May is National Oregon Wine Month, and there’s no better reason to raise a glass to one of America’s most celebrated wine regions. Oregon’s Willamette Valley has spent decades earning its place on the world stage, and its Pinot Noir is the crown jewel. Elegant, expressive, and undeniably cool-climate in character, Willamette Valley Pinot Noir sits beautifully between the lush fruit of California and the earthy complexity of Burgundy, a world unto itself.
We’re spotlighting two exceptional bottles that capture everything that makes this region so special. Here’s a preview of what’s ahead:
• May is National Oregon Wine Month and a perfect reason to explore the Willamette Valley
• Oregon Pinot Noir is lighter-bodied than California, with more finesse, earthiness, and acidity
• Illahe Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is a sustainable, family-crafted expression of the valley
• Brittan Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir comes from a storied McMinnville estate built on volcanic basalt
• Both wines are perfect for intimate dinners, date nights, charcuterie spreads, and wine enthusiasts looking to explore Oregon
What Is National Oregon Wine Month? And Why Does It Matter?
Every May, the state of Oregon officially celebrates its wine industry through National Oregon Wine Month, a statewide initiative organized by the Oregon Wine Board to spotlight the people, places, and bottles that make Oregon one of the world’s great wine-producing states. Throughout the month, wineries across the state host special events, exclusive tastings, limited releases, and wine country experiences designed to welcome both newcomers and devoted fans into the world of Oregon wine.
The celebration has deep roots. Oregon’s modern wine industry was born in the 1960s and 70s, when a small group of pioneering winemakers, most famously David Lett of The Eyrie Vineyards, made a bet that the cool, wet Willamette Valley could produce world-class Pinot Noir. The rest of the wine world was skeptical. Then, in 1979, Lett entered his 1975 Pinot Noir in a blind tasting in Paris organized by French wine critic Robert Drouhin. It finished second, beating dozens of top Burgundies. A rematch was called. Lett’s wine won again. Oregon wine was officially on the map.
Today, the Willamette Valley is home to over 500 wineries, more than 700 by some counts, spread across nearly a dozen distinct sub-appellations, each with its own soil type, elevation, and microclimate. The valley’s cool, maritime climate, tempered by the Coastal Range to the west and the Cascades to the east, creates long, slow-growing seasons that allow Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to develop exceptional complexity without sacrificing freshness. Oregon is also a national leader in sustainable winegrowing: approximately 40% of its vineyards carry certified sustainable designations, a reflection of the farming values built into the industry from its earliest days.
What makes Oregon Pinot Noir distinctively Oregon? It sits in a fascinating middle ground. More structured and earthy than California Pinot, yet more approachable and fruit-forward than many Burgundies, it’s a style with broad appeal and serious depth. As Wine Enthusiast notes, the region’s Pinot Noirs consistently achieve “ripe fruit while still delivering elevated acidity” — the defining characteristic of great cool-climate wine. Oregon Wine Month is the perfect moment to discover exactly what that means in the glass.
2023 Illahe Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley
Pronounced “ill-uh-hee,” Illahe is a Chinook word meaning “earth,” “place,” or “soil,” a fitting name for a winery so deeply connected to its land. Illahe Vineyards sits on an 80-acre, south-facing slope planted primarily with Pinot Noir. The vineyard’s marine sediment soils atop ancient Siletz rock, combined with Van Duzer wind cooling in the evenings, create ideal conditions for slow, even ripening. One of Oregon’s few horse-powered vineyards, Illahe uses a team of draft horses to mow and deliver grapes at harvest, a commitment to handcrafted, low-intervention winemaking that shows in every glass.
The 2023 Illahe Pinot Noir opens with aromas of raspberry, wild strawberry, rose garden florals, and a whisper of cedar. On the palate, it’s silky and bright with notes of red cherry, blackberry, and subtle earthiness. Well-structured tannins and lively acidity give it beautiful balance and a lingering finish.
Illahe Pairings
Serve in a Burgundy-style glass with one or more of the following:
• Grilled salmon
• Mushroom risotto
• Roast chicken
• Duck confit
• Aged Gouda or Gruyère
• Charcuterie board
2022 Brittan Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir, McMinnville
Founded in 2004 by Robert and Ellen Brittan, Brittan Vineyards is rooted in one of Oregon’s most distinctive sites, a stony, south-facing slope in the McMinnville foothills of the Coast Range, about 12 miles southwest of town. The estate is set on broken volcanic basalt with limited topsoil, which stresses the vines just enough to concentrate flavor and build complexity. Winemaker Robert Brittan brings nearly 50 years of experience to the craft, drawing on deep familiarity with the estate’s unique terrain to create wines that are, as the winery puts it, “earth-driven, dark-fruited, and savory.”
The Estate Pinot Noir is a selection from multiple blocks and clones across the vineyard, Pommard, 777, 115, 667, and Swan, all brought together into a wine that reflects the whole of this remarkable place. The nose is dark and aromatic, with raspberry, blackberry, dried herbs, and notes of volcanic earth and spice. The palate is focused and pure, with bright acidity, silky tannins, and a long, minerally finish. It’s a wine built for the table and worthy of the cellar.
Brittan Pairings
Serve in a Burgundy-style glass with one or more of the following:
• Duck breast or duck confit
• Herb-crusted rack of lamb
• Braised short ribs
• Wild mushroom pasta
• Aged hard cheeses
• Dark chocolate
National Oregon Wine Month is the perfect excuse to open something new, and these two bottles are the perfect place to start. Illahe and Brittan together tell the story of the Willamette Valley beautifully: one with silky elegance, the other with dark, volcanic depth, and both worth every sip.
