9/15/2020 - gutt22 Likes this wine:

Stunningly youthful at age 30! Ruby red color. Stunning nose of red cherry, earth, spice, a touch of mushrooms, and minerals. In the mouth, this is so lively and packing so much -- gorgeous cherry fruit, baking spice, forest floor, and plenty of acidity. This has the bones for the really long haul. A truly great Estate from Swan. A

12/5/2022 - Seanwsmithm3 wrote:

Soft simple and ready to drink. 1st vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon from this legendary site. I preferred their Cabernet Franc from the same site. It has more depth and tannin. This would be very agreeable for a variety of palates at a dinner party but for me lacks Complexity compared to the Cabernet Franc and Ians other Cab Sauv sites. Reasonable 1st vintage. I suspect next vintage will be better.

8/14/2022 - Rieslingfan wrote:

If this had been more tannic I might have guessed Nebbiolo blind. Lots of dried rose petal, along with dusty red fruit. It’s kind of crinkly, like old, brittle paper, which is surprising at only nine years from the vintage. It’s a very pretty wine, but I am shocked at how evolved it is. I have had older Goodfellow Pinots that seemed much younger.

11/2/2021 - Seanwsmithm3 Does not like this wine:

Total disapointment. red fruit, lacks balancing enouigh acid and tannin. really boring. no complexity. I would be disappointed at $20. At $65 its a tremendous disappointment. First wine from this producer I was not impressed with. Hope this is a one off wine.

10/21/2021 - jcasey555 Does not like this wine:

It’s gone waited too long. Still has bright red color but no nose or flavor

3/3/2021 - Alex Brogan wrote:

Big buttery wine. Creamy and full. I think I'm getting some bizarre bacon later on. Very good but low on fruit flavour.

4/18/2021 - Ortiz Brown Likes this wine:

Very, very pale straw in the glass with a reticent nose of green apple. On the palate the wine features flavors of pear, citrus, honey. There’s a hint of oak, probably from used barrels, though Goodfellow’s web site doesn’t provide any details for this particular bottling. There's a streak of minerality supported with mild acidity to a long finish. Really like this!

1/8/2021 - Todd French wrote:

Possibly the best of the Joel Peterson's cellar Ravenswood bottles thus far. This smells exactly like a fine left bank Bordeaux from the early 80's - gorgeous, lively red fruited nose, touch of spring water and tanned leather. Silky palate, beautiful blast of sweet black cherry and plum, fully resolved tannins linger just a bit on the finish with a bit of dust, decent finish. In the PERFECT space for me right now, this bottle proves how important proper storage is. It's a gem, the best Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon I recall having.

6/1/2020 - Seanwsmithm3 Likes this wine:

Wine is bright and light gold in the glass. On the nose, I get beautiful floral notes, ripe pear, melon, and oak. Even on day two, the nose is soft on this wine. It's not exploding from the glass. The palate is more forward and leads with notes pear, some tropical fruits, seashells, some richness. There is gentle balancing acid throughout, but it's not as much a focus as some of my other Oregon faves. This wine is by no means lacking acidity, but it's not chiseled like my favorite Oregon and White burg producers. This wine seems more focussed on the presentation of the fruit, which is ripe and lovely. Regardless of this not being my favorite style, its damn good chardonnay and worth the high tariff. No one would mistake this for Burgundy, but I don't think people would think California either. This wine has some X factor that makes it so good despite not being square in my wheelhouse on style. This wine is aging well, but I see no need to hurry. Its got another 5+ years in it. It's still very youthful. I'm going to need to bite the bullet and buy some more. Wish I could still get these for $50

12/5/2020 - Seanwsmithm3 wrote:

Really nice wine. Quite youthful for 30 years old. Fairly dark in the glass. no significant bricking. On the nose I get leather and dark cherry with some earth. Nice dark cherry fruit, mushroom, baking spice on the palate. Tannins are very soft. Finish is medium lnegth. Nice bracing acidity throughout. My 3rd aged Dehlinger. Very impressed

6/2/2020 - gutt22 Likes this wine:

Another beautiful, classic example of Swan Estate Pinot Noir with great age on it. At age 35, this retains a slightly bricked red cherry color. The nose remains boldy fruity, but the secondary aspects, especially the spice and rich earth notes, are coming to the fore. In the mouth, exceptionally lively. Packed with fruit and secondary notes, this is aging with total grace. Awesome acidity remains. Moderate finish. A-/A

10/3/2020 - decaturwinedude wrote:

I was smitten with this wine. Pretty light red color. Pure red fruit that is lithe and soft on the palate. Terrific balance. Hints of toast/smoked meat come on amidst the cherry and earth. Crushable wine that is so pretty at its core.

9/15/2020 - Bob H wrote:

I bought a case of this, and can honestly say that at this point, I should have gotten two. I have tried most of the 2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay lineup, and this may be the best drinking wine of the bunch at this time. Good acidity, ripe white fruits on the palate, just plain delicious.

9/7/2020 - Outplaying Likes this wine:

Ann thought this was too oaky, but I enjoyed it. Some struck match shadings and solid acidity. Blind, I think I would guess white Burgundy of some sort.

7/15/2020 - aronh Likes this wine:

Light, straw color, viscous. Ripe pear and wildflower honey on nose. Getting a bit of fresh lemon and grape as well. On first sip, quite acidic, almost “aspro”, light and does not linger very long. Delicious with homemade bouillabaisse.

6/22/2020 - blackbrownbeige Likes this wine:

My first Briords and definitely the finest Muscadet I have ever had.

Just wonderful saline/stone quality on the nose with a light grassiness and some stone fruit, melon, and perhaps even a little mango. Acidity is perfect, with more racy, ethereal minerality on the palate and a touch of creamy structure from the lees. Nice fresh lemon/lime finish. I've read it can age beautifully and it certainly seems like it some stuffing to hold but for me, happy to have opened it now.

6/20/2020 - Dean&Libby Likes this wine:

The wine looks purple colored. The legs are slow. There is moderate sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, tobacco and a hint of rose. It tastes like a big punch of pomegranate and black currant (cassis) to start, Then stoniness, sandalwood, black pepper and clove become more prominent into the looooong finish. The body is medium. The wine has medium acidity.
VERY good.

6/20/2020 - S-F wrote:

This came right after drinking my own Alicante Bouschet wine, which isn't a a lightweight, but what was immediately apparent is how much bigger this PN was than that. I was expecting a light ethereal thing, but this is a full body PN, for sure. Cinnamon, fruit on the attack, lots and lots of spiciness on the mid and finish. I sense some strong french oak tannins throughout. A really nice wine, would pair well with something on the heavier side. Great stuff!

4/6/2020 - Seanwsmithm3 Likes this wine:

This newest incarnation of fruit from the Durant vineyard is quite lovely. It's light pale color in the glass looks delicate. Minerals, white fruit, stone, and lemon on the nose to me. There are light hints of flint and bright and tart white fruit, citrus on the front of the palate. Fruit and juicy acidity and those subtle notes from the barrel fill the mid palate. IMO, you just don't get complexity like this from all stainless. The acidity kicks in on the midpalate and then drives the long finish. Bright, lean, and coiled. Yum. Just finished the 2nd bottle in the last 10 days. A quality wine for a few $ more than the WV bottling. I can't wait to compare this to the 2018 Ribbon Ridge. This wine is not like the 2017 Dundee Hills which I've called the kinder and gentler Goodfellow chardonnay, Its a nice chiseled classic Goodfellow Chadonnay. It seems after a few samples now, 2018 as a Goodfellow vintage seems have a bit more ripe fruit in the mix but still serious acidity and elegance you expect. Another bargain to drink on a regular basis.

6/7/2020 - MillerRoad Likes this wine:

Shared a Magnum with some friends. Still going strong.

6/6/2020 - kkoshkin Likes this wine:

Either my first bottle of this was flawed or another year in the bottle made a world of difference. I'm guessing it's the former.

Racy acidity balanced against red-fruit dominance. Lots of raspberry, pomegranate, and some pepper and possibly a hint of something like eucalyptus. Long, acidic finish.

This wine is singing after about 45 minutes in the decanter. Love this.

6/8/2020 - pgordon62 Likes this wine:

Winemaker note - starting to open a little but still rather reticent. Promising complexity and lovely balance. Suggest sample the 2018 Alturas first and wait until the fall to try this wine. Paul

6/8/2020 - Frank Murray III wrote:

Opened yesterday. 12.5% ABV, 100% whole cluster, neutral oak. I believe this is the declassed barrels of 'Staff, 'Dougie and Bohan, similar to the Rhys approach for Alesia appellation blends. If a winery can make the economics work, in theory it's a great strategy. The single vineyard wines get the best barrels, and the appellation blend gets what is arguably great fruit blended for a much cheaper price. This bottle was $39, drinks excellent, too. Incense and flowers in the aromatic. Fleshy strawberry, mint, bit of cranberry (when cooler) with tannin that creates a good tension for the palate. This also has some of the 'saturated' quality that I sometimes find in Jamie's wines, as well as Rhys. This is especially true as it warms up, shedding the chill and seeing the saturating fruit fill in. Really gorgeous wine, another dart throw at the target for a guy in Jamie who keeps kicking out great wines, stuff that is doing quality at a real high level, at pricing that is very fair.

6/5/2020 - Bob H wrote:

Still with that reductive flint/petrol/matchstick on the nose. I love it, and this is not overly pronounced at this point, but if you don't like reductive aromas on the nose, you may not like this.

Focused on the palate, like a laser beam of Chardonnay deliciousness. Tart white fruits, great acidity, good persistence - really the complete package here, and a wine that I feel will age effortlessly, even if I seem to be unable to keep my hands off this!

6/6/2020 - djs Likes this wine:

Light translucent strawberry color. Cherry and strawberry nose. Very silky refined mouthfeel. Restrained red fruit flavors. Medium length finish. Good example of a more restrained style of grenache. Good QPR.

5/25/2020 - Seanwsmithm3 wrote:

Quarantine 2020: National Chardonnay Day (Blind); 5/21/2020-5/25/2020 (Los Gatos and San Carlos California): Tasted Blind:

Wifes Note: "Smells like Goodfellow, sesame seeds. Bright acid and light fruit with no/low oak."

My Note: Pale Gold but crystal clear in the glass. Pleasant flinty funk on the nose followed shells, soft citrus, apple. The nose on this wine is alluring straight out of the bottle. The flint has disappeared by day three, but the nose is very agile. Subtle fruit and minerality dance around. The palate starts with pleasing bright, citrusy acidity. Lemon rind, soft lime, ripe notes of pear and apple, and hints of tropical fruit. The barrel notes and richness appear on the mid-palate and dance around briefly and then slowly disappear, leaving the choir of fruit and acid dancing through the long finish. A very complete wine. Show's purity of fruit yet very light and complex. Shows excellent on Pop N Pour but plenty of structure.too.
13% ABV

Side Note: As with other Willamette Valley 2018's I am finding this ripeness and purity of fruit adding to the nose/palate but not dragging the wines down or making them taste bigger or fatter like say 2015

5/25/2020 - Seanwsmithm3 Likes this wine:

Quarantine 2020: National Chardonnay Day (Blind); 5/21/2020-5/25/2020 (Los Gatos and San Carlos California): Tasted Blind:
Clear and light pale yellow in the glass. Hints of pear and minerals on the nose. This wine is soft and reticent on day 1. It blooms a little on days 2 and 3 but was the shyest of the six wines in this lineup. Delicate pear on the palate with minerals and some oak on the finish. It's nicely balanced, but just a bit shy simple. No real complexity or layers. Its a more simple and straightforward wine, and at <$20, I'm not complaining. 12.5% ABV

5/22/2020 - aero Likes this wine:

Full body, modern style. Attractively ripe and juicy fruit, nearing hedonistic, but without barrel spice and oak carrying it away. Expressive nose and palate. Earth, herbs, and minerality are proper secondaries to the fruit. Finish is swelling and long, and without a couple hours of air it's quite intense.

Fully ripe, none the usual green you'll find in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Curious if there isn't Merlot in there. Here is a wine you can pop and pour today, and has backbone to last a few decades.

PS - I believe the grapes come from Vidovich's vineyard, and the winemaking style could not be more different.

4/30/2020 - wmccone54 wrote:

A very Interesting Chardonnay. This has really developed and improved with age....nuanced, somewhat subtle, showing complex aromas and flavors of pithy, bitter grapefruit rind; quartz like minerals; tart lemon; juicy pineapple, sour green apple, underscored with vanilla creme and a hint of clove spice. Lots of acidity making me think this either didn’t go through full malolactic fermentation or only saw partial malo. Definitely has seen some oak during aging, but totally integrated at this juncture. Very nice medium plus finish. Balanced, shows good length, and complexity, more nuanced than intense flavor / aroma profile. I might have rated higher had it shown more intensity. I’m guessing this could drink well into 2021. 90-91 points.

5/6/2020 - ex-sommelier Likes this wine:

No specific notes, definitely a bit more rounded compared to others in the lineup, almond skin, orchard fruit, nice herbaciousness. Needs another couple years sideways.

4/25/2020 - Seanwsmithm3 Likes this wine:

This wine is very clear in my Grassl Liberte glass despite this wine being unfiltered. The color is pale yellow with hints of gold. The nose immediately hits you with seashells, lime, and minerals. There are attractive hints of flint on day one that disappear on day two. This brings out the lime and minerals even more. This wine is elegant and mildly chiseled. I get lime and tart apple on the front of the palate. Subtle barrel notes appear, which rounds the mid-palate and plays well with the fruit. Bracing acidity is present throughout, buts it's not dominant. This delicate but creamy mouthfeel and barrel character build into the long finish playing so nicely with the acid. The wine is pretty tight now but still so good. I have been tasting through the 2018's and just had a 2018 Richards Cuvee. This wine is clearly knit from the same cloth. I wouldn't expect Marcus to release SVD Berserker Cuvee that wasn't top-notch. Not Disappointed. Serious QPR.

Tech: Four clones interplanted and dry-farmed on a ridge top in marine sedimentary soils. 12.1% ABV. Twenty-five cases produced—Diam 10 closure.

4/17/2020 - ohne_musik wrote:

Kinda a weird wine, that I didn't particularly like. It has the mouthwatering acidity and zingy lemon-lime fruit one would expect from Alder Springs, combined with a surprisingly plush mouthfeel. However, what starts as a hint of diacetyl-buttered-popcorn on the nose turns into a complete butter bomb on the palate. The combo of the acid/fruit and butter is not terribly pleasant. I'm hoping that it all integrates into a nice wine in a few years, but right now I'm not loving it. 80ish if scored.

Edit: after 6 hours open, the diacetyl has mostly dissipated, and some more streamlined honeyed green apple has taken its place. This is the wine I was expecting! 88-90 now.

Day 3: the butter popcorn is back. Down the drain unfortunately.

4/18/2020 - Bob H wrote:

A light yellow-gold in the glass. On opening, a reductive note that to me is more reminiscent of petrol than matchstick or flint.

Expansive on the palate - really spreads out, and the acidity keeps this lively. Boy, when you consider that in the qualitative hierarchy of the vintage, this would be considered Marcus' 3rd Chardonnay from the Whistling Ridge vineyard, this is really impressive. I know that reductive note on the nose will turn some folks off, but I'm really enjoying this right now.

4/11/2020 - Rieslingfan wrote:

First Halcon wine for me. I liked it a great deal, though it was a bit of a chameleon. A quick sip directly after I opened the bottle showed a cool, sleek, tense wine, reminding me more than a little of some of the Dirty & Rowdy wines. Several hours later I took a full glass, and was drinking a very different wine. There was a distinct richness to the mid-palate that had not been there before. Cool, red fruit, spice and vibrant floral notes were held in place by a firm acid spine, and moderate finishing tannins. Fun to drink on its own, and with enough depth and cut to handle our dinner of Chicken Enchiladas Norteńas.

I left about two glasses worth in the bottle overnight, corked up and kept at cellar temperature. Giving the wine some time to warm up, I poured a small glass to see how it progressed. Surprisingly, I found the wine that I had started with the prior night. More tense and taut than anything else, it still had the red fruit and floral, but on a more racy frame.

Interesting stuff that made me think, and that’s what keeps me coming back.

3/31/2020 - joraesque wrote:

Unstable, heading downhill.

3/13/2020 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote:

Medium bodied with little to no reduction. Lemon, orange zest, slight toast, and minerals. More body than I was expecting and up there with almost any premier cru. Clearly more under the surface here but needs some time for the fruit to develop. Great now though.

12/4/2019 - Rieslingfan wrote:

First try of a Matello wine, and this is quite good. Drinks dry, but also quite fruity (mimicking sweetness that is not actually there), it has a complex aromatic that combines crisp tree fruit, a touch of spice and some exotic tropicals. The palate is quite dry, even with a pleasing touch of phenolic bitterness. It feels more German than Alsatian in style, likely because it has brighter acidity, as well as lighter body than most modern Alsatian wines.

7/16/2019 - CMN Likes this wine:

Interesting nose of lemon curd with white floral and tropical notes. Quite beguiling.

The palate is on the lighter end of the spectrum, with lemon curd, minerals and the barest hint of tropical notes on the medium+ finish. Bone dry with an acidic spine and a lithe texture. Easy drinking and flat out delicious.

7/6/2019 - MattGeneve Likes this wine:

Dark crimson red. Open nose of dark currants and sweet strawberries. Also a nice savoury note, a touch of something peppery or lightly spicy. Good depth of fruit, obviously quite ripe creating a sweet fruited taste. It is very tasty from a primary fruit and balance point of view, although not that much acid, plush but with some distinct character. For my taste it is sweeter than I prefer but that is probably because I am so used to less ripe, more acidic and savoury burgundies.

7/23/2017 - Frank Murray III wrote:

I don't usually put barrel samples into CT but I believe this is close to a composite of what the wine will be so I will go ahead with my TN. This sample was excellent. A blue/red mix, showing a lovely balance with juicy acidity that complements the fruit. Ends with some mineral and tannin. Should this expression hold up once under cork, this will be excellent.

6/5/2019 - randyjc wrote:

First the disclaimer. I am not deeply experienced with Oregon chardonnay or, for that matter, white Burgundy. The few dozen French or Oregon chardonnay over the past few years provide inadequate experience to make the kinds of statements I want to make about this wine. Regardless... Tasted with Marcus in McMinville. I strongly dislike reduction and this wine has none of that petrol, matchstick thing. A pretty wine - pale yellow, brilliant clarity and low alcohol. (12 or 12.5%?) Still a bit muted on the nose, but I think that's its youth. Soft white tree fruit with an apple blossom smell and some sea-breeze. In the mouth it is sensuously smooth and delightful, flavors coming on slowly, developing across the palate and carrying into a lengthy finish. Again, a young wine but even now it has good intensity and the same clarity on visual examination is present on the palate. That said, the flavors are rounded and subtle and soft. A pretty wine, but not feminine. There is a streak of prominent minerality/crushed shell. The lengthy finish opens with a tightening green apple/lemon zest citrus component which releases after a few seconds, lingering and softening back into how the wine smells. Mouth-filling flavors. This is the best Oregon chardonnay I have tasted - and I really do like Oregon chardonnay. I bought enough I'll be able to watch it develop over the next 5 - 10 years.

5/11/2019 - lindauer7 Likes this wine:

Everybody loved this. Plenty of fruit and enough acidity to balance the wine beautifully. I only have two bottles left, but I think this could go a few more years.

2/17/2019 - dsgris Likes this wine:

Inky dark purple maroon, blackberry nose. Some funky brambles on opening. Tart fruit, meaty and bold, chewy cane tannins, layered and complex, serious stuffing, getting better with age.

3/29/2019 - poppacork Likes this wine:

This started out very tight and structured on day one, not showing much. Day two revealed a nice profile of tart cherries and crushed stone with some light umami notes through the finish.

It’s a rather masculine expression of Pinot that could benefit from some cellaring to open up.

12/7/2018 - Seanwsmithm3 Likes this wine:

Better Acidity than the 2016. Great fruit and acid with lovely malo and hint of oak. Its great QPR chardonnay one of my favorites. An annual case buy. One of the most popular wines in my house but for my palate Goodfellow Family cellars WV is even better.

1/25/2019 - td1836 Likes this wine:

A strong combination of crunchy red berries, soft texture, substantial acidity, forest floor/earthy notes, and a long pleasing finish. Well done. I would like to see this with a lot more age, and will plan to hold the 2016s I just purchased for a few years.

1/26/2019 - robmatic wrote:

Alarmingly light color, but followed through with more than enough stuffing to compensate. Tasty juice, with adequate structure, but given its rating and price, it's a disappointment. Am I spoiled by big California Pinots?

10/11/2014 - affordableCollector wrote:

dark red, purple, in the color. pepper, dark fruit, on the nose. blackberry, cherry, oak, spice, on the palate. high acid, high tannins, on the finish.

8/27/2018 - kevrob822 Likes this wine:

OK, this was again a very nice Lot 606. It was Big, Rich & Oaky with a lot of Dust. Completely different than the last 6 that I bought at the Carlsbad Costco, which got progressively worse as I drank them.

A clear, dark red-black color. Nice big rich aroma of plum and dark fruit. Nice big, but balanced, tannins with medium acidity. Medium fruit primarily blue and black with the before mentioned “dust”.

This bottle (6 bottles actually) was a gift from a friend who bought it at a wine store in Del Mar. All I can guess is they stored the wine far better than the Carlsbad Costco!

8/24/2018 - dssinger Likes this wine:

Needs to breathe