I don’t drink a ton of Pinot Noir, but every once in a while, it is just what I want. There are so many diverse styles from the big fruit bombs to the elegant, more feminine in style. In the United States, there are wonderful Pinot’s being made in many states. The best still, however, seem to be from Oregon and California.
Below is the list of the top ten Pinot Noirs from the US that we opened in 2019.
1. 2009 Sineann Pinot Noir Reserve Schindler Vineyard, USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Wine Review
Vintage: 2009
Score: 95
Grade: A
Sineann sadly no longer utilizes fruit from this vineyard. Panther Creek does, but I have yet to try one. Peter Rosback did amazing things with this vineyard back in the day. At age 10, this is still youthful but drinking wonderfully. For Oregon, Sineann wines tend to be big at birth, but as they age, they mellow and integrate. This one is just starting to. Deep ruby in color. The nose has cherries, slight sour cherries, a slight bit of cedar and a nice earthiness. On the palate, the sour cherries and slight cherries layer with the clean earthiness. Great balance and energy. Deep and complex layering. Long finish. This will continue to mature over the next five to ten and be good for ten to fifteen after that. This is certainly one of the better Oregon Pinots I have had. This utilized a glass cork which has seemed to seal quite well in this instance.
2. 2008 Rhys Pinot Noir Alpine Vineyard, USA, California, Santa Cruz, Wine Review
Vintage: 2008
Score: 94
Grade: A
Current Price: $98.00USD
Pop and pour, this is still youthful and needs a bit of air. Deep ruby with some ruby swirls. The nose has cherries, strawberries, spice and a slight char to it. On the palate, this has a great texture. Nice cherry fruit with just a hint of candied cherries over a mineral/earthiness. Light tannins. This is young and will continue to mature. It drinks great on its own now but another few years and it might still improve. Either way, it has at least ten to fifteen more years at the top. This will work well with roasted fowl, pasta or casseroles.
3. 2009 Thomas Pinot Noir Dundee Hills
Vintage: 2009
Score: 93
Grade: A
This is in a good place right now and drinking well.Deep rubyin color. The nose is tight at first but with air shows cherries, sour cherries and an underlying earthiness. Good balance. Lively acidity. On the palate, the sour cherries dominate but the underlying earthiness is still present. A nice complexity as the layers unwind in the glass. Seems very clearly of Oregon. Long finish. This will go well with fowl dishes. No hurry, it should easily do another decade and closer to two.
4. 2016 Sojourn Pinot Noir Riddle Vineyard, USA, California, Sonoma Coast, Wine Review
Vintage: 2016
Score: 93
Grade: A
Sojourn makes some might fine Pinot Noir, this one included. Ruby in color with some purple swirls. The nose is bit but pretty with sour cherries, rhubarb, and earl grey tea. On the palate, this has a soft texture. Layers of sour cherries and forest floor. Clean. Nice acidity. Good finish. This will work well with lighter foods and heavier sea foods and fowl. It is drinking well now but should last another decade or more.
5. 2012 Scherrer Winery Pinot Noir Russian River Valley, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review
Vintage: 2012
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $45.00USD
This reminded me of a "classic" Russian River Valley Pinot Noir from twenty years ago. Deep ruby in color. The nose has black cherries, a bit of cola,, spice and a slight funk. Pretty. On the palate, this has sweet black cherry fruits. Moderate tannins. Good acidity. Some depth and complexity. Lot of energy. This is in a great place right now. It should be at this level for another 5 to ten years. It will go well with roasted fowl or meats.
6. 2013 Donelan Pinot Noir Two Brothers, USA, California, Sonoma County, Wine Review
Vintage: 2013
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $50.00USD
This is a blend of grapes from Steiner Ranch, Devoto Vineyard, Walker Vine Hill and Perli Vineyard. It is middle of the road on a California Pinot Noir scale. Ruby in color with some purple swirls. On the nose, this has nice cherries with some raspberries along with some nutmeg. Medium to full bodied. Nice texture. The raspberries are more prevalent on the nose and even some boysenberries. A bit of tea leaves underneath. Good finish. An interesting Pinot with some level of complexity. It probably won't get better but should last another ten to fifteen years at it mature and trades
7. 2016 Bevan Pinot Noir Petaluma Gap, USA, California, Sonoma Coast, Wine Review
Vintage: 2016
Score: 92
Grade: A-
Current Price: $80.00USD
Deep ruby/purple in color. The nose has black cherries, spice and slight earthiness. The palate matches the nose. This wine is juicy with bigger tannins for a Pinot Noir. Ripe fruit. Good acidity. This is a big Pinot and will work well on its own. It was need some bigger food than some traditional Pinot matching foods but should work great with stews and meat dishes or heavy sauces. It may still get better and will definitely mature. Drink or hold now or in ten years.
8. 2017 Walt Pinot Noir Clos Pepe, USA, California, Santa Barbara, Santa Rita Hills, Wine Review
Vintage: 2017
Score: 91
Grade: A-
Current Price: $75.00USD
Walt is the name that Hall, a Napa producer, releases a line of Pinot Noir. This was my first time trying one that I recall. It is a big fruit forward styled Pinot. Deep ruby in color. The nose has black cherries, sour cherries and spice. Also a slight bit of dark chocolate. On the palate, there is a lot of fruit. Noticeable alcohol but not hot. Sweet black cherries. Deep if still tight. It seems to need about five to seven more years of cellaring an then should have 8 to 12 years after that. There is certainly some upside potential in the score. This will work well with Roasted fowl or braised meat dishes. Very nice on its own as well.
9. 2013 Thirty-Seven Winery Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast, USA, California, Wine Review
Vintage: 2013
Score: 91
Grade: A-
Garnet in color, clear and bright with darker swirls. The nose is very nice with cherries, candied cherries, some salinity and slight mint. A nice mouthfeel/texture. On the palate, flavors of cherries with a slight spiceunder them. Light tannins. Good finish. This is a middle ground styled Pinot for the Sonoma Coast. It will go well with salmon or fowl and also lighter salads. It seems a touch on the young side still so there may be some upside improvement. It should easily last another decade.
10. 2016 Halcon Vineyards Pinot Noir Oppenlander Vineyard, USA, California, Mendocino, Wine Review
Vintage: 2016
Score: 91
Grade: A-
Current Price: $30.00USD
This is the first Pinot I have tried from Halcon, one of my favorite Rhone varietal producers. This is excellent. On the worldwide scale of Pinots it is on the larger size but certainly not for California. Purple in color with some ruby swirls. The nose has black cherries and sour cherries. Very nice. On the palate, this has a wonderful texture. The sour cherries carry thru to the palate with some baking spice. Lively acidity. Nice finish. This worked well with a Spanish Pasta dish and indeed, most pasta dishes would be great. My guess is this doesn't get better but should mature and drink well until 2030.
