This delicious Pinot Noir is a testament that great fruit plus simple, careful winemaking yields profound results. Tahmiene Momtazi has made the wines of her family’s Maysara winery since 2007. Brave Cellars is her and her husband Colin Smith’s own label, using grapes from the Demeter certified Momtazi vineyard to show the elegant and approachable side of Willamette Valley’s Pinot Noir. The Momtazi vineyard is one of the most famous in the valley, perched at the entrance to the Van Duzer corridor through which Pacific air flows to bring the Willamette Valley its cooler climate touch. With vines planted mostly into basalt-tinted volcanic soil, wines from here offer keen acidity and a distinct black soil signature that pick them out from the crowd just about every vintage. In this 2016 “Less Traveled” Pinot Noir, Tahmiene found that singular soil note and coaxed out bright red cherry, cranberry, underbrush and allspice notes to go alongside. The palate, true to the winemaker’s stated intention, is elegant and expressive, buoyant and silky. Notes of raspberry and pomegranate and herbs with more touches of baking spices all linger gently on the palate and through the finish. This is a classic Oregon Pinot Noir and should go alongside classic Willamette Valley fare like mushrooms with hare or roast salmon with a tamari glaze.