2021 Ashlyn Pinot Gris Willamette Valley 750 ml

Winemakers Bryan and Shellie Croft, both alums of Napa’s renowned Silverado Vineyards, specialize in the type of traditional, quality-obsessed winemaking that often results in some of the very best deals coming out of Oregon. Their brand name, “Ashlyn,” comes from the Gaelic word aisling, which means “dream” or “vision.” It refers to a specific type of life-changing experience that means the dreamer can never be fully content again.

That pursuit of perfection is on full display in the 2021 Ashlyn Pinot Gris.

Thanks to the Crofts’ dedication to organic farming and meticulous care of these 30-year-old vines, you get the unfiltered effect of the cool terroir of the Van Duzer Corridor, just outside McMinnville. The low-fertility soils—shallow clay over old marine sediments—help give small grapes packed with intensity, while the cool, marine-influenced climate fosters buoyant acidity.

In 2021, the Crofts did everything right, and Mother Nature sealed the deal. With dry conditions and low yields, 2021 promises to be a landmark year for Willamette Valley wines. Midsummer heat thickened the grapes’ skins and a moderate autumn preserved acidity and tension, producing the kind of Pinot Gris that has always gotten us so excited about Oregon whites. You’ll have to look pretty far before you find another outstanding value like this one with such a distinct Alsatian sensibility.

This wine is bright and expressive, showing the excellence of this vintage. In the glass, it’s a vibrant pale gold, with aromas led by a bounty of orchard and stone fruit tied to a hint of citrus and spice. It’s the kind of wine that makes us hungry for tarte flambée, an Alsatian flatbread with onions, bacon, and gruyère.