The 2021 Ashlyn Pinot Noir, primarily sourced from an Eola-Amity Hills vineyard located three miles from the winery, is one of the top Willamette Valley Pinot values you’ll find. Thanks to the ripe but crystalline nature of the season—one veteran winemaker said 2021 “will certainly rank as one of our top five vintagesâ€â€”this bottle is a HUGE step up in concentration and complexity from the 2019, which was a huge sell-out for us. \n \n Winemakers Bryan and Shellie Croft, both alums of Napa’s renowned Silverado Vineyards, specialize in the type of traditional, quality-obsessed winemaking that often results in some of the very best deals coming out of Oregon. Their passion is for bold but elegant Pinot, and when you pour yourself a glass of this ‘21, you’ll get it. The light touches—a subtle, cherry-cola-kissed nose and a finely layered palate full of spices and dried herbs—reflect a Burgundian sensibility with quiet power behind it. \n \n Thanks to the Crofts’ dedication to organic farming and meticulous care of the vines, you get the unfiltered effect of Eola-Amity Hills terroir: The low-fertility soils—shallow clay over a mix of old marine sediments and volcanic basalt formed by ancient lava flows—help give small grapes packed with intensity, while the cool, marine-influenced climate fosters buoyant acidity. \n \n The Crofts did everything right, down to the judicious use of 15 months in just 10% new oak—but Mother Nature sealed the deal. \n \n With dry conditions and low yields, 2021 promises to be a landmark year for Willamette Valley wines. Midsummer heat thickened the grapes’ skins and a moderate autumn preserved acidity and tension, producing the kind of Pinot that has always gotten our members excited about Oregon.
