Oregon Wines

wines

Shimmering ruby-red. High-pitched red and blue fruit, floral and exotic spice scents, along with hints of earth and botanical herbs. Juicy and penetrating on the palate, offering intense boysenberry, black raspberry, spicecake and lavender flavors that turn sweeter through the back half. Shows excellent clarity and floral lift on the impressively long, blue-fruit-driven finish, which is framed by talc-y, even tannins.Vinous Media | 94 VMBrianne Day’s 2019 pinot noir from the Momtazi Vineyard is a fine young bottle. The wine tips the scales at 13.2 percent alcohol in this vintage and offers up a deep, complex and promising young bouquet of black plums, dark berries, balsam bough, cola, a beautiful base of soil, woodsmoke, a touch of sweet stems and a suave framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and youthful, with a lovely core of black fruit, excellent soil signature, ripe tannins, good acids and a long, focused and beautifully balanced finish. There is just a whisper of natural wine wildness that hovers in the background of the finish here, but it only adds to the complexity. Pinot from Momtazi Vineyard is always quite black fruity in personality to my palate, but loaded with other nuances, and this is emphatically the case with the lovely 2019 from Brianne Day. (Drink between 2029 - 2075)John Gilman | 92+ JG

The 2019 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills is characterized by broad, intense flavors foiled by tangy acidity. It offers aromas of apple pie, honeycomb, toast and white blossoms and is intensely flavored, ripe and textural, finishing with energetic freshness.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 94 RPPretty aromas of honeysuckle, white peach, lemon tart and flint. It’s full-bodied, yet bright, with tangy acidity. Textured and fleshy. Some spice and hay notes to close. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSWonderfully floral on the nose, sappy and rich on the palate, this expressive wine is packed with flavorful fruits perfectly set against tangy acidity. White peach, Asian pear and a touch of lime combine on a full-bodied midpalate. The juicy fruit flavors energize the wine and set the taster up for sip after sip.Wine Enthusiast | 92 WEToasty with a lean oak frame, this smoky chardonnay’s aromas are mildly oaked at first. But the flavors are refreshing, lean and balanced, with an oyster-shell duskiness that suggests a pairing with shellfish, particularly seared scallops. Wine & Spirits | 92 W&S

Bright and inviting, the 2021 Chardonnay Drouhin Oregon Roserock has high-toned aromatics including loads of lime zest, honeyed apple, and a lifted note of gunflint that is well-managed. Medium-bodied and energetic, with balanced ripeness as well as loads of fresh citrus and a long finish, it has more reductive and bright-toned energy that lasts for ages through the finish. Drink 2023-2030.Jeb Dunnuck | 94 JDNotes of dried apples, glazed lemons, orange curd, roasted almonds and crushed stones. Hints of dried lemon peel, too. Full-bodied and broad yet it is delicate with impressive fresh acidity. Incredible minerality here with a touch of zestiness at the end. Lingering finish. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 94 JSFrom the Eola-Amity Hills, fast becoming Oregon’s best Chardonnay sub-appellation, given its windy conditions and volcanic soils. The Roserock shows flinty aromatics and laser-focused brightness with hints of cut early-season pears, white flowers and smoky minerality. The palate is balanced, bright and savoury, with minerality written all over it. Notes of crushed granite and green peppercorn complement grilled lemon peel, briny seaspray and smoky flint.Decanter | 93 DECDriven by electrifying acidity and a texture as crisp as a new dollar bill, this is a wine for fans of the lean, but hardly mean, style of Chardonnay. Pineapple and chamomile aromas are complemented by bits of fresh-cut grass and thyme. Flavors of chilled orange segments, lemon verbena and toasted filberts go on forever. Wine Enthusiast | 93 WEBrisk and fresh, with pear and grapefruit flavors accented by spice and white blossom aromatics as this glides on the steely finish. Drink now. 2,405 cases made.Wine Spectator | 92 WS

This is the benchmark for (tank fermented, pure) Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc. The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc has sweet green pea, green apple skins, juniper, rosemary, a hint of nashi pear and layers of jasmine tea and spice. This is, as usual, very fine and spicy, with purity and textural complexity side by side. Pear skin. Pretty.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 93 RPVery fresh nose with a wide spectrum of aromas, ranging from forthrightly grassy and fresh-basil notes to gooseberry, grapefruit and passion fruit, this is a juicy and elegant Adelaide Hills sauvignon blanc. Long, racy finish. Drink now. Screw cap.James Suckling | 93 JS

Fragrant raspberry and fresh violet aromas lead to elegantly layered cherry, mineral and savory tea flavors, with a silky mouthfeel that slowly builds tension on the polished finish. Drink now through 2033. 15,299 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSAn intensely decorated set of aromas announce this broader valley bottling from Résonance: ripe strawberries, smoked cedar plank and a melange of warm exotic spices. The palate is concentrated with rich dried red berry flavours, piquant chicory root spice, and an extended lingering savoury depth. Delicious.Decanter | 93 DECAromas rich in savory, woodsy and spicy notes lead to vibrant black cherries, grilled plums, mushrooms, star anise and a touch of black pepper. Distinctive for a broad Willamette Valley bottling, this is lively and medium-bodied. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 93 JSA pretty blend of steeped plums and violet flowers introduces the 2022 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley. This is cool-toned and classic in feel, with ripe red and blue fruits that flow across textures of pure silk, leaving a tinge of sweet spice toward the close. An air of lavender lingers along with ripe blackberries and hints of sage as the 2022 tapers off with stunning length and gentle tannins. This is a wonderfully harmonious effort that will reward cellaring.Vinous Media | 92+ VMThe 2022 “Willamette Valley” bottling of pinot noir from Résonance Vineyards is an excellent young wine. It comes in at 13.5 percent alcohol in this vintage and delivers a bright and complex aromatic constellation of red and black cherries, a nice touch of beetroot, gamebird, dark soil tones, woodsmoke, a nice dollop of sweet stem tones and cedary oak. On the palate the wine is bright, ripe and full-bodied, with a lovely core of fruit, fine soil inflection, tangy acids, buried, seamless tannins and fine focus and grip on the long, poised and beautifully balanced, complex finish. This is lovely juice, but give it some time to soften up in the cellar. (Drink between 2030 - 2075)John Gilman | 92+ JGRuby red-hued, the 2022 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley has a very appealing nose with notes of ripe cherries, wild herbs, sassafras, and fresh flowers. Approachable and medium-bodied, it offers ripe, defined tannins, stemmy spice on the palate, and ripe acidity. It’s a charming wine with a stemmy texture to drink over the next 4-5 years.Jeb Dunnuck | 90 JD