Evesham Wood Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2024 Oregon 750ml

Someone tasted the Evesham Wood Willamette Valley Pinot Noir blind — the owner of a distribution partner, without knowing what was in the glass — and guessed expensive Burgundy. That is either the most useful single-sentence endorsement available for any American Pinot Noir in the under-$30 category, or it is a very flattering coincidence. Evesham Wood's own account of the story suggests it was neither coincidental nor flattering — it was accurate.

Decanter called it "the best value in American Pinot Noir" and awarded 93 points. That combination — the most respected British wine magazine, the specific superlative of "best value," and a number that sits comfortably above what the price suggests — is the most commercially complete and the most immediately persuasive critical endorsement available for any domestic Pinot Noir at this price point.

Evesham Wood Winery was founded in 1986 by Russ Raney on the Eola-Amity Hills, and has operated under the ownership of Tom and Erin Hewitt since 2011 — a transition that has maintained the founding philosophy with complete fidelity: although the Willamette Valley bottling is the least expensive and largest production wine, we put just as much of ourselves into it as our top cuvées. The vineyards behind the 2024 are specific, long-tenured, and genuinely distinguished: Illahe in Polk County, Mahonia in the Jory hills south of Salem, and Eola-Amity Hills AVA sites Prophet, Koosah, Jubilee, Cortell Rose, Sojeau, Keeler, and the estate's own Torres Hill. These are not commodity vineyard sources — they are the same sites that feed the Evesham Wood single-vineyard bottlings, blended to give a picture of a year in the Willamette Valley.

This vintage of the Willamette Valley blend shows a bright nose with cherry, red apple, fresh flowers, and a touch of loam along with a textural creamy/silkiness component that's balanced by juicy acid. Showing well now, watch this wine evolve over the next 3 months to 8-10 years.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Evesham Wood Winery was established in 1986 by Russ Raney — one of Oregon's pioneering Pinot Noir producers — on the Eola-Amity Hills, the sub-appellation within the Willamette Valley whose specific combination of the Van Duzer Corridor's afternoon marine airflow, volcanic Jory soils, and east-facing exposures produces Pinot Noir of a particularly aromatic, structured, and specifically Oregonian character. Tom and Erin Hewitt purchased the winery in 2011 and have maintained Raney's founding principles with complete integrity.

The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is an assemblage philosophy executed with single-vineyard precision: drawing from multiple sites that the winery has farmed and sourced for decades — the long-term partnerships with growers that Oregon's finest producers cultivate over years of relationship rather than spot-market sourcing. Illahe Vineyard on the Mt. Pisgah site in Polk County provides one foundational component; Mahonia Vineyard in the Jory hills just south of Salem provides another; and the Eola-Amity Hills sites — Prophet, Koosah, Jubilee, Cortell Rose, Sojeau, Keeler, and the estate's Torres Hill — provide the specific Eola-Amity Hills AVA character that has become the most critically celebrated of all Willamette Valley Pinot Noir sub-appellations.

The production protocol is the same across every Evesham Wood bottling regardless of price: small-lot fermentation in 1.25-ton open-topped fermenters, punched down twice daily to gently extract color and structure without excessive tannin. In the 2024 vintage, the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir was aged for a full year in French oak — longer than previous vintages — which helped create an especially cohesive and refined blend. The extended French oak aging is the 2024's most specifically notable production change from prior vintages, contributing the creamy/silky textural quality that multiple reviewers noted as particularly impressive in this release. Certified organic across the vineyard sources that Evesham Wood farms and works with. 

Critics Reviews

Decanter — 93 Points: "The best value in American Pinot Noir, the Evesham Wood Willamette Valley bottling amazes. This wine is an assemblage from the top sites used in the Evesham Wood single-vineyard bottlings, blended to give a picture of a year in the valley."

James Suckling (2024 specific): "A lovely, drinkable, light- to medium-bodied wine. Pretty aromas of delicate red flowers, spices, wild berries and citrus. Fresh acidity, crunchy red fruit and orange peel flavors with structured but gentle tannins. A complete wine and a good value. Drink now."

Jancis Robinson (November 2024): "Pale purple in colour. Attractive, spicy, lightly smoky stemminess on the nose with red-cherry fruit. Light grip to the tannin. Fresh acidity."

Wine-Searcher aggregate (2024 vintage): "Forest berries, earth and sweet spices on the nose followed by a medium body with fine tannins and fresh acidity. Good volume, with a voluptuous mid-palate and a velvety finish."

Evesham Wood winery (2024 official): "This vintage of the WV blend shows a bright nose with cherry, red apple, fresh flowers, and a touch of loam along with a textural creamy/silkiness component that's balanced by juicy acid. Showing well now, watch this wine evolve over the next 3 months to 8-10 years."

Avalon Wine (retailer): "Tasted blind by the owner of one of our distribution partners, his educated guess was expensive Burgundy. No Pinot Noir from anywhere in the world delivers so much for 25 bucks, year after year."

Tasting Profile

Nose Pale ruby with purple highlights — the 2024 vintage's youthful vitality expressed in a luminous color of genuine freshness. The nose opens with the bright, inviting quality that has made the Evesham Wood Willamette Valley Pinot the most consistently praised value Pinot in American wine criticism: cherry arrives first — clean, bright, and specifically red rather than dark, the Eola-Amity Hills' marine-influenced cool ripening producing the pure red cherry character that distinguishes great Oregon Pinot from warmer-climate expressions. Red apple adds the most specifically fresh and the most specifically apple-crisp secondary note. Fresh flowers — delicate, slightly rose-adjacent — add the floral lift that James Suckling identified as the nose's most immediately appealing quality. A touch of loam adds the earthy, forest-floor dimension that great Pinot Noir from mature Willamette Valley vineyards consistently produces — not heavy or funky, but present and confirming the sense of place. Wild berries and spices add further aromatic complexity. Jancis Robinson's "spicy, lightly smoky stemminess" note captures the most specifically winemaking-signature quality — the whole-cluster character that Evesham Wood employs contributes a specific green stem-adjacent spice that adds complexity and structure. Citrus and orange peel add freshness.

Palate Light- to medium-bodied, crunchy, and complete — James Suckling's most accurate and most practically useful 2024-specific characterization. The entry delivers the fresh acidity first — the Van Duzer Corridor's afternoon marine airflow's most directly palate-apparent contribution in the bright, mouthwatering quality that lifts every fruit note above the baseline of simply ripe. Crunchy red fruit — the specific, slightly tart, refreshing quality of red cherries and cranberry at their most vibrant — provides the central flavor identity. Raspberry adds further red fruit brightness. Orange peel adds the citrus dimension from the Suckling note. Forest berries and a hint of pomegranate add wild fruit complexity. The creamy/silky textural component from the winery's own note is the 2024's most specifically notable palate quality — the full year of French oak aging's most directly apparent contribution in a smoothness and integration that distinguishes the 2024 from prior vintages' more angular youth. Fine, powdery tannins provide structure without aggression. Good volume at the mid-palate. A voluptuous mid-palate from the Wine-Searcher note confirms the year of French oak barrel contact's most generous contribution.

Finish Long, elegant, and mineral-touched. Lingering fruit flavors — cherry, cranberry, and wild berry — carry the close alongside a touch of minerality from the Jory and volcanic soils. The structured but gentle tannins provide a clean, dry resolution. The velvety finish is the 2024's most satisfying closing quality — the full-year French oak aging producing a integration that makes this wine feel considerably more refined and considerably more complete than the price suggests. The eight-to-ten-year cellaring window confirms the structure's genuine depth beneath the accessibility.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

The bright acidity and fine tannins make this one of the most food-versatile red wines in the Blackwell's section. Outstanding alongside:

• Roasted duck with cherry sauce — the red cherry character finding its most natural pairing
• Grilled salmon — the classic Pacific Northwest combination of Oregon Pinot with local salmon
• Mushroom risotto — the touch of loam and forest floor meeting earthy umami
• Lamb chops with herbs — the structured gentle tannins supporting the meat
• Aged Gruyère or Oregon Tillamook cheddar
• Charcuterie with fruit accompaniments