Ponzi Vineyards
Laurelwood Pinot Noir Reserve 2022
Willamette Valley
Ponzi’s Pinot Noir Reserve comes exclusively from estate fruit, including from some of Oregon’s oldest vines. As Wine Spectator once wrote, “All Oregon Pinot Noirs are measured against the Ponzi yardstick”. That has been true for over 50 years, while the Ponzi family has farmed 140 acres of certified sustainable vineyards all planted on Laurelwood soils. During their tenure, the Ponzis have observed the unique characteristics as their vines penetrated the earth and evolved. Bright red fruit character in their youth gave way to dark berry and brambly spice as the vines reached into the volcanic layers. The character of this soil has defined the Ponzis’ wines and served as a guide for generations of winemakers in the Willamette Valley. The Pinot Noir Reserve’s brooding dark fruit and exotic spice has rendered it one of the ultimate examples of artisanal, site-expressive Pinot Noir in the United States today, year after year epitomizing a character of restrained power.
VINEYARD
This wine is an estate blend from vineyards on Laurelwood soils. Each of the sites offers a different aspect, vine age, and root depth, adding to the complexity of the finished wine. This subregion of the Chehalem Mountains is largely protected from coastal rains, allowing the basalt soils to retain water in the spring and slowly, evenly drain throughout the growing season, bringing balance to the wine.
WINEMAKING
A true Reserve, or barrel select, this wine is a blend of top barrels from Ponzi’s estate vineyards on Laurelwood soils. Small-lot fermentation includes 40% whole clusters and sees daily punch-downs. The wine ages for 20 months in French oak barrels (40% new) and a further 5 months in bottle before release.
TASTING NOTE
An explosive nose of spiced chocolate and cayenne flows into a rich, expansive core of clove, nutmeg and pomegranate syrup. Soft, plush tannins are perfumed with a touch of cinnamon.
Color
Red
Blend %
100% Pinot Noir
Appellation
Willamette Valley
Certifications
SUSTAINABLE
Farming
LIVE Certified Sustainable
Alcohol
14%
Reviews
International Wine Report -
James Suckling - March 15, 2025 "A big but harmonious and velvety red from Ponzi’s own vines on northeast-facing slopes of the Chehalem Mountains. Smooth on the entry, offering complex, layered red and black fruit aromas, then a mineral-rich palate laced with iron, dark plums and bright raspberries on a bed of moderate tannins and fresh acidity."
Wine Advocate - November 6, 2025 "The 2022 Pinot Noir Reserve was matured for 16 months in 47% new French oak. It has layered aromas of black cherry, blackberry, licorice, mossy bark and floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is concentrated and nuanced with silky tannins and vibrant acidity, and it has a long finish with a flourish of spicy accents."
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Laurelwood Chardonnay
Laurelwood District, Willamette Valley, Oregon
Situated along the Northern ridge of the Chehalem Mountains, the Laurelwood District boasts ancient soils of fractured basalt layered over with a fine, windblown sediment called loess. A decade-long effort by the Ponzis, alongside their neighbors, has resulted in the recognition of Oregon’s first soil-based AVA, the Laurelwood District.
Tavola Pinot Noir
Willamette Valley, Oregon
Tavola is Ponzi's delicious early release Pinot Noir, a fruit-forward wine with soft tannins, made primarily from younger, lower elevations vines. Meant for early consumption, it is an unbeatable value for quality Pinot Noir.
Laurelwood Pinot Noir
Laurelwood District, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley
Dick and Nancy Ponzi helped put Oregon on the map in the United States and the world, and the Ponzi family has worked continuously for over 50 years leading and innovating in the region and, in the case of Pinot Noir, across the country and indeed the world. Today winemaker Luisa Ponzi continues her work of the last 30 years with the family of Champagne Bollinger, which acquired Ponzi Vineyards in 2021. The estate’s drive to create distinctly pure Pinot Noir, in a distinctly Oregon manner, has never been stronger.
Pinot Gris
Willamette Valley
One of the original and most recognized Oregon and U.S. Pinot Gris producers, Ponzi was a major influence in establishing Pinot Gris as the first quality white grape variety in Oregon. Ponzi's Pinot Gris is an irresistably aromatic and expressive wine, and serves as a first encounter for many wine drinkers with Oregon wines and the Ponzi estate.
