Andrew JeffordAJ | Anthony Rose AR | David Williams DW
and some cobnut richness, too. A fresher, leafier urgency behind than some. Dry, lemony, vinous, and long, with better substance and core than many of its peers. Still quite a tight wine, and I would hope that a year or two’s storage would bring dividends, but the raw materials are good here. | 91 AR | Pale greeny gold. Pleasingly subtle notes of smoky oak and cashew nuttiness in the aroma— almost (dare I suggest?) in Pouilly-Fuissé mold. The fruit on taste is ripe and juicy, turning nicely to savory as the refreshing nip of saline acidity kicks in halfway through the mid-palate, leaving behind a satisfying feeling of subtle flavors, good balance, and enjoyable refreshment. | 94 DW | Quite gentle and soft on the nose, with a pastel-wash of peach and pâtisserie overlaying a core that is keen and racy, but tight with citrus pith and limey acidity. Good length: a wine with more to give in time. | 90
Goodfellow Richard’s Cuvée Whistling Ridge Chardonnay Ribbon Ridge Willamette Valley 2019 (11.8% ABV)
| 92
AJ | Steel-gold, with faint gold glints. Some attractive development here: lemony, creamy, soft vanilla; milled grains and dry leaves. Very classically persuasive—the perfect gastronomic Chardonnay scents in some ways. Soft, richer, and more primary than many, but lovely pitch and poise here. Bright orchard and citrus fruits play the main structuring role in the wine, and there is ample lemon and lime in the finish, too. A little less textural wealth, by contrast, than the aromas suggested there might be. | 90 AR | Pale gold in color, this shows instant appeal in aromas that are both fresh and complex, thanks to a deft touch of underlying nutty oak and lees combining well. There’s plenty of flavor in the well- defined fresh stone-fruit quality, whose seamless texture is framed by a spine of refreshingly citrusy acidity and subtle oak nuttiness, all finely balanced in a stylish dry white. | 93 DW | Honeyed savory creaminess, with a Key lime pie-like character; a very immediate and enjoyable combination of richness, tang, and focus. There’s energy as well as intensity. Lingering finish. | 93
Walter Scott Freedom Hill Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 [Mount Pisgah Polk County Oregon] (13% ABV)
| 92
AJ | Pale silver-gold. Delicate citrusy grapefruit and apple scents, with some zest and apple-skin freshness. Slender but attractive. Oak just a little extraneous just now. Finely crafted and impressive, with slender, fresh fruits that nonetheless have enough give and generosity in them to enable the drinker to find a little sweet-fruited warmth and vinous drive toward the end of the palate. Teasing, fresh, giving, and finally tender, as not all of these wines are. Fine vineyards, surely, brought through fermentation and aging very skillfully. Long, sappy finish. | 92 AR | Behind the pale golden hue of this youthful dry white lie aromas of appley fruit combining with some of the complex elements of barrel- fermentation, with stylish new oak quite present if not dominant. The fruit flavors are intense and well supported by well-crafted oak and a firm spine of
fresh acidity in an opulent Burgundian style that’s not a million miles from Meursault in character. | 93 DW | Flinty reductive notes join the keenly balanced acidity; a little edgy and nervy but in an attractive way. It’s all in check and in control, not to mention concentrated, with some honey-on-toast notes emerging on the reverberating finish. | 92
Walter Scott X Novo Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 [Eola-Amity Hills Willamette Valley] (13% ABV)
| 92
AJ | Mid-pale gold with silver glints. Compelling citrus-cream scents: pure and searching. Not a hugely complex aroma at this stage but very convincing. Bright, pure, lean, and long: sound and satisfactory. Needs a little time, and it is certainly concentrated; just a touch tangy, though. | 90 AR | A pale lemon and lime in color, this youthful Chardonnay displays the instant attractions of smoky and nutty oak in combination with a lively freshness of aroma. Follows through in the glass with equal intensity of flavor and the complexity of flavor and texture derived from well-crafted barrel- fermentation, supported by a fine, incisive blade of freshness for balance and the potential to age well in bottle for three to five years at least. | 94 DW | Lots of concentration and reductive-flinty crackles in a distinctly Burgundian style; lemon, buttered toast, and cream. Weight and intensity but drive, too; some vegetal notes; a little clinical? It’s impeccably made in a certain style, but does it lack soul? Ah, maybe I should just loosen up. | 93
WillaKenzie Estate Estate Cuvée Chardonnay 2019 [Yamhill-Carlton Willamette Valley] (13.5% ABV)
| 92
AJ | Pale green-silver. Another lovely aroma: teasingly understated fruits with ample whipped- cream finesse, richness, and engagement. A perfect fine-dining scent, beautifully managed. Restrained and acid-structured wine, with impressive delicacy and charm. Not overly dry; long and sustained. Perhaps the fruit lacks just a little resonance compared to the best? Not much in it, though, and it couldn’t have been better handled than this. A terrific wine, both subtle in scent and presentation yet emphatic in flavor. | 93 AR | A pale lemon and lime in color. This is initially quiet in aroma, albeit with some promising, subtle, nutty oak and citrus notes. And the promise is thankfully fulfilled when you taste: There’s a pleasing intensity of ripe, peachy Chardonnay fruit flavor, supported by a lively saline freshness and subtle, nutty oak that combine in tandem to bring a degree of complexity to an enjoyable, seamless dry white. | 92 DW | Very pale and silvery in the glass and cool in the mouth, with incisive acidity and a steely feel but incipient concentration, too: some just-unfurling nuts and cream. Elegant, racy, long finish. | 91
00 Wines VGW Chardonnay 2017 [Mostly Eola-Amity Hills Willamette Valley](13% ABV)
| 91
AJ | Bright, pale silver-gold. Fresh and sappy, but a little abrupt, aromatically speaking. Correct for all that. Slightly raw and juice-like. Similarly styled on the palate. Bracing, clean, and long, but it lacks the finesse and development of the best. Enjoyable
and vivid wine nonetheless, and a lovely creamy softness on the back-palate. | 88 AR | A rich, clear mid-gold in color, this is subtly aromatic, with complex notes of nutty oak and lees crafted à la white Burgundy. The fruit in the glass shows a lovely purity of expression and intensity, capturing an apparent terroir character through a combination of ripe-fruit sweetness, sliced through with dry saline freshness and supported by a subtle barrel-fermentation nuttiness that brings seamless balance to a stylish dry white. | 94 DW | Toast and lime (lime on toast?), with struck match and tang and energy. A wine of powerful personality, which may be a little too full-on for some in its lapel-grabbing attention-seeking—it feels a little “made.” Nevertheless, it is very impressive on its own terms. | 91
Bethel Heights Vineyard Casteel Estate Chardonnay 2018 [Eola-Amity Hills Willamette Valley] (13.1% ABV)
| 91
AJ | Bright, pale silver, with silver glints. Creamy, pure, and good, though perhaps one might be hoping for a bit more aromatic development after four years. But a lovely combination of soft cream and understated lime. Dramatic concentration here: an arrow of searching lime. Very dry, pungent, and taut. Just a little hard to peep behind that at this stage, while one might be hoping for some ease and expansion. Wait longer, perhaps. | 89 AR | Mid-gold in color, this has a distinctive sweetness and pepperiness of aroma. In the glass, there’s good intensity of ripe peachy fruit flavor, supported by subtle oak in a seamlessly textured dry white that’s underpinned by a refreshingly juicy acidity. Very drinkable, very enjoyable. | 91 DW | Crème fraîche and sweet apple; there is a distinctly autumnal mood here, with a certain sweet, honeyed character, too. Concentration and gently flowing acidity, clarity, and verve on the finish. Evocative. | 93
Crowley Four Winds Chardonnay Willamette Valley 2019 (12.5% ABV)
| 91
AJ | Medium depth of gold, with pale-gold glints. Delicately coffeed fruits: very attractive cellar craft here and ample shapely ripeness to the fruit itself. Poised, brisk, and elegant on the palate. Attractive freshness and energy and admirably purity, though I had hoped for just a little more “give” on the palate after the nose. Perhaps that will naturally come with time. Swish, stylish wine in the cool style, which seems to be the order of the day here. | 92 AR | Behind the pale golden hue of this young Chardonnay, the aromas are subtle and fresh, with just a hint of oak-nuttiness and lime-zesty acidity. That subtleness is transformed on taste, after a light spritz on the tongue, into an unexpectedly full-flavored ripe Chardonnay. Good concentration, supported by a fine spine of limey acidity, fresh lees, and nutty oak. This is a balanced, stylish dry white that will improve with a year or two in bottle. | 93 DW | Nicely integrated and harmonious oak and red apple and pear in tandem. Again, quite lean and acid-driven, but the acid is ripe and very clean and lemony. There is a pervasive feeling of freshness but
THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023 | 213
OREGON CHARDONNAY
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