A new release (in this case the 2018) of Eyrie’s iconic “Sisters” Pinot Noir should be greeted with the same urgency as that of a Grand Cru Burgundy. The difference is that you’re comfortably in “two-figures” pricing territory, as opposed to three or four—and this is for a landmark wine of international importance.

“Sisters” is one of five estate vineyards the Lett family farms in the basalt-rich soils of Willamette Valley’s Dundee Hills AVA. It was first planted in 1989 and is named for the three “sisters” of the Pinot family: Noir, Blanc, and Meunier, all of which are planted there. Like all of Eyrie’s estate vineyards, it is farmed organically and always has been, and the Pinot Noir bottled from the site is vinified in the exact same way as the other four single-vineyard bottlings produced at the estate. We’re talking about a wine that is equal in every way to the greatest Premier and Grand Cru wines of Burgundy—except, obviously, price. Whatever credential you’re looking for, proprietor Jason Lett and team have it. Heritage? Check. Sustainability? Check. Critical acclaim? Check. All that’s left for me to say is that, no, your eyes do not deceive you: You really can get the best of the best at this price point. It happens very, very rarely so proceed accordingly!

In addition to its four acres of 27-year-old Pinot Noir vines, the Sisters vineyard now holds a total of eight different grape varieties, having become something of an “experimental” vineyard. Farming is Certified Organic, but as Jason Lett notes, this is “merely the first step.” When Lett’s parents, David and Diana, planted their first Pinot Noir vineyard in 1965, they not only put Oregon Pinot Noir on the world wine map but embraced sustainable farming long before it became fashionable. Viticulture at all the Eyrie estate vineyards follows the precepts of regenerative, no-till farming, with strict attention paid not just to the vines but to the healthy networks of soil organisms that support them.  Not only does this approach avoid the need for artificial irrigation, it also nourishes the vines without the need for additional fertilizer, and captures atmospheric carbon. And it’s been this way since the beginning.

Can you taste all this painstaking hand-farming in the wines? I think you can. Although there are, of course, discernible differences among the five single-vineyard Eyrie cuvées, there’s also a common thread: a kind of ethereal weightlessness. The fact that these Pinots tend to be more lightly hued and lighter in body doesn’t dull their impact in the least. They have loads of nerve and incredible aromatic persistence, proving time and again that “bigger” is not better—especially not with Pinot Noir. If you value a comparison to Burgundy I’d probably characterize Eyrie wines as American answers to Chambolle-Musigny—floral, bright, gently tannic, seductive Pinot Noirs with the perfect touch of earth and crunch.

The Sisters vineyard faces directly south and is one of the lower elevation sites in the Eyrie collection, delivering one of the more generous, earlier-drinking styles in the lineup. This not to say the wine won’t age for a decade-plus (there’s plenty of evidence that it can), but rather that it is impossible to resist now. In the glass, it’s a shimmering garnet-red moving to pink at the rim, with perfumed aromas of wild strawberry, black and red cherry, raspberry, violets, roses, leather, sandalwood, pepper, pekoe tea and turned earth. It was fermented using only wild yeasts and aged in just 12% new oak, keeping the fruit and earth notes on center stage. Decant this 30-45 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems and enjoy how it continues to unfold in the glass—each successive sip holds new surprises. Its finesse and balance is such that it’ll pair with just about anything, but a landmark Oregon Pinot Noir like this always makes me crave a beautiful piece of Pacific salmon, marinated and grilled, with some buttery potatoes and sautéed bitter greens. A “humble” meal that’s perfect for this secret-weapon stunner.