2024 Walter Scott - Pinot Noir Willamette Valley La Combe Verte (750ml)

Walter Scott was founded in 2008 by Ken Pahlow and Erica Landon, whose first vintage was incubated with help from friends at Patricia Green Cellars. Based in the Eola-Amity Hills, the winery has quietly built a reputation as one of Oregon's most Burgundian-minded producers, working exclusively with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Pahlow and Landon often cite the belief that a great domaine reveals itself through its entry-level bottling, and they apply the same care to their multi-vineyard Willamette Valley wines as they do to their single-vineyard selections, an approach that runs through everything they release.

La Combe Verte, meaning "the green valley," blends fruit from the volcanic soils of Eola-Amity Hills sites with the marine sedimentary character of Sequitur and Freedom Hill vineyards. This pairing of soil types gives the wine both elegance and structure, drawing on old-vine Pinot Noir plantings alongside younger volcanic-soil parcels. The grapes undergo partial whole-cluster fermentation with native yeasts, and the finished wine ages around ten months in French oak, roughly a quarter of it new, a treatment calibrated to add framework without masking the fruit.

The nose offers ripe raspberry and black cherry alongside hibiscus, violet, and a warm hint of sandalwood. On the palate, dense fruit meets succulent tannins and vibrant acidity, striking a balance between power and grace typical of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Pour this wine alongside roasted salmon, herb-marinated pork tenderloin, or a wedge salad topped with blue cheese.