2 sub 20 Willamette Pinots 2013

I have been wanting to branch out in oregon, and especially in the lower ranges to see what I can find. I have had in the past, several from Evasham Wood, so I thought I would branch out to Patricia Green, and Matello.

I tried both the Willamette blends purchased from Sec for a bit under 20 each.

I followed both over 3 nights.

PG:

Night one, on pop and pour, there was a huge earthy funk on the nose. The blew off in the glass in 15 minutes. Then I had a nose of dark fruit, very powerful. First taste was high on dark fruit, again, very powerful. Over the next hour it blended down to fruit forward with a nice acid balance, and medium to low structure/tannin. On the darker and heavier side of oregon Pinot, but a nice and balanced wine.

Mattello:

No nose much at all on the pop and pour. I let it sit out for 15 minutes and you get a light nose of dark and blue fruit, but very restrained.

At first taste this is an acid bomb. Ordinarily I am a big fan of such, but this one was out there so much, to me it was a food only wine at that point (as in I dont want to drink it alone without food). I followed it over the next several hours and it does calm down, but not by much. The fruit is there, and the color is 3-5 shades lighter than the PG, but the acid just takes over.

Over the next two nights the PG only got better, and the Matello calmed down a bit more, but still is way out on the acid side of lean pinot to me.

Oddly enough on the SV side I have enjoyed Matello over PG, but not in this case by a long shot.

I did try both with some grilled copper river salmon last night and the matello was much better with the food. There was still a very marked difference in the two acid wise, and even my wife commented on it.

The search continues.

Try the McKinlay WV Pinot. The 2013 is quite nice and available for around $20, if there’s any left.

Was the PGC you tried their “Reserve”?

As for Matello, ripping acidity can get addictive. Be careful or you’ll get hooked.

Here is a sub-$20 WV Pinot Noir I tried recently, although not a 2013. The R Stuart “Big Fire” is hands down the best entry level PN I remember having ever. Pure clean fruit, nothing either over-ripe or green, very little oak (as you would expect in this price category. I’ve had the wine in other years, and it always punches way above its class. I’d expect the '13 to stand up.

P Hickner

Love the 2013 McKinlay WV, especially for the price.

Totally agree but then ‘acid bomb’ is a positive descriptor to me.

I don’t usually think of the PGC Reserve as being on the heavier side of WV Pinot but have not tried it yet.

Thanks for then notes and thoughts.

Jason

To each their own and all…but honestly, it will serve you well to spend a little more than $20 for WV Pinot. Try a Matello Lazarus or PGC Estate…all < $30 and worth the extra few bucks. For $29, you can even snag a 2011 Belle Pente Murto. The step up in quality is “dramatic”.

RT

Richard – I don’t think there is a WV Matello other than the Lazarus. That must be what he bought. BTW I had a 2011 PGC Estate last week and it was killer. Yes, more time would be better but it’s really nice now.

Thanks Ron, hard to know when you look at Wine Searcher. The '10 and '11 Lazarus were killer bargains. Sounds like the '12 would be more in line with Mark’s preferences. Looking forward to trying more of Marcus’s 13s.

RT

I haven’t had any 13s from Matello. Let me know what you think when you taste.

Confusingly enough (and typically) we have a Reserve Willamette Valley and a regular Willamette Valley. I would suspect at right around 20 dollars given Sec’s insane pricing structure this is the Reserve. Our regular WV would be closer to 15. It’s nice but you are FAR better off with the Berserker Cuvee. The WV is a BTG oriented wine.

Because of the addition of the Goodfellow Family Cellars wines, there is some transition in the Matello wines. The cuvée names were confusing to a lot of people, so with 2013 the Matello Pinot Noir is just a Willamette Valley designate. The cuvée is what would have been bottled under the Lazarus label.
It’s also worth noting that the 2013 Matello was bottled this spring, so it’s been in bottle only a little while(even though it’s the entry level). That said, I’m a bit surprised it was so acidic and quiet after a couple of hours. I love the transparency and precision of the wine and usually find that with a decanter it has beautiful cherry notes over a woodsy, almost tobacco note.
I would highly recommend trying it again in about 6 months, but if you’re having it shipped get it well before you’re going to open it. Angling for delicacy in Pinot Noir makes the wines much more subject to travel shock.

Being that I went pretty heavy on the PGC Berserker, my PN for the rest of the year will have to be those already in the cellar. That said, summer is here and I am enjoying some cider and bought a lot of whites & rosé for the missus that I will be helping to consume. BTW, Marcus my first Matello, a white, was from StoryTeller years ago and opened my eyes to how good your wines can be. Sec Wines is another well found source that gets substantial business for a number of WV winemakers.

It does appear the PG was the reserve bottling. I was under the impression the Berserker bottling sold out long ago, but I dont frequent CC so maybe I was mistaken. Had I known, I would have purchased there.

THe Matello is not Lazarus, it simply says WV.

All things being relative, I have always thought Matello was on the high acid side, and I have always liked that. If you consider that, and then consider I say this one is much more of an acid bomb that normal, thats how far out this one is.

If you want a comparison, if you happen to have any whistling ridge 11 from him, its in the same boat…will pucker your mouth for sure.

I have only opened one bottle, and have others, so I want to try another before my final judgement.

whistling ridge 11 from him, its in the same boat…will pucker your mouth for sure.
Oh boy, I have 6.

2011 Matello Whistling Ridge is a fastball in my strike zone. Marcus…you doing a Thursday Pre-IPNC tasting again this year?

Also thought the PGC Berserker Cuvee had sold through. < $20, that should be near/at the top of the list.

RT

There is about 20-30 cases held back currently so in case of damage, lost boxes, whims of fate and re-orders (prefer that to the other possibilities). I know probably only 50% of folks have gotten there orders at this time. So, still some available. Would likely not sell through it all until we have shipped everything out just in case something happens.

[/quote] There is about 20-30 cases held back currently so in case of damage, lost boxes, whims of fate and re-orders (prefer that to the other possibilities). I know probably only 50% of folks have gotten there orders at this time. So, still some available. Would likely not sell through it all until we have shipped everything out just in case something happens.[/quote]

Stark and refreshing contrast to business practices I have read about at Maison Ilan. Just sayin’.

Other than PGC and Maison Ilan both being in the Pinot biz, it’s hard to imagine more contrast. Track record, experience, quality, customer satisfaction and a well established physical presence are tough characteristics for consumers to get a handle on…especially just reading a label or a shelf talker.

That said, I doubt Jim would complain about a sporty new Beemer or a few barrels worth of Chambertin fruit. Well, maybe the car.

RT

I think Jim already has the better car…

We’ll definitely have the door open on the Thursday before IPNC. I still haven’t figured out what to pour but it’s definitely time to open some older bottles. Rich, if there’s anything you want me to open, just let me know.

The 2011 Whistling Ridge is definitely a bit of a laser beam. It’s a ridge top(as opposed to the slope below) vineyard and catches quite a bit of breeze running west to east in the late summer and early fall. That breeze dries out the canopy but it takes any excess moisture out of the fruit too, what’s left is thicker skins, and ripping acidity. It’s what makes the 2012 Whistling Ridge PN and the 2012 Heritage PN so refreshing even for 2012s.