been paralyzed with indecision by a store’s massive Oregon pinot noir section? I call it the “fog of noir.” With so many pinot options these days, ferreting out winners can be a daunting task.

That’s why I would like to draw your attention to six wines that deliver impressive quality for a fair price. If they are unfamiliar to you, make friends as soon as possible.

2018 Bow & Arrow Wines Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Scott Frank of Bow & Arrow is a winemaker, DJ and easily the best air guitarist to ever graduate from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. Frank claims “drinkability” for his house style, and this $20 pinot noir proves he knows what he is doing.

This funky-earthy pinot emerges from Frank’s subterranean Northeast Portland winery to coat mouths everywhere with juicy black cherries, citrus, violets and thyme. The wine’s brisk acidity and firm tannins offer the best one-two punch this side of Dustin Poirier.

bowandarrowwines.com or scott@bowandarrowwines.com.

2018 Ansel Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

This wine has a secret.

I can tell you it is made by Graham Markel of Buona Notte Wines and experienced wine hand Jeremy Byrd. I can tell you they purchased barrels of pinot noir from a handful of well-known Willamette Valley wineries to make the Ansel. I can’t, however, tell you which wineries as Markel and Byrd are sworn to secrecy.

I discovered the excellent Ansel at Avalon Wine in Northeast Portland for $21.95. It smells like cherries and carnations, with a whiff of a grape popsicle in the background. Flavors of bittersweet dark chocolate and wild strawberries positively glide over taste buds like Yuzuru Hanyu on open ice.

The Ansel makes it way too easy to pour a second glass. If you do, make sure something from The Bar-Kays is on the turntable.

buonanottewines.com or 303-818-3525.

2017 Shiba Wichern Cellars Willamette Cuvée Pinot Noir

If you enjoy graceful, balanced wines, you need to get familiar with Akiko Shiba right quick.

Shiba’s Willamette Cuvée is a great place to begin. It’s an aromatic tour de force, starting with floral scents of white flowers and violets, followed by bursts of black cherries, cedar and fresh-pulled espresso shots. Tart cranberry flavors fill the mouth, along with traces of orange peel and portobello mushrooms. If you enjoy elevated acidity, this is a wine you need to try.

The Willamette Cuvée is available for $25 at the winery.

shibawicherncellars.com or 503-883-9142.

2018 Twill Cellars Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Twill Cellars is located within grape throwing distance of the Tualatin River. Their secluded West Linn location is where Molly and Darrel Roby, along with winemaker Chris Dickson, produce pinot noirs that deserve more attention.

Their entry-level pinot noir, for example, offers a lot of pinot flavor for a reasonable price. Its aromas of black cherries and candied rose petals bring back memories of a childhood Halloween favorite: the cherry Dum Dums lollipop. Juicy raspberry and blueberry flavors dominate the palate, along with wee bits of caramel and saline.

I found a bottle at Portland’s Sec Wines for $19.99. Get some.

twillcellars.com or 503-638-7323.

2018 Violin Wine Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

This wine is a superb representative of the Eola-Amity Hills, where 90% of the grapes hail from. Blackberries and white peaches battle for aromatic supremacy, along with touches of earth and schoolhouse white chalk.

Blackberries feature again on the palate, along with flavors of leather, gardenias and black pepper. The wine slides across the palate like a silk sheet. I’ve had my share of significantly more expensive Oregon pinot noirs that don’t perform as well as this Violin.

The bad news: winemaker/owner Will Hamilton says he’s sold out at the winery. The good news: you can still find it at Avalon Wine for $24.95.

violinwine.com or 971-241-7316.

2017 Crew Work Wines Hundredth Vineyard Pinot Noir

My favorite southern Oregon pinot noirs invariably come from the Elkton Oregon American Viticultural Area in the Umpqua Valley. Now I have a new wine to add to my “drink at will” list.

Crew Work Wines is winemaker/farmer Nathan Wood and marketing and sales specialist Casey Zarnes. Their Hundredth Vineyard Pinot Noir is perfect for those occasions where you need a pinot with the stuffing to match up with a dish like roasted pork shoulder.

The early swirl yields aromas of blackcap raspberries, spruce needles and tangy rhubarb. Flavor-wise, the raspberries return with blood orange and bits of bittersweet dark chocolate and well-aged balsamic vinegar.

This classically Elkton wine is available from the winery for $30.

elktonwineco.com or 541-584-2811.

— Michael Alberty writes about wine for The Oregonian/OregonLive. He can be reached at malberty0@gmail.com. To read more of his coverage, go to oregonlive.com/wine.

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