Vinous

• By Josh Raynolds
  Oregon Outside the Pinot Noir Box (Sep 2020), 9/1/2020 (link)

  (Trisaetum Chardonnay Coast Range Estate Oregon White) Subscribe to see review text.

WineAlign

• By Michael Godel
  4/24/2019 (link)

  (Trisaetum Estate Chardonnay Coast Range, Yamhill Carlton Ava white) Subscribe to see review text.

JamesSuckling.com

• By James Suckling
  10/26/2018 (link)

  (Trisaetum Vineyards Chardonnay Williamette Valley Yamhill-Carlton Coast Range Estate, White, United States) Subscribe to see review text.

Vinous

• By Josh Raynolds
  Oregon’s Expanding Palette of Wines (Feb 2018), 2/18/2018 (link)

  (Trisaetum Chardonnay Coast Range Estate Oregon White) Subscribe to see review text.

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Trisaetum, 11/19/2018

  (Trisaetum Chardonnay Coast Range Estate Vineyard) Hello friends. Exciting day today, as we’re offering what is probably the finest Oregon producer that we’ve never previously had the chance to offer. I’ve been chasing Trisaetum since tasting some eye-opening Rieslings (and Pinots, and Chardonnays) at Pinot Camp way back in 2012, but we’ve had a series of near-misses. Unavailable wines, mis-timed offers, distribution challenges. But today’s the day, and I’ve decided to begin by focusing on Trisaetum’s Coast Range Estate Vineyard. They have three estate sites – Ribbon Ridge and Wichmann (Dundee) in addition to Coast Range – and they grow Riesling and Pinot Noir at all three, as well as Chardonnay at Coast Range and Ribbon Ridge. I wanted to focus on Coast Range today not only because it offers a chance to write about all three varieties, but also because this site is wild. Coast Range Estate sits in the wild southwestern corner of the Yamhill Carlton AVA (location here), where the Willamette Valley runs up into the foothills of the Coast Range Mountains. When I say wild, I mean wild; check out this aerial photo, which shows this steeply sloping site seemingly hacked out of the coastal pines. Breathtaking. It is also the first vineyard that James and Andrea Frey planted, with the first vines going into the ground in 2003. Here’s how they tell the story: It actually began fifty million years ago when the site of our Coast Range estate was on the floor of the Pacific near an extensive line of submarine volcanoes and fate chose that one such volcano would erupt in that very location, spewing lava through the ocean floor, scattering glassy basalt nodules across the seascape, and leaving a unique mixture of volcanic and sedimentary soil that just so happens to be perfect for grapes. Unfortunately for grapes, the soil was at the bottom of the ocean. In a few years, fortune followed fate when this volcanic island chain collided with North America and created Oregon’s Coast Range mountains, leaving the site on the eastern side of mountains looking at what would one day become the Willamette Valley.  This activity left the site not only dry, but with the precise combination of soil, elevation, orientation, temperature, and micro-climate necessary to make something extraordinary from grapes. In 2003, Andrea and James Frey purchased this now steep and rocky piece of land, moved their young children to Oregon, planted a vineyard and founded Trisaetum (tris-say-tum) in one of the few places where climate, soil, and entrepreneurial spirit combine to produce some very special wines. We’ll dig all the way into Coast Range Estate today, offering all four single-vineyard wines from this site. Some of these are being special-ordered out of Oregon; some we’re able to offer at compelling discounts; all are fascinating expressions of a special piece of Oregon terroir.Chardonnay grapes are treated just like the Riesling, and then fermented and aged in French oak, with about one-quarter new. This clocks in at 13.4% listed alc and offers a dynamite nose, with lemon curd and mineral complicated by notes of hazelnut and leafy chamomile tea. I love how much intensity this possesses at such a moderate weight; it’s like an Oregon-Chablis lovechild. Vinous: Copyrighted material withheld. International Wine Report (Owen Bargreen): “Sourced from an estate vineyard set on marine and volcanic soils, the wine begins with aromas reminiscent of nutmeg, white truffle, and Meyer lemon cream. The palate is plush and refined, displaying steely minerality. Bright lemon zest flavors come in, while lighter cream and kumquat notes play second fiddle. A delight to savor, this bright and driven Chardonnay will have a long life in the cellar. Drink 2018-2030. 93pts.”