Yes, you can find good Oregon Pinot Noir for under $25. Look for a named growing region and a vintage on the label, a winery that grows its own grapes, and scores from critics you can look up; a screwcap is fine.
We’re Domaine St. Laurent, a family-owned winery in Eagle Point, in Oregon’s Rogue Valley, and we make Pinot Noir at $20 and at $45. Here’s what we’d look for at the lower price, and what the extra money buys in our own wines.
What should I look for on the label?
Start with the region. A bottle that names an AVA (American Viticultural Area, a federally recognized grape-growing region) such as the Rogue Valley or the Willamette Valley tells you where the grapes grew. “Oregon” alone covers the whole state.
Then check for a vintage. A single year on the label means the wine came from one harvest, and you can read about how that season went.
Last, look at who grew the grapes. A winery that farms its own vineyard decides when to pick and how to prune. Our 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot Noir comes entirely from our estate vineyard, which we farm ourselves without herbicides.
Are critic scores useful at this price?
They help if you can trace them. A score that comes with the publication, the critic’s name and a date is something you can look up and read in full. A number with no source tells you very little.
Value awards are worth a look too. Wine Enthusiast adds a “Best Buy” to wines it rates well for their price, and some publications run lists of good bottles under a set price.
Does a screwcap mean cheaper wine?
No. A screwcap seals tightly and can’t give the wine cork taint (a musty smell from a bad cork). Plenty of good wine is bottled under screwcap, especially wine meant to be opened young.
We bottled our 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot Noir in a green Burgundy bottle under a matte black screwcap. Our 2024 Estate Pinot Noir is under cork. The screwcap also makes it easy to close the bottle and finish it the next night.
What do you give up compared with a $45 Pinot?
In our wines, the difference is mostly where the fruit comes from and how long the wine spends in barrel. Here’s how our two red Pinots compare.
| 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot Noir | 2024 Estate Pinot Noir | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $20 | $45 |
| Fruit | From across our estate blocks | Block 1A only |
| Clones | Pommard, Wädenswil, Dijon 777, Dijon 667 | Pommard |
| Picked | At night, early October 2023 | By hand, September 13, 2024 |
| Oak | 9 months on French oak | 18 months in French oak, primarily neutral |
| Alcohol | 13.3% | 13.1% |
| Closure | Screwcap | Cork |
| Body | Light, with delicate tannins | Fuller, with firm tannins |
| Reviews | 91 Points and Best Buy, Wine Enthusiast | Not reviewed yet |
The $20 wine blends four clones (a clone is a line of one grape variety propagated from a single vine) from across our blocks. It’s lighter, with bright cherry and raspberry, zesty acidity and delicate tannins. The 2024 Estate is one block and one clone, with twice the time in oak, and it has more body and firmer tannin.
They suit different meals. We like the Rogue Valley with salmon or pan-roasted duck with mushrooms, and the Estate with roast chicken or mushroom dishes.
Which of our wines is under $25?
Our 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot Noir is $20. Wine Enthusiast gave it 91 Points and a Best Buy (Michael Alberty, April 2026), and Forbes included it in “12 Great Wine Values For $25 Or Less” (Katie Bell, July 2025). Alberty called it light-bodied, with a very pure red raspberry aroma, a saline note and silky tannins.
We picked it at night in early October 2023, fermented it in stainless steel, put it through malolactic fermentation (which softens the acidity) and aged it 9 months on French oak. Serve it a little cooler than room temperature, around 55°F, and it will open up as it warms in the glass. It’s on the 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot Noir page, sold in sets of three.
Quick answers
Is there good Oregon Pinot Noir under $25? Yes; look for a named AVA, a vintage, estate-grown fruit and scores you can trace to a critic.
Is a screwcap a sign of cheap wine? No; it seals well and can’t cause cork taint.
What does a $45 Oregon Pinot Noir add? In our wines, fruit from a single block and clone, twice the time in oak, more body and firmer tannins.
What temperature should I serve Pinot Noir? Slightly cooler than room temperature, around 55°F.
What is Domaine St. Laurent’s Pinot Noir under $25? Our 2023 Rogue Valley Pinot Noir, $20, rated 91 Points and Best Buy by Wine Enthusiast.
Every review of our wines is on our Press & Ratings page, and all of our wines are in the shop. For how each of our Pinots tastes, read What Does Pinot Noir Taste Like?