2012 Soter Mineral Springs Ranch Pinot Noir

Soter Vineyards was started by Tony and Michelle Soter in the late 1990s. For both of them it was a return home. Tony and Michelle were raised in Portland, but the couple spent 20 years in Napa Valley where Tony Soter was a much-admired winemaking consultant for such producers as Araujo, Dalle Valle, Shafter and Viader. He started his own Etude Wines label in 1982 and sold it to Beringer Blass in 2000 to concentrate on his Oregon venture. Soter Vineyards is located at Mineral Spring Ranch in the Yamhill-Carlton appellation. It includes 30 acres of Pinot Noir and two acres of Chardonnay. Wine Advocate wrote that “Tony Soter has been making wine in his native state for long enough now that this iconic figure of California wine history can be said to have achieved a similar status in Oregon.”

Yamhill-Carlton AVA is located in Yamhill and Washington Counties, and it is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, Oregon’s most prestigious wine producing region. It has 1,200 vineyard acres and was awarded AVA status in 2004. The region grows Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Dolcetto, Muscat, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Ken Wright Cellars, Elk Cove Vineyards and WillaKenzie Estate are among the district’s best-known producers. All focus on Pinot Noir.

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.