June 23, 2024, Newberg, OR … Only 106 producers from the United States were recognized among the world’s best at the 2024 Decanter World Wine Awards, which saw more than 18,000 wines submitted to an international panel of wine expert judges to taste and score. Audeant Wines, quietly sitting at 1,100 feet on Parrett Mountain, has claimed the top score for Oregon wineries this year, as well as the top for Pinot Noir from North America, by earning a Platinum medal for its 2021 Luminous Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir, and a score of 97 points.
Decanter is the world’s leading wine media brand with a monthly reach of over 2.2 million wine lovers via print, digital and social channels. It is also believed to hold the most rigorous judging process for wines for the Decanter World Wine Awards. According to the magazine, wines must first go through two rounds of blind tasting and three separate approvals by a regional panel, a Co-Chair, and another panel during Platinum judging, before a fourth tasting and sign-off. Audeant sailed through all levels, garnering a 97 from judges for a second time in its brief but decorated eight-year history.
The story of Audeant (pron. aw-DAY-ent) and Luminous Hills Vineyard, nested in the Yamhill Carlton AVA of the Willamette Valley, begins in 2011 when winemaker Andrew Riechers was assisting the vineyard manager with pruning at this magical high elevation site. Alone on the top of the vineyard, the snow began to fall on Riechers; a majestic moment that stuck with him for years, and a place where he longed to source fruit from due to its beauty, aspect and elevation at 700-800 feet. Fruit was not available from the site at that time, as owner Byron Dooley was making his own wine label with the estate fruit. However Riechers kept his eye on this special place and in 2017 that fruit became available, with Riechers receiving one of the first phone calls. The owners say it has been a remarkable and strong partnership from that day forward.
With only 211 cases produced (out of the winery’s total 1,300 cases made annually), Decanter offered up these tasting notes: “Ripe crushed cherries and perfumed red flowers leap out of the glass and cascade over the crunchy, youthful palate; with an immersive texture, silky smooth tannins and a squeaky clean acidity. Impressively long and memorable.”
On the award, Decanter judge Bree Stock MW said, “Only seven Pinot Noirs were awarded Platinum medals in 2024; four were Cru Burgundies, one from Australia’s cool Yarra Valley and from the Valais in Switzerland, and just one from North America,” she said. “Audeant in Oregon’s Willamette Valley works with high elevation cool vineyard sites that allow the Pinot Noir grape to retain bright acidity and energetic palates dancing with delicate high-toned red berry fruits. It is a restrained hand in the cellar that can coax such a sense of place and Pinosity from American Pinot Noir. The fact that Andrew Riechers for Audeant Wines has twice secured a Platinum medal in this competition speaks to his skill and to what heights can be achieved from this grape when grown in the cooler microclimates of the Willamette Valley.”
Lovers of wine, nature and art, Audeant founder Teal Walker and winemaker Riechers felt their logo and label artwork were crucial components of their wine brand and represent a window of communication and conveyance with their customers. Wanting to stay true to the roots of Oregon, they commissioned a local Portland artist Sheila Laufer to capture the essence of Audeant and bring the landscape of its estate property to life.
The Decanter Platinum award is important to Walker and she is already seeing the effect with numerous calls from new fans in the making, eager to taste what the judges bestowed with Platinum. “Being recognized twice by Decanter in the last few years is truly an honor, especially for our young, growing and undiscovered winery,” she said. “To be recognized among the world’s finest terroirs for Pinot Noir, and also out of 18,000 wines from around the world is truly stunning to me.”
Typically available only by allocation and the mailing list, Walker has made the award winning Audeant 2021 Luminous Hills Vineyard Pinot Noir available on their website until July 13, 2024, or until the wine supply is exhausted. Consumers may purchase here: https://www.audeant.com/wines
About Audeant:
In 2015, Teal Walker and Dan Murphy visited Oregon’s Willamette Valley and were struck by the energy and beauty of the Valley. Over the course of a three and a half hour tasting, sharing a bottle they tasted on their first date, they came to know winemaker Andrew Riechers, who shared a common enthusiasm for the world of wine, and a small brand was formed. Audeant is located on Parrett Mountain and source from a few of the most challenging and compelling vineyard sites in the Willamette Valley. More at audeant.com.
