Oregon has always been known for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. So, Pinot Gris, sadly, can get overlooked. Don’t make that mistake with Ponzi’s alluring 2023. This mid-weight beauty, with a hint of pear-like nuances, has enough verve to cut through spiced shrimp without a trace of heaviness.… Read more

A recent endeavor, Sealionne released their first wines only a few years ago. Well, it’s either beginner’s luck or they are on to something. Having tasted two of their Pinot Noir releases from the 2022 vintage, and now this stellar Chardonnay, I suspect it’s the latter.… Read more

Sealionne’s Kilig Pinot Noir shows more “oomph” compared to their more delicate Métier bottling. Spicy oak also adds heft and an extra dimension but at this stage is a touch dominating. Nonetheless, lovely, bright cherry-like fruitiness and a suave texture make it delightful to drink now.… Read more

This delicate, pale colored Pinot Noir, weighing in at (what these days is a “mere”) 13 percent stated alcohol, captivates with its savory, rather than fruity profile. Certainly not an opulent or rich style of Pinot Noir, the amount of enjoyment it delivers for its light weight is deceiving and astounding.… Read more

I won’t get into the winemaking concept of using whole clusters instead of destemming the grapes before fermentation because that’s too geeky for a review. Let’s just say that some very well-known Burgundy producers embrace it while other very well-known Burgundy producers avoid it.… Read more

($60):  Oregon Chardonnay generally tend to be more restrained as well as less rich and flamboyant compared to those from California.  Nicolas-Jay’s “Affinités” fits that pattern.  Weighing in at 13-percent stated alcohol, it’s a refined wine, not boisterous, yet showing plenty of character. … Read more

($75):  Nicolas-Jay, a collaboration between Jean-Nicolas Méo, who runs the celebrated Domaine Méo-Camuzet, one of Burgundy’s top producers, and Jay Boberg, a music industry giant, is just a decade old and is already one of Oregon’s leading producers.  Only the second vintage vinified in their own winery, their 2022s all have a captivating purity and elegance. … Read more

($95):  The Own-Rooted bottling comprises grapes from sites in the Willamette, all of which contain vines more than 30 years old, including some grapes from their own Bishops Creek Vineyard.  Grapes from Hyland Vineyard in the McMinnville AVA and from Nysa Vineyard in the Dundee Hills round out the blend. … Read more

($95):  It is not surprising that Nicolas-Jay focuses on single vineyard bottlings, like this one from the acclaimed Nysa Vineyard, given the Burgundian perspective Jean-Nicolas Méo brings to the project.  The iron-tinged 2022 Nysa leads with gorgeous aromatics of dark fruit and minerals. … Read more

($56):  The delicate, 13.3 percent stated alcohol, Maestro, named to honor John Williams, combines the pure, red fruit of the winery’s Titan bottling with a mild touch of minerals seen in the Candide offering.  It displays the same purity and verve as the other Bells Up Pinot Noirs. … Read more

($56):  Named for Leonard Bernstein’s operetta, Candide, this mid-weight, 13.6 percent stated-alcohol, Pinot Noir delivers bright red crunchy fruit with more than a delightful hint of accenting spicy savory notes.  Lip smacking acidity keeps it fresh.  It grows in the glass so don’t rush it. … Read more

($50):  Dave Spector, the owner of Bells Up gives all of their wines musical references because he was a French horn player for decades.  Despite a similar stated alcohol to Candide,13.5 percent, the Jupiter (think Mozart’s Symphony #41) bottling is weightier, displaying rich, black fruit notes intertwined with a charming minerality. … Read more

($38):  Who knew, great Pinot Blanc from Oregon?  By now, everyone knows that Oregon makes gorgeous Pinot Noir.  But Pinot Blanc?   This one, from Bells Up winery in the Willamette leads with aromatics of white flowers and follows with surprisingly good weight for Pinot Blanc, without being overdone. … Read more

($46):  Bells Up makes a wide range of excellent Pinot Noir releases that differ stylistically yet maintain a family characteristic — purity.  All of them are named after musical references because Dave Specter, the owner, played the French horn for more than two decades. … Read more

($18):  Iris Vineyards does it again with their racy and sleek 2022 Pinot Gris.  Despite a modest 11.5 percent state alcohol, this light-weight wine packs a pleasing punch.  Floral and bright, it dances on the palate, revealing delicate hint of pears and stone fruit flavors. … Read more

($48):  Vino Vasai is Italian for Potter’s Wine and explains why the latter is what you see when you pull the cork.  Bill Sanchez, the winemaker and owner with his wife, Sandy, is a potter.  Sandy explains that they had trouble when they tried to trademark Potter’s Wine, so, given her Italian heritage, they opted to name it in Italian. … Read more

($58):  Co-owner Sandy Sanchez, describes the Estate Reserve as their top wine.  Certainly, it’s more concentrated and denser with more apparent oak character compared to their Barrel Select bottling.  At this stage, it’s also has a slighter sweeter profile, presumably from what I assume is more substantial oak aging. … Read more

($58):  Vino Vasai’s Pinot Noir dispel the myth that you need super ripe grapes, which translates into 14+ percent alcohol, to make stunning wines.  This stunning 2019 Estate Reserve is a case in point.  With only 12.7 percent stated alcohol, it delivers what to me is the hallmark of Pinot Noir — flavor without weight. … Read more

($34):  Made entirely from their estate-grown Pinot Noir, Iris’ brilliant bubbly displays the barest copper-colored hue.  A fabulous array of red fruit nuances — wild strawberries, raspberries, and the like — are supported by a strict spine of acidity that keeps it fresh and you coming back for more. … Read more

($25):  Iris Vineyards draws on three AVAs from the Willamette, Eola Hills, Ribbon Ridge, and Yamhill-Carlton, for this crunchy red fruited Pinot Noir.  Alluring smokey nuances, thankfully not from wildfires, adds a counterpoint to the crisp raspberry-like fruit in this mid-weight, 13.7 percent stated alcohol, Pinot Noir. … Read more

($20):  This lively and juicy fruit focused blend of equal parts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc, rounded out with Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, displays an array of black and red fruits supported by mild tannins and bright acidity.  Weighing in under 14 percent stated alcohol, it’s not a heavy wine, rather a terrific choice for summer BBQ. … Read more

($45):  Jean-Nicolas Méo of burgundy’s Domaine Méo-Camuzet, joined forces with Jay Boberg to establish a Willamette Valley winery in 2014.  To limit capital outlay, they initially bought grapes, and still do, for some of their wines, like this one.  This Chardonnay, a blend from several sites throughout the Willamette, is a smashing success for the 2020 vintage, a vintage for the reds that was mostly destroyed by smoke taint from the devastating wildfires. … Read more

($45):  Jean-Nicolas Méo of burgundy’s Domaine Méo-Camuzet, joined forces with Jay Boberg to establish a Willamette Valley winery in 2014.  To limit capital outlay, they initially bought grapes, and still do, for some of their wines, like this one.  This Chardonnay, a blend from several sites throughout the Willamette, is a smashing success for the 2020 vintage, a vintage for the reds that was mostly destroyed by smoke taint from the devastating wildfires. … Read more

($16):  The range of Iris Vineyards’ wines I’ve tasted recently have been so noteworthy for quality and price, I would be tempted to buy future offerings without having tasted them beforehand.  Take this 2020 Pinot Gris.  It is simply marvelous, with subtle hint of pears and stone fruit-like flavors perfectly balanced by zesty energy. … Read more

($85):  The first sip of this tightly-wound Chardonnay is unimpressive.  But don’t be put off by that, because it blossoms to reveal its grandeur.  Despite techniques that should result in fatness, such as barrel fermentation, malolactic fermentation, and barrel aging, this Chardonnay is sleek and racy. … Read more

($24): I tasted and was enthralled by this Pinot Noir before I knew its price.  After I saw the price, my enthusiasm exploded.  It is rare to find a Pinot Noir with this kind of charm and subtlety for less than 25 bucks. … Read more

($35):  The wine is great, really superb.  The heavy bottle stinks.  Iris trumpets sustainable farming practices on their website, but resorts to environmentally unhealthy heavy bottles.  I’ll get off my soap box now because I review wines, not environmental practices, and this one is worth raving about. … Read more

($20):  Though not apparent from the label, Iris’ 2019 House Call is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Franc (50%), Malbec (32%) and Merlot.  Since Oregon’s signature red is Pinot Noir, it is odd to think of a Bordeaux blend coming from there. … Read more

($55):  I was unfamiliar with Lenné’s wines before tasting this Pinot Noir and their Sad Jack bottling.  I am now adding Lenné to my list of favorite Oregon producers.  While both wines are extraordinary in their own right, comparing them shows the amazing spectrum of Pinot Noir. … Read more

($55):  In my opinion, Sad Jack is the wrong name for this bottling because drinking it makes me extremely happy.  Intriguing aromatics draw you in immediately and accurately predict joy. The seamless mixture of fruit, spice, and savory influences in this mid-weight red is beguiling. … Read more

($58):  I was surprised and did a double take as I pulled the cork. There, in bold letters, was Potter’s Vineyard.  I figured somebody screwed up somewhere.  No, it turns out that Vino Vasai, Italian for potter’s wine, explains why the cork proclaims that name. … Read more

($58):  It is either an extra year of bottle age, a different growing season, or more likely, a combination of both, that makes Vino Vasai’s 2017 such an exciting wine.  Lighter than the 2018 vintage release, and more red-fruited than black, it’s energetic and elegant. … Read more

($129):  Caballus, a cooperative effort of Veronique Drouhin and Isabell Dutartre, two horse lovers, mothers, and winemakers, is a stunning wine that shows the heights Oregon Pinot Noir can achieve.  Caballus starts with wonderful aromatics and them combines bright but subtle red fruit flavors with minerals. … Read more

($37):  Résonace is just another example of how the Burgundians believe in the potential of the Willamette Valley, especially for Pinot Noir.  Drouhin started what is now a trend with establishment of Domaine Drouhin Oregon three decades ago.  Maison Louis Jadot, another stellar Burgundy producer, purchased the 20-acre Resonance Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA in 2013 and expanded by buying the Découverte Vineyard in the Dundee Hills AVA. … Read more

($37):  The 2018 Résonance Pinot Noir is Jadot’s eighth vintage.  Unsurprisingly, the wines just get better and better.  Their 2018 is riper and slightly more robust — black cherries rather than red ones — than their 2017, yet conveys the same lovely freshness and vivacity. … Read more

($36):  The Freedom Hill Vineyard, located in the foothills of the Coast Range ten miles southwest of Salem, benefits from the warmth of the valley floor (which aids ripening) and night time ocean breezes (which lower temperatures and allows grapes to hold acidity). … Read more

($53):   The Cuvée La Liberté is a cellar selection of the best barrels of St. Innocent’s Freedom Hill Vineyard Chardonnay.  They consider it their top Chardonnay, making fewer than 100 cases of it compared to 1,100 cases of Freedom Hill Vineyard Chardonnay. … Read more

($25):  Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio?   Same grape but different styles of wine.  Naumes has, in a near magical way, combined the best of both styles with this alluring wine.  It delivers the luxurious pear-like flavor associated with Pinot Gris with the delicate weight often found with Pinot Grigio. … Read more

($40):  Naumes included Petite Sirah in their 2018 GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre blend), which somehow, thankfully, does not make the wine denser than usual.  It’s a charming light red bursting with spiced wild strawberry-like flavors.  For all the muscle you might think those varieties are capable of providing, this spritely GSM dances on the palate.  … Read more

($40):  While Naumes’ GSM, a traditional Mediterranean blend, their SMP (Syrah, Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah) is more unusual.  Replacing Grenache with Petite Sirah changes the character entirely, creating a muscular, black-fruited wine.  Naumes, as always, avoids getting carried away.  They’ve created a bold, yet not overdone, red that delivers a wonderful combination of plum and pepper notes wrapped in fine tannins. … Read more

($40):  A blend of Barbera (60%) and equal parts Malbec and Grenache, Triolet makes a fascinating contrast to Naumes’ straight Barbera. This wine delivers with more power with less focus.  Unsurprisingly, given the inclusion of Malbec, it’s more muscular, with smokey nuances. … Read more

($35):  Barbera, the workhorse grape of Piedmont, is a good “go-to” red wine for Italian food because of its racy acidity and energy.  It’s great to see credible renditions appearing in this side of the Atlantic.  Naumes’ 2018 Barbera, similar to its 2017, is far more than credible.… Read more

($29):  The cooler Oregon climate likely explains why most Chardonnays from there are typically more understated than most California renditions of Chardonnay.  Finesse-filled and restrained, but certainly not lacking a presence, the 2018 David Paige Chardonnay fits that profile.  A real plus is its below-$30 price tag, unusual for a Chardonnay of this stature. … Read more

($30):  This is the third consecutive year when Naumes Family Vineyard has hit the mark with Viognier, a notoriously difficult grape to tame.  I could easily cut and paste my reviews of their 2017 and 2018 for this one.  But, frankly, it is worth repeating because although balance is always key in wines, it is especially important with Viognier, whose window of ripeness is narrow. … Read more

($40):  If the Naumes Pinot Noir Clone 667 was the weight-lifter, this one is the ballerina.  Light in color and on the palate, it dances on the palate.  It’s a captivating lighter style of Pinot Noir.  If you prefer the Clone 667, you won’t be enthralled by this one and vice-versa. … Read more

($40):  I won’t get into the scientific definition of a clone as it relates to grape varieties.  Suffice it to say that in this case it’s a Pinot Noir with unique qualities.  The wine certainly is very different from their blended Pinot Noir, showing more fruit, more concentration and fewer earthy flavors. … Read more

($40):  This fifty-fifty blend of Tempranillo and Grenache marries the two beautifully.  The Tempranillo provides structure and minerals while the Grenache contributes a floral fruitiness.  More approachable than the straight Tempranillo at this stage, it would be a good choice with a hearty pasta dish tonight.… Read more