Pinot Noir (2023)

About this wine

This 2023 Pinot Noir from Benton-Lane is 100 percent Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley, produced from estate blocks across sedimentary and volcanic soils. On the nose it offers fresh red cherry and raspberry, lifted floral notes of violet and rose, and a touch of forest floor and wet stone. The palate is medium bodied with lively acidity, silky, refined tannins, and a textured midpalate that shows spice and a faint pine or herbal note. The wine spent about 12 months in French oak, a portion of which was new, and went through natural malolactic fermentation after gentle pressing. Benton-Lane hand picks individual blocks and vinifies lots separately before blending, which helps preserve the site specific flavors and gives the wine its balance of freshness and savory complexity.

About the grape

Pinot Noir has been the sole focus at Benton Lane since plantings began at the Sunnymount ranch in 1989, with the vineyard now carrying over a hundred acres of Pinot Noir grafted to multiple rootstocks and seven distinct clones chosen for different sites. The grape itself originated in Burgundy and is prized here for its thin skins and sensitivity to site, so Benton Lane matches specific clones and rootstocks to soils like volcanic Jory and marine Willakenzie to bring out distinct expressions. The estate farms sustainably under LIVE and Salmon Safe principles, using compost, cover crops, sheep grazing and raptor perches to manage pests and build soil, while winemaking techniques such as whole cluster and controlled cap management are used selectively to craft the 2023 bottlings. These choices reflect Pinot Noir traits and the southern Willamette Valley climate, which together guide pruning, hang time and harvest timing to balance ripeness and acidity for this wine.

Quick facts

• 🌄 The estate sits on the old Sunnymount sheep ranch and its name comes from the vineyard straddling Benton and Lane counties, so the bottle is literally named for its land.
• 🎩 Benton Lane’s founders Steve and Carol Girard came from Napa and their earlier Girard wines were chosen for state dinners and even served at a Julia Child event, a surprising link to culinary history.
• 🧩 The 2023 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is a true patchwork, blended from more than 80 separate Pinot Noir blocks that were picked and vinified individually before assembly.
• 🧪 Winemaker Amael Orrego helped craft the 2023 bottling using both native and selected yeasts and careful block by block treatment, which is uncommon at this price point.
• 🏛️ The Benton Lane winery building was designed by award winning architect Rob Thallon, so the tasting room blends thoughtful architecture with its forested vineyard setting.

Palate profile

Producer

Benton Lane was founded in 1988 when Steve and Carol Girard purchased the historic Sunnymount sheep ranch and began planting Pinot Noir in 1989. Their first wines were made off site with the winery producing its own vintages from 1992, and the estate facility was completed in 1997. The property sits in the foothills of the coastal mountain range and the name Benton Lane refers to the ranch straddling Benton and Lane counties. Over time the vineyard expanded to roughly 140 estate acres planted to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc, and the winery became known for estate grown, terroir driven wines. Benton Lane also gained recognition for frequent placements in national top wine lists and for its commitment to careful, labor intensive vineyard practices.