“The Willamette Valley is home to so much. Each vineyard that we source from is one part of the whole, and each vintage we strive to make wines that tell the story of this amazing place we call home “
-Laurent Montalieu – Vigneron
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is the gold standard for cool-climate Pinot Noir in the U.S.
Grapevines are survivors. They were first discovered by humans over 5,000 years ago climbing trees searching for sunlight in Mediterranean Forests. Pinot Noir is just like any other wine grape. It will take sunlight and warm weather from the summer months to produce sugar making it’s fruit attractive enough for others to spread its seeds.
However, when Pinot Noir is paired with the right terroir it becomes transcendental in the glass. The Willamette Valley’s northerly latitude at the 45th parallel extends the hours of crucial sunlight during the growing season, the large swings between day and night temperatures help to retain acidity in the fruit, and the eclectic soil composition yields distinct structure and flavors.
With Kudos, our goal is to bring the best representation of this unique varietal grown in this one-of-a-kind place. We work with a wide range of soils (basalt, sedimentary, alluvial), elevations ranging from sea level all the way up to 750 ft above and vineyard sites across the valley. We age our wine in dozens of barrels, mixing Stainless steel with New French Oak, Neutral barrels, and everything in between.
“I didn’t get into winegrowing to make Pinot Noir, but after my first vintage in the Willamette Valley in 1988, I knew that wanted to learn as much as I could about this place and this varietal.”
-Laurent Montalieu | Owner & Vigneron