February 4, 2024 - Terrific. Youthful and vibrant. Palate has a roundness that is inviting but there’s intensity here. Mostly white fruited with a bit of toast. Really lovely. Suspect still on the upswing.
Same bottle from Coravin 2mos later...I think I under rated this. White flowers, toasty leads, and steely finish. has a bit of everything. Bumped a point.
September 27, 2023 - Glassware: Grassl Cru
Prep: Decanted, first taste after an hour
Unyielding upon initial pour other than some matchstick reduction. After about an hour in the decanter the wine starts to unfurl with notes of key lime, chalk, and a hint of butterscotch on the nose with aeration. Full-bodied with juicy acids, along with nice dry extract that lingers on the tongue. Mostly green citrus and underripe tropical fruit tones enveloped in chalky minerals on the palate, ending on a slightly astringent mineral finish. This has less precision than the 2019 Richard’s, which I adore, but makes up for it with the depth of its minerality. Will check on my last bottle of this vintage in 5-8 years.
April 9, 2023 - Light gold in colour. Butterscotch vanilla and a whiff of smoke on the nose. Towards medium full bodied, saline with a core of yellow fruited although slightly austere core. There's good persistence and overall balance. Quite a rare wine with just 88 cases made.
May 3, 2022 - Seems like a really solidly constructed wine, but it's completely closed down. Either decant for a long time, or let it sleep for a few years.
November 20, 2021 - This bottle feels a little closed to me. Nose is austere on the PnP, showing some lemon, crisp green apple. Very pure and delicous on the palate, such nice balance. Quite tangy, white flowers, something in the orange family, like an underipe tangerine, more of that green apple, lemon. Finish goes on. If you have this I would let it rest for a good while.
August 4, 2021 - There are times when Oregon chardonnay - particularly from Marcus or from Ken and Erica at Walter Scott - seems so Burgundian. Pale, clear, crisp - minerality and salinity. This one has finally achieved that - and then only on day two. Refined and graceful. Nicely done.
November 14, 2020 - Delicious - and it goes down dangerously easy! My better half is doing up some Salmon for dinner, and this should be fine with that dish. Lively acidity, good persistence, tart white fruit - really a complete package here. My only half-hearted concern might be can this wine possibly get any better? While I am normally oriented to laying down some of Marcus’ wines, given how this drinks right now, I’m honestly wondering whether I should just drink these near term for the enjoyment factor.
October 29, 2020 - Really well balanced, lemon cream, zippy acid, long finish. Will be hard not to drink through our case too quickly.
October 19, 2020 - Some matchstick reduction and lime zest on the nose. On the palate, this wine is more expansive, with a burst of limeade, pineapple, underripe mango, nectarine, and green apple. On the finish the wine has a core of chalky minerality, with just a touch of bitterness. Personally I have a slight preference for the 2018 Dundee Hills, mostly because I love the snap of salinity complementing the minerality on the nose and palate, but just by a hair.
June 26, 2020 - Light-bodied wine with no reduction, nice white fruit and citrus flavors. Very well balanced. I hope the wine puts on some weight. It’s a slightly pale imitation of the 2017 Richard’s. Still - really nice.