Expert Review
94 - Decanter Magazine: This wine is a fantastic take on Gamay, made from vines over 30 years old on the west side of the Willamette Valley. With a classic Beaujolais feel, it greets you with beautiful aromas of fresh red fruits like cranberries and pomegranates, bringing lively acidity to your palate. The juicy, crunchy fru...Show More >
Expert Review
94 - Decanter Magazine: This wine is a fantastic take on Gamay, made from vines over 30 years old on the west side of the Willamette Valley. With a classic Beaujolais feel, it greets you with beautiful aromas of fresh red fruits like cranberries and pomegranates, bringing lively acidity to your palate. The juicy, crunchy fruit flavours, the hint of pepper, the light earthiness, and soft tannins make it a perfect ‘food-friendly’ choice. Or, if you prefer, it’s also perfectly acceptable to place this wine on your "chillable reds" shelf and enjoy a few glasses on a warm summer evening.
93 - Jeb Dunnuck : The 2023 Gamay Noir Tualatin Estate Vineyard is highly expressive and pours a jeweled ruby/magenta color. A wine that Evan wants to be drinkable at all times, it’s hitting that mark right now, with a fruity aromatic profile in its notes of mixed berries, wildflowers, white pepper, and dusty earth. Ripe and effusive in the glass, it’s medium-bodied, with fine, chalky tannins, and while it’s lovely and refined, it’s still playful. It will drink well over the next 6-8 years.
90 - Vinous: Wildly fresh and lifted yet not in your face, the 2023 Gamay Noir Tualatin Estate Vineyard entices with a gorgeous blend of rose petals, lavender and crushed blackberries. It swirls across the palate with ripe wild berry fruits under an air of violet inner florals, all guided by zesty acidity. Gently spicy, this finishes with medium length leaving a chalky minerality that creates a tactile grip.
Winery Notes
Tualatin Estate is situated in the far northwestern corner of the Willamette Valley, with the coast range mountains to the immediate west creating a strong diurnal shift from warm days to cool nights, preserving mouthwatering acidity. The low water permeability of the Laurelwood soil provides balanced stress to the vines, reducing vine vigor and crop yield. This produces concentrated red fruit, floral aromatics, and ripe skin and stem maturity, giving fine structure and rich color. The Willamette Valley is truly a home-away-from-home for Gamay, which is beautifully matched to our cool climate.
Tasting Notes Expressive aromas of wild berries, florals, dusty earth—sweet/tart crunchy red fruits—resonant, chalky, mineral finish.
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