Release marks a legacy of persistence and pioneering spirit in the Van Duzer Corridor
August 27, 2025 (Dallas, OR) — Van Duzer Vineyards, the defining winery of Oregon’s Van Duzer Corridor AVA, has announced the release of its 2023 Estate Pinot Noir, marking the 25th vintage from the Thoma family and a quarter-century of cool-climate winemaking in one of Oregon’s most distinct terroirs. The winery’s broad Pinot Noir portfolio includes estate blends and block-specific wines, as well as vibrant whites and rosés shaped by the Van Duzer Corridor’s cooling winds.
Founded in 1998 by Carl and Marilynn Thoma, Van Duzer Vineyards helped pioneer winemaking in what was then an unproven, windswept corner of the Willamette Valley. Today, the estate remains family-owned and rooted in its original mission: to craft expressive, distinct wines shaped by nature and defined by place. Off the beaten path and surrounded by nature, the tasting room offers panoramic valley views and a front-row seat to the Van Duzer Corridor’s defining marine winds.
“When we came here over 25 years ago, there was no blueprint,” said Van Duzer Vineyards Founder Carl Thoma. “But with three generations of ranching and agriculture behind us, we understood the importance of paying attention to the land. It took persistence and patience but over time, we identified 36 unique microclimates and figured out how to work with the cool winds instead of against them. This vintage reflects a belief that has guided us all along: if you respect the land and learn from it, even a rugged wind-shaped place like this can produce something remarkable.”
The 25th vintage opens with abundant red cherry and strawberry from the Dundee Hills, balanced by the Van Duzer Corridor’s signature savory and floral notes including smoky black tea, forest floor, and blood orange citrus. The wine’s fine-grained tannins, bright acidity, and medium-light body make it an exceptionally food-friendly expression of cool-climate Pinot Noir.
“I’m genuinely excited about our 25th vintage and I’m confident it will resonate with both longtime Oregon wine enthusiasts and newcomers,” said Van Duzer Vineyards winemaker Eric Misiewicz. “This wine captures that distinctive savory-floral combination that used to characterize the entire Willamette Valley but is increasingly rare due to climate change. It’s an authentic expression of what made Oregon Pinot Noir famous: elegant, complex, and true to place.”
The release of the 2023 Estate Pinot Noir honors Van Duzer’s legacy as the ambassador of its namesake AVA, while also setting the stage for what’s next. A refreshed tasting room is scheduled to open this fall with an exhibition featuring artwork from the Carl & Marilynn Thoma Foundation, the family’s foundation that focuses on access to arts and education. The Thoma Foundation’s art collection spans over 2000 pieces and they have been recognized by ARTnews as Top 200 Collectors. The tasting room will exhibit work from their post war abstract and sculpture collection and will be on view starting in early October.
The 2023 Estate Pinot Noir from Van Duzer Vineyards retails for $36.00 per bottle and is available at select retailers, online at vanduzervineyards.com, and at the winery’s tasting room at 11975 Smithfield Road in Dallas, Oregon.
About Van Duzer Vineyards
Perched atop a windy knoll in the foothills of Oregon’s coastal mountain range lies Van Duzer Vineyards, a family-owned winery and estate vineyard established in 1998 by Carl and Marilynn Thoma. Here, 82 acres lie in the direct path of cooling marine winds that rush through a deep gap in the Coast Range known as the Van Duzer Corridor. The defining producer crafting cool-climate Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Blanc, and Syrah wines in the surrounding Van Duzer Corridor AVA (est. 2019), Van Duzer Vineyards offers uniquely Oregon wines crafted by the wind. For more information about Van Duzer Vineyards, visit https://vanduzervineyards.com/.
