Really nice work. The nose is really solid. Great delicate interplay between grain and dough, with just a wee bit of reduction. I really like the delicate quality of this wine and the personality expressing itself in an autumnal way. It continues to open up to seashell, smoke, fresh yellow apple, and hazelnuts or almonds. Then really settled into a groove of saline and oyster shell notes, with a hint of newly opened can of tennis balls.
The palate is a great example of light bodied, linear, and refreshing. Not acidic, but just acidic enough. Honestly, for 108 clone the acidity screams that our growing region is not what it was 30 years ago. Really good work.
This is fruit from the Dion vineyard in the Chehalem Mtns. With two winters elevage in neutral wood.
And a great example of why I love Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Is it Roulot? No. Is it delicious, compelling, and intriguing? Yes.
Thanks for the kind words, Marcus–glad you liked it!
Sean (and others): Gravity’s Pull is going to be released in the fall mailing-list offering at the end of September/early October. It’s one barrel plus one stainless keg of wine, so only about 28 cases in total (there should be ~75 cases of the 2019 next year). Marcus got a sneak peak as a thank you for hooking me up with some barrels…I didn’t know he was going to blow it up!
I reread Saul’s note on the website, which reflected my impression - a Chardonnay that combines the characteristics of Chablis and Northern Italy. Great persistence after being open for an hour and keeps drawing me back
I’ve drank Lost Verses, Gravity’s Pull, and Hard Promises all within the last week and these wines are legit. Vibrant with nice minerality. The Hard Promises is the second best PB I’ve had from Oregon (both KF’s are #1) and for $20/bottle, I’m buying more. The Lost Verses is not your dad’s domestic SB as it’s a terrific cross between austere Sancerre and Italian SB. The Gravity’s Pull hits all the marks of a chablisienne styled wine. Exciting wines to drink!
I’ve now tried all the whites and enjoyed them all to varying degrees ranging from very nice to excellent. The Sauv Blanc and the Pinot Blanc were my top two-great interpretations of the grape. The Sapphires and the Chard were definitely no slouches but I think they need some more time in the cellar (I thought the Chard was better on day 2). I’ll get around to the red in the next week or two. Well done, Saul. I’ll be trying the next releases.
Just had another 2019 with takeout albacore and chips, and it was fantastic… Here on the Oregon coast, Albacore is so fresh and so good. We drained the bottle in record time. We had no malt vinegar here in the rental, so I just squeezed lemon juice over the chips — was perfect with the wine. So good.
I just had the out on love the other day from the BD release. Really really good and unique. Looking forward to trying more bottles. Thanks for the note… the gravity pulls looks tasty. I really love the label art on these bottles as well. Very cool
Saul brought the 2020 Out on Love by the winery a few days ago. Beautiful expression of Pinot Gris(Lewman Vineyard). Lewman always has such a beautiful pure citrus blossom to it. Weight and density was perfect.
If you don’t connect with Silicone on Sapphire right away, let it sit in the cellar for a year (or longer?), had a 2018 a few months ago that was way better than I remember when I purchased. Hard Promises also improved, but is nice early too.
Glad everyone is enjoying the wines! To Jeff’s point, I think most of the wines seem to be rewarding at least a year or two in the cellar with some real growth. I think the Out on Love drinks better after a 2-3 hour decant/the next day. It’s really pretty right now, but I think it should hold its brightness and put on a little more fruit over the next year or three. It’s a really special vineyard site and I think I did a pretty good job of staying out of the way and letting it do its thing. It’s understandable why it was grafted over ($$), but I really wish I had another year with the site.
As for the song name: Vincent is right, it’s a Lydia Loveless reference. Had forgotten about/was not aware of the Nerves song (though I like the band, and it’s definitely in character). On that front, a few people have asked for the various label references, so I put together a Spotify playlist with the complete collection. Not advanced enough to embed it, but if you’re curious you can find it here.
