Hundred Suns Pinot Noir Lone Feather Vineyard McMinnville Willamette Valley 2023

The Lone Feather Vineyard (known formerly as Bass Hill) sits perched on a steep hillside in the McMinnville AVA, planted in 1989 by Warren and Jennifer Feather with old Pommard and Wädenswil clones on rocky, well-drained volcanic soils (Jory-Bellpine and Gellatly-Dixonville series). The vines are largely own-rooted, and the windswept maritime environment of the western McMinnville foothills creates small berries with thick skins, yielding wines of intensity, structure, and high natural acidity. Outside of the Etzel family’s own projects, only Walter Scott and Hundred Suns receive fruit from this site, which tells you everything you need to know about how it is regarded. Grant Coulter’s deep familiarity with the vineyard after his years at Beaux Frères gives these wines an intimacy and precision that is hard to manufacture. Vinous described the 2023 as slowly evolving and delicate, with crushed blackberries and nuances of savory spice, a round character mixing ripe wild berry and blue inner floral tones, fresh and clean with a beautiful floral resonance. Decanter noted the shallow soils, own-rooted planting, and minuscule yields as the foundation of the wine’s character. This is a small-production single-vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot from a great site and one of Oregon’s most compelling new voices. Very limited. Grab it while it’s here.