New character-driven Pinot Noirs reimagine Willamette Valley blending through the artistic lens of Winemaker Rachel Rose, celebrated with a June 18 Artist Happy Hour
June 3, 2026 (Salem, OR) — Bryn Mawr Vineyards debuts the Chromatic Series as part of its Spring 2026 wine releases, introducing the 2024 Aurora and the 2024 Strata Pinot Noirs. The series is a contemporary reimagining of Willamette Valley Pinot Noir through the lens of artistry, emotion, and intentional blending. Alongside the new series, Bryn Mawr Vineyards releases its 2025 Pinot Noir Rose, 2025 Estate Riesling, and 2025 Estate Pinot Blanc.
The launch of the Chromatic Series represents an evolution for Bryn Mawr Vineyards as the winery closes the chapter on its vineyard designate program in favor of a more stylistically driven approach to Pinot Noir. While Bryn Mawr Vineyards remains deeply committed to showcasing the individuality and quality of its vineyard partners, the new series shifts focus from geographic distinction to character, emotion, and the artistry of blending.
“The Chromatic Series gives us the freedom to blend across our highest-quality vineyard sites and focus entirely on creating wines that feel complete, expressive, and emotionally resonant,” said Rachel Rose, Bryn Mawr Vineyards’ Winemaker and Vineyard Director. “These two new wines are meant to articulate a specific personality, and do not require the consumer to have categorical knowledge of our region (with its various vineyards, microclimates, and soil types) to fully appreciate what is in the glass.”
For its label, Bryn Mawr Vineyard commissioned original paintings from Salem-based artist Nancy Eng. Known for abstract landscapes, Eng brings a dynamic energy to the canvas by ditching traditional paint brushes for unconventional tools like palette knives, credit cards, and stamps. This highly tactile approach and her vivid use of color made Eng the perfect painter to capture the stylistic vision behind our new Chromatic Series Pinot Noirs.
To celebrate the launch of the Chromatic Series and view the original artwork firsthand, Bryn Mawr Vineyards invites the public to join an Artist Happy Hour with Nancy Eng on Thursday, June 18th. Guests will have the unique opportunity to taste these wines and meet both the artist and the winemaker. Tickets are available on Tock.
The Chromatic Series
- 2024 Aurora Pinot Noir
Aurora captures the ethereal, luminous qualities of Pinot Noir. High-toned, expressive, and fluid—it is an invitation to explore the layered facets of beauty and whimsy. This wine shows an ethereal bouquet of violet and dried lavender, intertwined with sweet candied raspberry. On the palate, it showed to be smooth and supple, leaving a lingering impression of freshness and elegance. $65 - 2024 Strata Pinot Noir
Strata unfolds in deep, brooding earth tones, revealing the textural dimensionality of Pinot Noir — encouraging moments of reflection and quiet contemplation. Pre-bottling, this wine expressed aromas of pepper, allspice, and ripe red cherry. On the palate, it is lightly textured, with a harmonious interplay of fruit and spice that lingers on. $65
Additional Spring 2026 Releases included:
- 2025 Pinot Noir Rose
Crafted with a “rosé intentional” mindset, our Rosé of Pinot Noir starts in the vineyard with a dedicated block of the 777 clone. Careful cropping and early handpicking ensure fresh, concentrated grapes. After partial destemming, the fruit undergoes an extended cold soak of up to four days to enhance color, flavor, and aromatics. The berries are then gently pressed into neutral French oak barrels for fermentation and lees aging, adding body and complexity. The result is a vibrant, layered Rosé of Pinot Noir with mouthwatering acidity and refined texture. $30 - 2025 Estate Riesling
Bryn Mawr Vineyards planted less than an acre of Riesling on our Estate in 2012, expecting a dry, austere expression of this esteemed varietal. Instead, they discovered a beautifully expressive wine—floral and perfumed, with razor-sharp acidity necessitating balance from a touch of residual sugar. So impressed, Bryn Mawr Vineyards expanded plantings in 2019 and grafted Pinot Noir to Riesling in 2022, embracing their Estate’s potential for exceptional white wines. Vinified and aged sur lie in neutral vessels, the Estate Riesling is fresh, transparent, and subtly textured. $40 - 2025 Estate Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc is a varietal commonly found in cool growing regions of Europe and was amongst the very first vines the Lauer family planted upon taking over Bryn Mawr. Our Estate’s unique conditions—slow ripening with strong winds— quickly proved ideal. Expectations were tremendously exceeded, and what manifested from those initial 13 rows quickly became our most popular and sought-after white wine, a vibrant and complex expression of this often overlooked varietal. In capitalizing on this success, we have extended the original rows and added adjacent plantings, even grafting over Pinot Noir to Pinot Blanc in 2022. $40
About Bryn Mawr Vineyards
Founded in 2010 by Jon and Kathy Lauer, Bryn Mawr Vineyards is a family-owned and family-run estate in the Eola-Amity Hills of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The winery crafts aromatic, structured wines of complexity and character, shaped by a precipitous volcanic landscape and guided by organic and regenerative farming practices. Since its founding, Winemaker and Vineyard Director Rachel Rose has led both vineyard and cellar with a playful yet precise, low-intervention approach, producing expressive, site-driven wines that reflect both place and personality. Bryn Mawr Vineyards is known for its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, along with alternative varietals such as Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Tempranillo, and Dolcetto.
Bryn Mawr Vineyard’s tasting room offers a culinary program run by James Beard-nominated Chef Jonathan Jones, owner of the former Epilogue Kitchen in Salem, OR. In addition to the tasting room, Bryn Mawr Vineyards offers guests two unique, vineyard front lodging options, The View House and The Gate House, for overnight stays. Chef Jonathan Jones offers customizable private dining experiences for guests lodging at the vineyard.
Bryn Mawr Vineyards is open daily from 11am to 5pm, located at 5935 Bethel Heights Rd. NW, Salem, OR 97304. For more information or to book your stay at Bryn Mawr Vineyards, please visit www.brynmawrvineyards.com.
