2021 Chosen Family Pinot Noir
This is the lighter, silkier side of Willamette Valley Pinot: red raspberries, Chelan cherries, hibiscus tea with lemon, fresh-baked scone warmth, and the kind of acidity that feels quietly perfect.
Four reasons lighter-Pinot fans should move.
Chosen Family feels unusually personal for a wine brand: NBA teammates, Oregon roots, and a label built around the kind of after-practice dinners where bottles become memory. The wine follows that same spirit—generous, bright, and meant to be shared.
The style
Red-fruited, floral, and agile. This is not a heavy Pinot; it is the kind you chill slightly and let open across dinner.
The critic read
Wine Enthusiast highlights red raspberry, Chelan cherry, hibiscus tea with lemon, silky tannins, and “just right” acidity.
The region
Willamette Valley’s cool climate and long growing season are exactly why Oregon Pinot can feel elegant without losing flavor.
The use case
Buy it for duck, salmon, mushroom-heavy dinners, roast chicken, and weeknights that deserve something better than ordinary.
The Allocation Opportunity
- At $29, the bottle lands below its Wine Enthusiast listed price and far below the winery reference.
- The tasting profile is exactly where many Willamette fans live: red fruit, tea, flowers, fresh acidity, and silk.
- Six bottles makes sense here: drink two now, save two for dinner guests, and keep two for that cool-weather roast chicken night.
A 91-point Pinot built around elegance.
Michael Alberty’s review gets the wine exactly right: not bigger, not darker, not louder. Just graceful, vivid, and beautifully tuned.
Slash Price $29 vs Wine-Searcher / market reference $39 vs winery reference $50.
The value is quiet but very real: Oregon Pinot with a 91-point review, under the market reference, and $21 below the winery price.
At $29/bottle, this allocation sits $10 below the $39 market reference and $21 below the $50 winery reference. On a six-bottle buy, that is about $60 saved vs market and $126 saved vs winery reference.
Check the Wine-Searcher reference lookup and the official Chosen Family winery page for context.
Red raspberry, cherry, hibiscus, silk.
This is the Pinot lane for people who prefer perfume and texture over power: bright fruit, tea-like lift, fine tannin, and a clean finish.
Fruit
Red raspberry, Chelan cherry, cranberry, and a gently tart red-fruit core.
Floral / tea
Hibiscus tea with lemon, soft floral lift, and a lightly fragrant finish.
Structure
Lithe mouthfeel, silky tannins, and “just right” acidity.
Oak impression
Subtle pastry and scone warmth rather than obvious vanilla or toast.
Finish
Fresh, elegant, and food-friendly, with red fruit and tea notes lingering.
Serve
55–58°F. Open 20 minutes before dinner or pour into Burgundy stems.
Cool-climate Pinot with a softer hand.
The Willamette Valley sits between the Coast Range and the Cascades, a protected cool-climate corridor where Pinot Noir can ripen slowly while holding freshness. That matters here because the wine is not trying to impress with mass; it impresses with movement.
In the glass, the region shows through as bright acidity, red-fruited perfume, and fine tannin. The 13.4% alcohol keeps the frame graceful, while the wine’s red raspberry, cherry, hibiscus, and pastry tones make it feel immediately usable at the table.
A wine brand born from friendship, loss, and the dinner table.
Chosen Family began with Channing Frye, Kevin Love, and the people who made wine feel less like a luxury object and more like a connector. The label’s origin is personal: teammates, close friends, Oregon roots, and those dinners where everyone brings a bottle and the night opens up.
The story fits the wine. Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is rarely at its best when it tries too hard. It works when it feels honest: red fruit, cool air, soft tannin, a little floral lift, and a reason to pull another chair to the table.
Pair it with dishes that respect the wine’s lift.
This Pinot wants savory richness, not heaviness. Think duck, mushrooms, salmon, herbs, roasted chicken, pork tenderloin, and red-fruit accents.
Duck Breast with Fresh Cherry Sauce
Duck gives the wine enough richness to push against, while cherry keeps the pairing in its red-fruited lane.
Why it works: the wine’s raspberry, Chelan cherry, and hibiscus lift cut through the duck’s richness without overwhelming its delicate texture.
View Recipe →Mushroom Bourguignon
Earthy mushrooms pull the Pinot into a deeper register while keeping the dish elegant enough for a lighter Willamette frame.
Why it works: the wine’s silky tannins and bright acidity refresh the umami richness, while tea and red-fruit notes stay beautifully aligned.
View Recipe →Secure the Oregon Pinot built for the table, not the trophy case.
