2017 Prince Hill Estate Reserve Pinot Noir Dundee Hills 750 ml

The 2017 Prince Hill Estate Reserve is unlike any Pinot Noir in the Willamette Valley—and for far more reasons than one. Grown from coveted Burgundy clones of Pinot Noir smuggled into the United States decades ago and hand-crafted by Oregon winemaking royalty, it’s a single-vineyard wine with the stamina, flavor, and cellar potential of a French Grand Cru, but with decidedly American ripeness and verve. 

Incredibly, we have the final cases of this 2017 Prince Hill Estate Reserve which will be the final release of this wine crafted by an Oregon legend. 

Why? Because when a legendary California powerhouse wanted to expand into Oregon, they searched for the best possible vineyard for Pinot Noir in the Beaver State. And that vineyard is Prince Hill.

With an explosion of red and purple floral aromas, the 2017 Prince Hill makes an easy argument for this terroir as a beacon of the best of Oregon: Layers of woodsy, herbal aromas slowly peel away to reveal a powerful fruit-driven palate. Across the silken palate, fresh Bing cherry and wild raspberry crescendo toward a vibrant finish tinged with mouthwatering acidity. Smooth, soft tannins round out the lengthy finish, making it clear that this is the kind of wine that will be just as graceful in a decade, accruing even more character along the way. 

Perched near the top of the famed Red Hills of the Dundee AVA, the Prince Hill Vineyard’s southwest aspect allows the vines to maximize every bit of sunshine during the region’s short, dry, growing season. The high elevation protects the grapes from excess heat, allowing for slower, more even ripening. The resulting Pinot Noir has the elegance and ageworthiness of a great red Burgundy. It’s an exceptional plot of land, though we can’t ignore the talent behind it.  

Enter Laurent Montalieu and Dick Erath—two Willamette Valley legends who Wine Access members have come to trust implicitly for their outstanding Oregon wines. Dick is the revered trailblazer whose early success with his eponymous label helped position Oregon wine on the world stage. Laurent was the founding winemaker at Willakenzie, and today his wildly popular Hyland and Soléna Estates produce some of our most highly-rated Willamette Valley Pinots.

Prince Hill is also home to Dick Erath himself. Now 84 (and 50 harvests later), Dick’s roots in this estate run so deep that the vineyard’s signature “Erath Clone 95” is named after him.

Rewind to the mid-1970s, when Dick was gifted a supremely rare cutting from Clos Vougeot—one of the most treasured Grand Crus in all of Burgundy, with 1,000+ years of history (and present-day price tags that top the triple digits). 

Most winemakers jump at the chance to plant these “suitcase clones.” Most would also remember if they followed the rules and sent the samples in to be registered by grape vine databases in the United States. It’s hard to forget when you’re waiting with bated breath… Not Dick. He forgot. 

Nearly three decades after he originally sent the clippings, Dick received a letter back from the UC Davis lab: “Mr. Erath, You left your vines here. We cleaned them up and are returning them to you. We’ve designated the clone FPS 95.” 

It was like finding a winning lottery ticket 30 years later. Except this one was still redeemable. 

Dick knew exactly where to plant the clone—Prince Hill. A couple of years later, he was amazed by the Pinot’s beautiful, racy aromas and grippy tannins, which surpassed anything he’d worked with before. He realized he had the most exciting clone that Oregon had yet seen. 

We’re not overly prone to nostalgia, but we got a bit verklempt when we tasted the 2017 Prince Hill Estate Reserve. It’s the last time we’ll see this gorgeous single-vineyard Willamette Valley Pinot Noir at anywhere close to this price—2017 was the last vintage made before this prized Dundee Hills vineyard was bought by one of the most famous names in American wine.

But while said California icon (and Wine Access member-favorite producer) considered the purchase—yes, future bottlings from the Prince Hill Estate will fall under another label—there was still a vintage or two of wine to be made. At their weekly poker game, Dick asked Laurent if he had any interest in buying some of the grapes. Once he learned the source, Laurent gasped, “I’ll do better than taking some, I’ll take it all. But with you as a partner.”

With this much pedigree behind it, the 2017 Prince Hill Estate Reserve is extraordinary for the price...though to the legion of Pinot fans who have made Laurent’s Soléna and Hyland wines perpetual sellouts at Wine Access, this quality-to-price ratio—or what we might even call a quality-to-price disparity—is not news. (In fact, the number of Wine Access members who have since become Hyland wine club members is the reason we were offered this exclusive!).

Between Laurent’s winemaking and Dick’s Prince Hill vineyard (already sacred ground for the 30+ years before Clos Vougeot vines were planted), our allocation seems too good to be true. Stock up before this wine is gone forever.