A number of us got together last Sunday to taste through 17 Oregon chardonnays. I’m not the best at taking detailed tasting notes, but I’ve listed the wines below and made note where I either really liked a wine or, in a few cases, didn’t like it at all.
Belle Pente Estate - great nose of lemon and some oak, but it falls off a bit on the palate. ***
Kramer Estate
Tendril
Matello Durant - Gunflint and lemon dominated the nose, though the reduction subsided some with time. Good mouthfeel and finish. **
Ken Wright Celilo
Brittan - Big citrus nose, concentrated flavor, great mid-palate. My second favorite wine. ****
Longplay Lia’s
Walter Scott Vojtilla - Corked. I had this wine earlier in the week, and I believe that bottle would have been in the top three for me.
Arterberry Maresh WV - Leesy, intense, somewhat disjointed.
Goodfellow Whistling Ridge - Off bottle. Disjointed, uncharacteristic flavors. I had this the night before the tasting (thank you Marcus & Megan!), and that bottle was outstanding.
Johan Visdom - Like smelling a big bowl of lemons, good acid, nice finish. ***
Johan Konkret - Lemons, nutty, concentrated, good mid-palate, great finish. ****
Big Table Farms - Tasted somewhat muted next to the Johan, but nice and well balanced. **
Eyrie Reserve - The real deal, complexity, concentration, balance, finish. This had it all. My #1 wine. *****
Cameron Abbey Ridge - Sour lemons and green apple nose, rich on the palate, with some VA. Tasted more Californian than anything else in the tasting. ***
Cameron Clos Electrique - Oaky/stemmy, a little advanced (rare in a Cameron wine), nice balance. **
Stony Hill - Off bottle. Not a pleasant drinking experience.
Conclusions
- While 2012 was supposed to be an easy year to make wine, there seemed to be some real challenges in making great chardonnay.
- As has been the case in past years, the old California clones made most of the best wines. The Dijon varietals showed better, but the Eyrie (Draper selection), Brittan (mostly 108 clone), Cameron Abbey (Draper selection), and Johan (108 and Mt Eden) all showed very well.
- Even with only four or five years or bottle age, great bottles become as important as great wines.
- I need to explore Johan Vineyards more. Their location facing the teeth of the Van Duzer winds give them a cooler climate than other part of the Willamette Valley.
- Perhaps I should send a bottle of the Eyrie Reserve down to Don Cornwell so that they would have a real ringer in the White Burgundy tastings.