Winery - Willamette Valley Vineyards
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Dry indeed; this is so dry as to be outright sour. It’s an acid-lover’s dream wine; but be prepared to pucker up. It’s a mouthful of lemon juice, some cardboardy phenolics, and very tart green apples.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A middling Kabinett. It’s not graced with minerality, and seems both watery and sugary, without knitting together.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Pineapples and pears fill out this tart, juicy, high-acid effort. Though it does not quite have the flesh of the 2007 it’s a fine food wine, clean, crisp and varietal.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Soft, buttery, with microwave popcorn flavors, this needs to be well chilled or it will come off a bit flabby. Simple fruit flavors of green grapes and apples are somewhat overwhelmed by the oak.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Time was, Oregon Chardonnay was a sad creature, overpriced and underripe, but those days are long gone. Even in this budget bottling, almost half of the juice is estate grown from the Dijon clone. Another 20% is 30-year-old Draper clone from the old Tualatin vineyard. Barrel fermented sur lie; this is one heckuva good bottle of Chardonnay for 10 bucks!
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a textbook example of Oregon Pinot Gris. It shows characteristic pear-flavored fruit, balanced against firm acids, with good midpalate richness and a full, clean, satisfying finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A step forward from previous hot, overripe efforts. This is better balanced, though still quite ripe (14.5% alcohol), and the flavors run through stone fruits and citrus, with hints of lovely floral highlights. Nice wine, but it’s hard to believe that consumers will be seduced by Viognier at this price point.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This vineyard, now 35 years old, is one of the most northern in Oregon, and abuts the eastern foothills of the Coastal Range. Consequently, it is rather austere, herbal and somewhat resinous with pine needle highlights. The fruit is tart and sharp, tasting of cranberry and wild strawberry. But the winemaking is spot on, and the wine does not overreach. The bouquet is really quite beautiful.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Hannah vineyard is a select block of Tualatin Estate, and carries the same set of herbal, pine needle aromatics. But the fruit is more intense, with deeper cranberry and raspberry flavors, more weight and a stiffer finish. The time in barrel adds clove and cinnamon to the mix. Tannins are ripe and hard, so give this some extra time to breathe.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
One of Oregon’s better Pinot Noir values year after year is this basic bottling from Willamette Valley Vineyards. The 2006 is quite spicy with peppery highlights, and the red fruits are sleek and tart, though not green or thin. The core brings warm, somewhat round fruit flavors of pie cherry, plum, and a hint of toast from 20% new Allier barrels.
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