Brave Cellars 2017 "Less Traveled" Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
It has become increasingly difficult to find good, well make, small production Oregon Pinot Noir under $25. Sure, there are some decent Oregon Pinots from the bigger guys in Willamette Valley that can hit the under $25 mark, but we were beginning to think that the days of hand crafted, single vineyard, organically farmed Pinots at that price were gone for good.
That's why we're so excited about this fantastic new producer - Brave Cellars!
Brave Cellars is operated by Tahmiene Momtazi and her husband Colin Smith. Momtazi might be a familiar name to some of you Oregon Pinot lovers as she is the head winemaker at her families winery Maysara, and Momtazi is also the name of their esteemed Demeter certified biodynamic vineyard. Tahmiene has been busy over the last decade+ in the Oregon wine biz. She took over the winemaking duties at Maysara in 2007, making a name for herself as one of the best winemakers in the valley. Fast forward to 2017 and she and her husband launch Brave Cellars, making some (you guessed it) outstanding Pinot Noir from the Momtazi vineyard.
The 2017's are just the 2nd release for Brave Cellars so stock up and grab this delicious Pinot before more people hear about them and the price goes up.
Most wineries at this price point are 2021 or 2022 vintage, so it is even more impressive that Brave Cellars has held on to this wine an extra 4-5 years and it is drinking absolutely beautifully. Brave Cellars Less Traveled Pinot Noir is a classic Oregon red with bright red cherry, cranberry, underbrush, and allspice notes. elegant and expressive, buoyant and silky. Notes of raspberry and pomegranate and herbs with more touches of baking spices all linger gently on the palate and through the finish.