Van Duzer Estate Pinot Noir 2022 750ml

Expert Review – Vintage 2022

Eric Guido of Vinous writes 90 Points | A blend of plum sauce, cocoa, sage and dusty earth introduces the 2022 Pinot Noir Estate. Soft-textured and round, this steps lightly, with ripe wild berry fruit and an herbal tinge toward the close. It leaves a gentle, youthful tension to linger on as a pleasant lick of tart blackberry resonates.

Winemaker Description

Our Estate Pinot Noir shows a lighter and fresher side of Pinot thanks to the cool start of the vintage. The warmth in the fall helped bring out fruit aromas of raspberry, pomegranate, cranberry, and cherry are along side notes of fennel and black tea.

The oak profile provides a subtle sweetness and hints of light roasted coffee. The mouthfeel has a clear mineral acidity that is paired along a delicate tannin profile that make for a refreshing tasting experience.

Our Estate Pinot Noir was sourced largely from west side blocks, with a small portion of Pommard being sourced from the east side to soften the overall blend.

A love of the land drew the Thoma family to establish Van Duzer Vineyards on a panoramic knoll in the Willamette Valley in 1999. Carl grew up on his familys cattle ranch in Oklahoma and learned about agriculture at an early age. He became intrigued by the fledgling California wine industry during his graduate school days. During the 1990s, Carl began building a portfolio of premier California vineyards and gradually settled on the Willamette Valley as the site for a family estate winery.

He holds a degree in agriculture economics from Oklahoma State University and an MBA from Stanford. One of private equitys founding fathers, Carl is the Founder and Managing Partner at renowned private equity firm, Thoma Bravo.

Marilynn was key in designing the branding and spirit that still defines Van Duzer today drawing on her brand management experience at Quaker Oats and Cellular Network. She also holds a B.S. from Oklahoma State and an MBA from Stanford.

The 2022 vintage had one of the coolest and wettest springs ever in Oregon, this was followed by a warm summer and unseasonably warm fall. Resulting in a late, but surprisingly high quality harvest in October.

Our Estate Pinot Noir blocks were harvested on October 20th. Only 193 cases produced!