Domaine Lumineux 2021 Cuvée Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 750ml

Domaine Lumineux is Francis Ford Coppola’s winery in Oregon’s Dundee Hills, the Willamette Valley’s most famous Pinot Noir sub-appellation. Unlike other Willamette appellations, which have many types of sedimentary soils, the Dundee Hills are “uniformly covered by Jory soils, a rich red clay formed by ancient volcanic basalt,” and Pinot Noir grown there “exhibits texture and weight, as well as earth, floral, and mineral attributes.” Pinot Noir was first planted in the Dundee Hills in 1965, less than a mile from Domaine Lumineux. The winery’s 42-acre estate vineyard is LIVE-certified sustainable.

The Cuvée is the estate’s main bottling, a blend of blocks from across the vineyard rather than only its premium lots. The 2021 is 100% Pinot Noir: 37% clone 777, 31% clone 667, 23% Pommard, 6% clone 115, and 3% clone 114, aged 10 months in 100% French oak, 33% new. The 2021 growing season began with early summer rains that cut pollination, giving a notably light crop, followed by record heat and a dry summer, which produced “concentration, structure, and natural lift.”

The winery describes “opulent aromas of spice, featuring hints of anise, nutmeg, and earthy forest floor. The savory palate is accompanied by concentrated red fruit notes, intermingled with dried fig. The 2021 Cuvée boasts a complex structure, with intriguing notes of black pepper lending an alluring mouthfeel and a prolonged finish.” Gus Clemens found a “pale ruby color; cherry, raspberry, dried fig, oak spice, nutmeg, black pepper, forest floor on the nose and palate,” “dry; supple, velvety tannins nicely integrated with cleansing acidity and the delicious red fruits,” “light-medium body. Very approachable and food friendly,” and wrote that it’s “the fruitier, richer of Domaine Lumineux’s blended clones.” In his comparison with the Reserve, “the Reserve Pinot Noir is more complex and elegant, but the Cuvée delivers its share of finesse and complexity.” (For context, the Reserve from the same vintage scored 93 Points from Wine Enthusiast and Decanter and 92 from James Suckling.)

It’s a well-made, silky Pinot Noir with the savory, earthy character of the Dundee Hills, a very good one for duck, salmon, mushrooms, roast chicken, and soft cheeses.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Domaine Lumineux 2021 Cuvée Pinot Noir is produced by Domaine Lumineux, Francis Ford Coppola’s winery in the Dundee Hills AVA of the Willamette Valley, Oregon, from the estate’s 42-acre LIVE-certified sustainable vineyard on Jory volcanic soils. It is 100% Pinot Noir (37% clone 777, 31% clone 667, 23% Pommard, 6% clone 115, 3% clone 114), aged 10 months in 100% French oak, 33% new. About 13.7% ABV, 750ml.

Tasting Profile

Nose
Pale ruby. Cherry, raspberry, and dried fig, with anise, nutmeg, oak spice, and earthy forest floor.

Palate
Light- to medium-bodied and savory, with concentrated red fruit and dried fig, black pepper, silky tannin, and bright acidity.

Finish
Prolonged, with spice and earth.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Duck, quail, and roast chicken
• Salmon, Arctic char, and tuna
• Mushroom dishes and roasted squash
• Soft and semi-hard cheeses such as brie, Gruyère, and Gouda

Serving Note

Serve slightly cool, at about 60-62°F.