Three of the eight North Willamette Valley vineyards that Tony Rynders works with for the Panther Creek Cellars Pinot Noir program are in the Eola-Amity Hills. Among those is Carter Vineyard, planted in 1983 by Jack and Kathleen Carter, and now owned by Panther Creek’s founder – famed winemaker Ken Wright and his wife, Karen. This site that’s 10 miles west of Salem makes for a lighter and approachable Pinot Noir filled with notes of raspberry freezer jam, baking spice and a long finish of Rainier cherry. Earlier this year, Panther Creek traded its retail space in downtown Dundee, Ore., for a tasting room in Woodinville.
Rating: Excellent
Production: 193 cases
Alcohol: 14.1%
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