Oh great. Yet ANOTHER Oregon Chardonnay for me to love...

[ToddFrench]

I believe it sold out on the BD12 preview day. Marcus can confirm or correct me

thanks, will have to try something else…sounds right up my alley.

2019 Goodfellow Temperance Hill Chardonnay was just sent out to our mailing list. The Berserker Cuvee was a single puncheon, the 2019 vineyard designate is a fantastic example of how good the Temperance Hill vineyard is.

That said, there are lots of great wines in that style up here: Patricia Green, Walter Scott, Morgen Long, Suzor, Vincent, Twill, Haden Fig, Cameron, and quite a few others I am forgetting.

For sure, and of those I’ve had only Suzor and Walter Scott (Chardonnay, that is) - both of which I also recommended in my OP. I haven’t been disappointed yet, it’s extraordinary

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

The Ritz San Fran has a tasting room for your swanky people!

Bite me. I’m not swanky like you. I don’t rent Teslas to drive to Napa without realizing there are no handy supercharger stations at the destination

And I wear Under Armour, not Hugo Boss. I’m a simple man.

Ha! I love that. It’s the Ritz in CA or a fruit fly-infested barn in Oregon! Shit man, almost every winery has some sort of tasting room/tasting area these days. Honestly, you would be hard pressed to find many of the “flip the barrel on its head and let’s taste” operations any more.

I can think of at least one.

Todd, the Allison Inn is a great hotel/spa. If Jen wants to do a spa day while you’re up here, that’s the day to come and visit Goodfellow(and probably Kelley Fox too). We usually don’t have that many fruit flies but it’s as blue collar as it gets.

[ToddFrench]

I grew up in semi-rural Wisconsin…I love me some nature. Jen, less so

[James_Lyon]

Eyeing September as a possible Oregon date….

I didn’t taste in a barn, but a couple warehouses and Hamina’s old place was next to a lumberyard. A lot of places we like in WV are pretty spread out, versus the Napa experience where you can hit many great wineries with a stone throw in some areas.

I bet she’d love Jim’s place. Very comfortable and beautiful pastoral setting. Especially when she finds out Jim’s about the only the man on the payroll. We were there on a sorting day and there wasn’t a man in sight, my wife thought that was the best!

We are planning our return after a 1 year pandemic hiatus late July or August. We can’t wait. September could be busy with harvest activities.

There are many great wineries that are next door neighbors in Oregon as well. The Ribbon Ridge AVA is an entire cluster of fantastic producers (Beaux Freres and Patricia Green are neighbors along with Whistling Ridge Vineyard, and Brickhouse, Ayres, etc. are around the corner). The Dundee Hills have several wonderful producers within a very short drive or a simple, albeit steep, stroll down NE Worden Hill Road. In the Eola Amity Hills AVA, Walter Scott is neighbors with Bethel Heights with Cristom around the corner and Vincent and others nearby. McMinnville has Goodfellow, Eyrie, Westrey, Brittan, etc. all walkable in DTMc. Heck, Gaston has Kelley Fox, Elk Cove and Big Table Farm within a very short drive. I know that you were only referring to your particular favorites, but I just wanted to point out for others that Oregon visits and tastings can easily be grouped together to limit or eliminate travel time.

[ChrisJames]

Have these all tucked away at my off site. Question for Marcus, how long would you think we should age these before they are most optimal to drink?

I don’t know about optimal as that’s a bit subjective, but I am starting to believe that there’s quite a range of good drinking dates for the Chardonnays.

Generally, between 5-10 years seems to be a great spot for the wines. But that said, I really love the energy and freshness of the wines in their youth(Chris James and I had a conversation about this, and we both really enjoy them in youth). I think that one of the big determining factors here is how much do you enjoy more aggressive flavors and acidity. Younger the Chardonnays are more like driving two wheeled vehicles or stripped down sports cars, as they develop there is more nuance and also a bit more suppleness and softness.

Or for you semi-rural types, like riding a hot horse with a loose cinch. Yeehaw!

[Brent_C_l_a_y_t_o_n]

You’re a full blown cougar now you sexy mens…

[ChrisJames]

I don’t know about optimal as that’s a bit subjective, but I am starting to believe that there’s quite a range of good drinking dates for the Chardonnays.

Generally, between 5-10 years seems to be a great spot for the wines. But that said, I really love the energy and freshness of the wines in their youth(Chris James and I had a conversation about this, and we both really enjoy them in youth). I think that one of the big determining factors here is how much do you enjoy more aggressive flavors and acidity. Younger the Chardonnays are more like driving two wheeled vehicles or stripped down sports cars, as they develop there is more nuance and also a bit more suppleness and softness.

I just had a 2017 RR Chard the other night. It surprised me how much the electric zip has already calmed. I got me wondering where the hell did all this nuance, suppleness, and softness come from?

[Marshall_Manning]

The only struggle I have left in my Chardonnay Epiphany is to convince my wife to enjoy them as much as I do. I think a trip to Oregon will do the trick - need those experiences to get her hooked on the wines

The in-person winery visit or in-market winemaker dinner always does it for my wife. Visiting Willamette Valley is nothing like Napa. More like Sonoma, which means I love visiting Oregon wine country. Much more laid back and less corporate in my somewhat limited experience. I also am from a state with a lot of agricultural and Sonoma and Willamette Valley winemakers remind me of visiting with local cattleman about their beef.

All that to say, take her to Oregon!

Double date, let’s do it.

However, the ‘laid back’ part is typically not Jen’s favorite - she does like the flash and bang of the fancier places…hates tasting in a barn with fruit flies all over the place

You could always take her to the Domaine Serene Wine Lounge in downtown Portland.

I’m not making that up.

[Sean_S]

The in-person winery visit or in-market winemaker dinner always does it for my wife. Visiting Willamette Valley is nothing like Napa. More like Sonoma, which means I love visiting Oregon wine country. Much more laid back and less corporate in my somewhat limited experience. I also am from a state with a lot of agricultural and Sonoma and Willamette Valley winemakers remind me of visiting with local cattleman about their beef.

All that to say, take her to Oregon!

Double date, let’s do it.

However, the ‘laid back’ part is typically not Jen’s favorite - she does like the flash and bang of the fancier places…hates tasting in a barn with fruit flies all over the place

Eyeing September as a possible Oregon date….

I didn’t taste in a barn, but a couple warehouses and Hamina’s old place was next to a lumberyard. A lot of places we like in WV are pretty spread out, versus the Napa experience where you can hit many great wineries with a stone throw in some areas.

I bet she’d love Jim’s place. Very comfortable and beautiful pastoral setting. Especially when she finds out Jim’s about the only the man on the payroll. We were there on a sorting day and there wasn’t a man in sight, my wife thought that was the best!

Remember September is not the best month for visiting with smaller wineries and wine makers. They are too busy making wine…

[Jorge_Henriquez]

I grew up in semi-rural Wisconsin…I love me some nature. Jen, less so

Next time we meet up, can you let me tell Jen about MOGs?

[JDavisRoby]

Double date, let’s do it.

However, the ‘laid back’ part is typically not Jen’s favorite - she does like the flash and bang of the fancier places…hates tasting in a barn with fruit flies all over the place

Eyeing September as a possible Oregon date….

I didn’t taste in a barn, but a couple warehouses and Hamina’s old place was next to a lumberyard. A lot of places we like in WV are pretty spread out, versus the Napa experience where you can hit many great wineries with a stone throw in some areas.

I bet she’d love Jim’s place. Very comfortable and beautiful pastoral setting. Especially when she finds out Jim’s about the only the man on the payroll. We were there on a sorting day and there wasn’t a man in sight, my wife thought that was the best!

Remember September is not the best month for visiting with smaller wineries and wine makers. They are too busy making wine…

Yes. We were actually there in September 2019. I have another reason to be in central Oregon each year in late September so we try and double up. Hard to make it to Oregon twice a year.