Gemini Estate Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains 2022

Gemini is not only the quick-witted social butterfly of the stars, but also a crazy-affordable Pinot Noir from Oregon. 91 points and case-worthy! 

Gemini Vineyards owners Luke and Emily De Hayr really do have twin boys driving mini John Deeres through vine rows in the northern Willamette Valley’s Chehalem Mountains AVA just outside Portland. And the notorious dual nature of the twins constellation is at play right now with this 2022 vintage: priced like a don’t-overthink-it bottle to pop whenever you want a splash of wine AND it's a single-vineyard Pinot Noir with lithe, floral layers and nervy acid made by the one and only David Paige!

Dave spent 17 years as head winemaker at Adelsheim – which Wine Spectator calls one of Oregon's “longest standing and most respected” wineries – and is a key figure in shaping the path of wine up there, from education to lobbying to peer organizations.  

At Gemini, he takes a low-intervention approach and works in small batches – only eight barrels of this 2022 were made. It pours a garnet shade in the glass with that classic Pinot translucence. The aromatics are dominated by a true red rose note; if you’ve ever put your nose in the dark velvet petals of a Mr. Lincoln, you know that full-throated, old-rose scent with a little seductive spice. Another sniff – the wine, not the rose – reveals guava and a dab of that dusky funk that makes us Pinot people melt. 

The palate is brisk and lighter in body. There's tense black cherry doing serious work. But… what is this fun note that makes you feel like a greedy 10-year-old reaching for an icy Roy Rogers at a steak house?! Trivia: the electric-red cocktail cherry was developed by a professor at Oregon State University in the 1920s, and the Willamette Valley is still a major producer of maraschinos. There are several Pinot clones at the Gemini estate, but Pommard is the backbone, and we’re guessing that’s generating the vibrant red thread. 

The palate keeps riding high with black raspberry and red plum skin and an unstoppable orange zest, all braced by tangy lemon acidity. Floral-toned mulberries leak over the sides of the palate with staining tartness. Then we get a soft landing on the finish, like bare feet on sunbaked ground, with cedar and ripe apricot expanding on and on. Wine Enthusiast’s 91 point review noted: “Sweet blueberries and bittersweet dark chocolate aromas unite in pleasing fashion with fresh notes of cut grass and patio slate after a rainfall.”   

As always, order six or more and we'll cover shipping.