Ayres Perspective Pinot Noir (Case)
Ribbon Ridge, Willamette Valley, 2021
“An addictingly delicious pinot noir from a benchmark producer in the Willamette Valley’s exclusive Ribbon Ridge appellation”
It’s really no longer much of a secret that well-crafted Willamette Valley pinot noir is one of the greatest price to quality values in the wine world. Compared with bigger, riper Californian pinot, Willamette Valley pinot typically delivers more delicate expressions of the grape with fruit and earth in balance in a way that Burgundy lovers will instantly recognize and appreciate. The only un-Burgundian thing about top Willamette Valley pinot? The prices. And Ayres is perhaps the standard bearer in Ribbon Ridge for this phenomenon. Perspective, a blend of grapes from Ayres’s own estate vineyard and nearby Armstrong Vineyard, has everything I’m looking for when I reach for a bottle of great pinot: perfumed elegance and balance, a true sense of the place it was grown, and a price point that won’t break the bank. For pinot lovers out there, do not miss your chance to get your hands on this addictingly delicious gem!
$53 Per Bottle
(Sold in cases of 6)
Oak
15% New
Service Temp
60 degrees
Drinking
Now-2026
Decanting
15 minutes
Ayres Vineyard and Winery is an artisanal, family operation in which sustainability and respect for the land is built into everything they do. After working as the Chef du Cave at the Oregon estate of famed Burgundy house Domaine Drouhin, winemaker and owner Brad McLeroy jumped full-time into winemaking at Ayres in 2006. Their vineyards are dry farmed, have never been subjected to pesticides or herbicides, and are Certified Sustainable by LIVE as well as certified Salmon Safe. Today, three generations of Brad’s family live on the vineyard.
Set among the rolling hills of Ribbon Ridge in the Willamette Valley’s Chehalem Mountains, Ayres is surrounded by classic Pacific Northwest beauty. Characterized by rolling hills interspersed with vineyards, pine, and oak trees, Ribbon Ridge is a unique geological area, rising like an island off the valley floor and surrounded by the higher Chehalem Mountains. This unique position shields Ribbon Ridge from rain and other extremes, giving the vineyards a longer, drier, and more moderate growing season than surrounding parts of the valley. The soil of Ribbon Ridge, a marine sediment known as Willakenzie soil, is well draining and nutrient poor. This naturally keeps yields much lower than on the valley floor and means the roots have to dig deep to find nutrients and water, significantly improving the quality of the fruit. Willakenzie soils are also known to bring out the blue and black fruit notes that characterize the wines of Ribbon Ridge.
After a short decant, Ayre’s Perspective is lush and intoxicating with aromas of wild strawberry, blackberry, violets, forest floor, and kola nut. It’s medium bodied with great acidity and it’s a wine that will evolve over the course of an evening. Pair it with some wild mushroom pizza and enjoy!
