What About U.S. Pinot Noir?
For many (admittedly mad) vintners in various remote locations around the world, Pinot Noir is the Holy Grail. No other wine is so ephemeralsuch an enigma. Great Pinot combines an extraordinary bouquet of spice, fruits, and earth, with a sense of lightnesssometimes bordering on frailtyin the mouth. Pinot Noir can indeed be a sensuous if sometimes fleeting experience. While the Cabernet Sauvignon of Bordeaux is all power and weight, Pinot Noir is the epitome of grace and elegance. While Chardonnay, for instance, is grown all over the U.S., Pinot Noir is much pickier. Currently some of the best appellations for U.S. Pinot Noir include Oregon (perhaps destined to be the best of all) and several cool California sites including the Russian River Valley, Carneros, the South Central Coast (Santa Barbara & San Luis Obispo counties), and two micro-appellations in Monterey County: Chalone & Mt. Harlan.

Premier Producers
• Adelsheim
• Archery Summit
• Au Bon Climat
• Bernardus
• Brick House
• David Bruce
• Calera (Mills, Reed, Selleck, Jensen)
• Cambria (Reserve)
• Chehalem (Rion reserve and vineyard designated wines)
• Cristom
• Dehlinger
• Domaine Drouhin (Laurene)
• Domaine Serene
• El Molino
• Elk Cove (Lo Boheme & Windhill)
• Evesham Wood
• LinCourt
• Robert Mondavi (Reserve)
• Ponzi (Reserve)
• Saintsbury (Reserve)
• St. Innocent
• Williams-Selyem

Great Producers
• Acacia
• Andersons Conn Valley Vineyards
• Bargetto
• Beaulieu (Reserve)
• Beaux Freres
• Benton Lane
• Beringer (Stanly Ranch)
• Bouchaine
• Broadley
• Byington
• Cakebread
• Calera (Central Coast)
• Cambria (Julias Vineyard)
• Carneros Creek (Estate)
• Chalone
• Chehalem
• Chimére
• Cosentino
• Cottonwood Canyon
• Cristom (Reserve & Louise Vineyard)
• De Loach (OFS)
• Domaine Carneros
• Domaine Drouhin (Regular)
• Elk Cove (Regular, Estate Reserve, Roosevelt)
• Etude
• Eyrie
• Gary Farrell
• Fiddlehead
• Foley
• Gainey
• Griffin Creek
• Gundlach Bundschu
• Hanzell
• Hargrave
• Hartford Court
• Kalin
• Laetitia
• MacRostie
• Martinelli
• McKinlay
• Robert Mondavi (Carneros)
• Mount Eden Winery
• Nichols
• Oak Knoll
• Olivet Lane
• Panther Creek
• Paraiso Springs
• Phantom Creek
• Ponzi (Regular)
• Porter Creek
• Rochioli
• Sanford
• Signorello
• Sokol Blosser
• Steele
• Torii Mor
• Tulocay
• Wild Horse (Cheval Sauvage)
• Wilamette Valley Vineyards (vineyard designated bottling)

Dependable Producers
• Amity
• Argyle
• Babcock
• Benziger
• Bethel Heights
• Davis Bynum
• Byron
• Castle
• Castoro
• Chateau St.Jean
• Chateau Souverain
• Claudia Springs
• Clos du Val
• De Loach (Regular)
• Domaine Chandon
• Edmeades
• EdnaValley Vineyard
• Elkhorn Peak
• Erath
• Thomas Fogarty
• Foxen
• Gabrielli
• Girardet
• Handley
• Paul Hobbs
• Iron Horse
• Kendall-Jackson (Grand Reserve)
• La Crema
• Laurier
• Lazy Creek
• Lynmar
• Meridian
• Robert Mondavi (Napa Valley)
• Montinore (Winemakers Reserve)
• Morgan
• Fess Parker (American Tradition Reserve)
• Martin Ray
• Redhawk
• Richardson
• Stephen Ross
• Schug
• Siduri
• Silvan Ridge
• Stonestreet
• Talley
• Tualatin (Estate Reserve)
• Tyee
• Wild Horse (Regular)
• Wilamette Valley Vineyards
• Witness Tree
• Ken Wright
• Yamhill Valley Vineyards
• ZD

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