Long a favorite of ours, we’ve tasted every vintage so far of the iOTA Cellars estate grown Pinot Noir. With a name that literally means “small,” iOTA is the epitome of what we value in a winery.  A hands-on operation, where the three family partners are knee deep in all the details of grape growing, wine making, marketing and everything else in between, the iOTA crew is driven by a passion to create a premium quality Pinot Noir that reflects the gorgeous Oregon land on which it is grown. We like people who dream big and who work hard to make those dreams come true. That’s iOTA in a nutshell.

• Current release: 2011. Rated 90 points by Wine Enthusiast’s Advanced Buying Guide, August 2014.

• Price $38 (winery price; retail may vary).  Available directly from the winery and on retail shelves in select states. Check here for a list of current retailers. Or do what we do and have the winery ship it straight to you.

• 100% estate grown fruit from the Eola-Amity Hills located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

• First vintage bottled was the 2006, with a modest 260 cases produced, but with an impressive 90 point “outstanding” score from Stephen Tanzer’s highly regarded International Wine Cellar review.

• The latest release produced 767 cases, big growth from their start, but still delightfully small and hand-crafted.

• Johanna Sandberg is the winemaker; husband Don manages the vineyard but also has a big hand in winemaking these day, as well; sister-in-law Lynne Pelos spearheads marketing and sales.

One of our favorite Thirsty Kitten moments is a story about iOTA from our early blogging days, “iOTA Pinot Noir and a Single Fancy Glass.”