Ponzi Vineyards
Tavola Pinot Noir 2023
Willamette Valley
Ponzi’s Tavola Pinot Noir is a perfect introduction to Oregon wine, sourced from lower elevation sites and younger vines to highlight a fruit-forward character with soft, approachable tannins. Generous and bright, it delivers the classic hallmarks of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with ripe fruit, exotic spice, and lifted floral notes at an exceptional value.
WINE
Ponzi's Tavola Pinot Noir is a perfect introduction to Oregon wine, sourced from lower elevation sites and younger vines to highlight a fruit-forward character with soft, approachable tannins. Generous and bright, it delivers the classic hallmarks of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir with ripe fruit, exotic spice, and lifted floral notes at an exceptional value.
VINEYARD
Tavola Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is sourced from 50% estate fruit, and 50% fruit from the vineyards of close grower-partners who align with Ponzi's high standards of quality and sustainability.
WINEMAKING
All fruit is sorted then destemmed to 1.5–3 ton fermenters. An extended cold soak increases color and aroma. Fermented by native yeasts, the peak temperatures reach 90°F. The fermenters are aerated or punched down twice a day, then lightly pressed. The wine is aged in French oak for 10 months (25% new). A barrel selection is made for Tavola, then racked and bottled by gravity without fining or filtration.
VINTAGE
The 2023 Willamette Valley vintage began with a cool, wet spring, delaying bud break until early May. The season then transitioned to a warm, dry summer, which accelerated ripening and led to an early September harvest. The result is wines with beautiful concentration, exceptional freshness, and vibrant flavors. The late bud break and quick flowering, reminiscent of the 2011 vintage, set the stage for a concentrated and well-balanced crop, promising wines with both intensity and elegance.
TASTING NOTE
The nose is lively with spiced cherry, dried cranberry, raspberry jam, light cedar, and a hint of white pepper. The palate bursts with fresh, juicy acidity, unfolding layers of cherry cordial, cranberry, and red plums.
FOOD PAIRING
Roasted poultry, grilled salmon, mushroom risotto, or charcuterie boards
Color
Red
Blend %
100% Pinot Noir
Appellation
Willamette Valley
Farming
LIVE Certified Sustainable
Alcohol
13.7%
Suggested Retail Price
$33.99
Reviews
Wine Advocate - November 7, 2025 "The 2023 Pinot Noir Tavola comes from estate vineyards (65%) and purchased fruit. Matured for eight months in 25% new French oak, it has inviting scents of black cherries, blackberries, holiday spices, earth and bitters. The medium-bodied palate is brimming with spicy berry flavors. It’s framed by soft, velvety tannins, and fresh acidity highlights floral perfume on the long finish."
James Suckling - March 11, 2025 "A valley-wide blend of grapes that gives a vibrant, fresh and bright sense of red fruit, balanced by raspberries, black cherries and a rich texture on the palate. Light tannins, fresh acidity and a clean, balanced expression."
Wine Spectator - September 29, 2025 "A spry red with vibrant cherry and guava flavors that take on accents of cinnamon and forest floor as it persists towards refined tannins."
Wine Enthusiast - May 1, 2026 "A pronounced blackcap raspberry aroma is soon joined by wisps of wet slate and salty black olives. Tavola is a lighter-bodied wine with and elegant mouthfeel, elevated acidity and silky tannins. The wine's flavors are a mix of ripe strawberries, black pepper and a touch more of that black olive quality, giving Tavola a touch of tapenade."
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.
Pinot Noir Reserve
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Ponzi Vineyards Pinot Noir Reserve is the epitome of restrained power. It hails from estate grown fruit on Laurelwood soils in the Chehalem Mountains, including from some of Oregon’s oldest vines. This remarkably complex wine is handcrafted with tremendous attention to detail.
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
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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.
