2023 Flaneur Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 750 ml

Every single thing about the 2023 Flâneur Pinot Noir Willamette Valley suggests a $50 price.

It was 100% estate-raised on two of Flâneur’s impeccably vineyard sites—one in the prime sub-AVA of Ribbon Ridge, the other not far away in the volcanic soils of the Chehalem Mountains. Both sites are dry-farmed and 100% organic, and in a fabulous 2023 vintage that had winemakers thrilled since harvest, they produced gorgeous fruit.

Add in winemaker Anthony Sereni—an exciting talent fresh off of six years at Willamette Valley icon Archery Summit—and you’ve got a recipe for prime, expensive Pinot Noir.

Flâneur Wines was launched in 2012 by Marty Doerschlag, an ex-CFO turned winegrower. He traded in the corporate world to celebrate the flâneur: one who wanders without aim, simply taking in and enjoying the world around him.

About a fifth of the fruit for this wine came from the Flânerie estate vineyard on Ribbon Ridge, whose sedimentary soils provide the wine’s sweet black fruit. The lion’s share was grown on Flâneur’s estate vineyard in the Chehalem Mountains called La Belle Promenade. 

La Belle Promenade is unusually high in altitude for Willamette Valley—it sits at over 800’, about the same as the legendary Temperance Hill. The varied terrain of La Belle Promenade offers diverse sun exposure, and the soil’s excellent water retention allows for dry-farming and balanced vine growth. The result is beautifully high-toned and floral fruit. 

In the spectacular 2023 vintage, Serini fermented the grapes on native yeasts, using 40% whole clusters. After fermentation, it aged in 24% new oak for a full year. Now it’s showing beautifully—a perfect snapshot of a great vintage, two prime vineyard sites, and impeccable farming.