2020 Beaux Freres Guadalupe Vineyard Pinot Noir

Beaux Freres is located in the northern Willamette Valley, one of Oregon’s prime Pinot Noir regions. The winery includes 23 acres of vineyards planted mostly to Pinot Noir though there is also some Grenache. Founded in 1991, the winery is one of Oregon’s most admired Pinot producers. It is also noteworthy because one of the owners is the influential wine critic Robert M. Parker Jr. Beaux Freres means “brothers-in-law” in French and the idea for the winery originally came from Parker’s brother-in-law Michael Etzel, who is the winemaker and managing partner. A third partner is Robert Roy. Though Parker’s Wine Advocate scrupulously does not review the wines or write about Beaux Freres, other reviewers give the wines excellent ratings.

Dundee Hills AVA is in Yamhill County, and it is entirely contained within the Willamette Valley AVA, Oregon’s best known appellation. Dundee Hills is about 30 miles southwest of Portland, and has 1,300 vineyard acres. It was awarded AVA status in 2004 and, like much of Oregon, is known for Pinot Noir. Several of Oregon’s 20th century wine pioneers established their vineyards and wineries in Dundee Hills, adding to its status as a region long-recognized for producing high quality, iconic Oregon wines. Eyrie Vineyards, Erath Winery and Sokol Blosser remain some of Oregon’s most celebrated producers, and all were founded in what is now Dundee Hills in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

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.