The Setting Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountain Vineyard (2023)

Established in 2014, The Setting is a collection of luxury wines created by three friends: Jeff Cova, Noah McMahon and winemaker Jesse Katz. Jesse’s experience spans 19 harvests at internationally acclaimed wineries such as Chateau Petrus, Robert Foley, and was a part of the winemaking team at Screaming Eagle. The Setting Wines is a culmination of relationships spanning decades from Napa to Sonoma County to Willamette Valley, sourcing from some of the most prestigious vineyards the regions have to offer. Recently, Jesse was named Wine Enthusiast’s Global Winemaker of the Year for 2025.

The highest point within the Willamette Valley is the Chehalem Mountains’ Bald Peak (at 1,633 feet), which affects weather patterns for the AVA and the adjoining grape growing hillsides. It is the geography and climate that differentiate this AVA from others. The important hillside soil types are represented; basaltic, ocean sedimentary and loess (blown lake bed sediment), the latter of which is the predominant soil on the northern face of the Chehalem Mountains.Within the almost 70,000 acres of this AVA are over 2,600 acres of grapes, grown in over 179 vineyards and 53 wineries. The historic Chehalem Mountain Vineyard was planted in 1968 by Dick Erath, who founded Erath Winery in the Dundee Hills and was an early Oregon Pinot Noir grower. Today, it remains one of the most esteemed and historic vineyard sites in the region.

This wine expresses bold flavors of ripe blackberries, bing cherries and a touch of spice. Vibrant and well-balanced, it showcases a purity of fruit and well-integrated tannins with a long, graceful finish. On the palate, it has stunning acidity and fine grain tannins are laced from start to finish. It’s very approachable in its youth but has the potential to develop further complexity with a few years of aging.