What Goodfellow/Matello are you drinking?

[Brian S t o t t e r]

Opened a 2018 Whistling Ridge Chardonnay today. A touch of flint and smoke hangs over green apple, underripe pineapple, and lime zest. More showy in its fruit notes on the palate, though with some good chiseled chalky minerality on the finish. I don’t get the saline notes I found in the 2018 Dundee Hills cuvée, and found this a little less complex. Still very tasty though.

[Rick Allen]

I opened a 2014 Durant Chardonnay last night. It was everything that I would want in a Chardonnay - slightly reduced, nicely tart, green apple, pear, lemon curd, hazelnuts, great balance and length. I'll definitely pull another one soon!

[JDavisRoby]

2018 Dundee Hills Chardonnay.

Wife upon first sip, “damn, that’s good!”

[Brian S t o t t e r]

2018 Dundee Hills Chardonnay.

Wife upon first sip, “damn, that’s good!”

[JDavisRoby]

2018 Dundee Hills Chardonnay.

Wife upon first sip, “damn, that’s good!”

I’ve opened three and have three left. Was hoping to age a few. Not sure they’ll make it.

[Sean_S]

That my problem with the crack and the WR Chardonnay. I'm down to one bottle each of 15 and 16. CT says we have downed 5 bottles of the 18 Dundee Hills so far....

[Patrick T a y l o r]

That my problem with the crack and the WR Chardonnay. I'm down to one bottle each of 15 and 16. CT says we have downed 5 bottles of the 18 Dundee Hills so far....

Pro tip. Buy 12 more of each but don't put them in CT. Makes it look like you're aging those last bottles.

[Sean_S]

I'm attempting to age them, I'm just not doing a good job. If I really didn't want to drink them I need to hide them at a friends house.

Sean

[Patrick T a y l o r]

I'm attempting to age them, I'm just not doing a good job. If I really didn't want to drink them I need to hide them at a friends house.

Sean

Kind of like the time I put a box of donuts on the floor of the passenger side, so I couldn't get to them while driving.

(Narrator: He got to them.)

[Chris Crutchfield]

Which of the recent releases do folks recommend picking up? Looking for a mix of whites and reds, some to enjoy now and some to hold on to for a while. I've never tried any Goodfellow wines, but from what I've read of other people's tasting notes, it seems like it would be right up my alley.

[Brian S t o t t e r]

The 2018 Whistling Ridge pinot noir is quite nice to drink now. The 2018 Dundee Hills and 2018 Richard's Cuvee chardonnays are on fire.

[D@vid Bu3ker]

Opened a 2018 Lewman Vineyard Pinot Noir a little while ago. What a joy it is. Depth and complexity without weight.

[Al Osterheld]

I haven't tried all of the 2018 Pinot Noir wines, but the Lewman is lovely and a bit more open at the moment than a couple of the others. Don't know whether that is the nature of the vineyard or specific to 2018 (the Fir Crest was similar in 2016).

-Al

[Brian S t o t t e r]

Opened a 2018 Lewman Vineyard Pinot Noir a little while ago. What a joy it is. Depth and complexity without weight. 4C02EB8F-6DA4-4719-ACF8-438277D55BE0.jpeg

Haven’t tried many of the 2018 pinots from Marcus yet aside from the Whistling Ridge cuvée, but definitely his house style. The chardonnays are excellent as well.

[D@vid Bu3ker]

Opened a 2018 Lewman Vineyard Pinot Noir a little while ago. What a joy it is. Depth and complexity without weight. 4C02EB8F-6DA4-4719-ACF8-438277D55BE0.jpeg

Haven’t tried many of the 2018 pinots from Marcus yet aside from the Whistling Ridge cuvée, but definitely his house style. The chardonnays are excellent as well.

I have tried 4 or 5 Chards, and they have not yet clicked for me, but the Pinots are really resonating.

[Diane Kessler]

2017 Long Acre Whistling Ridge. The Cellartracker notes indicate that this needs more time, but I was anxious to try my first Goodfellow, and this is a beauty. Lovely aromatics. Tart cherries and cassis on the earthy palate with licorice and rose petals on the long finish. It is not a crime to open one now.

[Bob Hughes]

Thanks for the note, Diane - I have this in the cellar, but have yet to try it. I did pull corks in the last two months on the 2013 Pinots from Whistling Ridge and Durant, and both of those struck me as wines just entering early maturity.

[ABell]

Opened a 2018 Lewman Vineyard Pinot Noir a little while ago. What a joy it is. Depth and complexity without weight. 4C02EB8F-6DA4-4719-ACF8-438277D55BE0.jpeg

Opened the 18 lewman tonight and I can echo your note this. This is an excellent young wine with a ton of upside. Power and depth with elegance and grace. Tough not to compare to burgundy with volany's elegance, vosne spice, but definitely Willamette. Take my money

[Marcus Goodfellow]

Opened a 2018 Lewman Vineyard Pinot Noir a little while ago. What a joy it is. Depth and complexity without weight. 4C02EB8F-6DA4-4719-ACF8-438277D55BE0.jpeg

Opened the 18 lewman tonight and I can echo your note this. This is an excellent young wine with a ton of upside. Power and depth with elegance and grace. Tough not to compare to burgundy with volany's elegance, vosne spice, but definitely Willamette. Take my money

Lewman is a tremendous vineyard and almost completely unrecognized. It’s unfortunate that we have such a short relationship with it, but the 2018 wines from there are some of my favorite wines of the vintage and the 2019s as well. I would anticipate it showing up at some point in the Bethel Heights line up, and would imagine they will also do excellent work from the Lewman vineyard.

[Marcus Goodfellow]

2017 Long Acre Whistling Ridge. The Cellartracker notes indicate that this needs more time, but I was anxious to try my first Goodfellow, and this is a beauty. Lovely aromatics. Tart cherries and cassis on the earthy palate with licorice and rose petals on the long finish. It is not a crime to open one now.

I am very, very glad to hear that you enjoyed the 2017 Long Acre. The 2017 wines seem to be enjoying a lovely early window. This is one of my favorite blocks in the vineyard, the soils are very shallow and the vines struggle. The fruit almost always tart red fruits and a distinct(to me) streak of currants. Tannins are typically not for the faint of heart, but always accompanied by an array of nuances that make this a hard wine to put down.

[Richard T r i m p i]

2012 Goodfellow Durant Pinot Noir
Not a favorite vintage, but this one is really tasty. A little age has done the wine well. Subtle leather, button mushrooms, woodsy fir, baking spice, almonds and ripe mildly jammy sour cherry, pomegranate and black briar fruit. The attack is bright and pleasing with a tingling midpalate suggesting whole cluster. Kind of like a less overt Cristom...which can sometimes be too stemmy IMHO. Balanced, integrated tannins. Excellent fruit intensity through the long finish. No obvious wood. It could easily pass as a Burg in a blind tasting. Very quaffable, perhaps too much so. Lots of life ahead of it. Be patient with your Goodfellow SVD Pinots.

RT

[Sean_S]

Thanks all for the great notes all. According to CT I have only popped 4 SVD pinots in the last 4 years. Drink so many of the appelation bottlings... I've yet to pop a Lewman and haven't popped a fir crest or durant since 2015. I did drink a 2017 WR Berserker Pinot Noir.

Sea

[jon leifer]

2016 Goodfellow Whistling Ridge Heritage #7 Pinot Noir..Nose rather closed in, drinking nicely, tart cherries and a surprising amount of acidity, wd hold for at least 2-3 more years, I this this wine will reward cellaring..try again 2022-2025

[Marcus Goodfellow]

2016 Goodfellow Whistling Ridge Heritage #7 Pinot Noir..Nose rather closed in, drinking nicely, tart cherries and a surprising amount of acidity, wd hold for at least 2-3 more years, I this this wine will reward cellaring..try again 2022-2025

Similar experience tasting with our UK importers about a month ago. It was much better the following day! (Hopefully, you have a bit left...)

[Marcus Goodfellow]

2012 Goodfellow Durant Pinot Noir
Not a favorite vintage, but this one is really tasty. A little age has done the wine well. Subtle leather, button mushrooms, woodsy fir, baking spice, almonds and ripe mildly jammy sour cherry, pomegranate and black briar fruit. The attack is bright and pleasing with a tingling midpalate suggesting whole cluster. Kind of like a less overt Cristom...which can sometimes be too stemmy IMHO. Balanced, integrated tannins. Excellent fruit intensity through the long finish. No obvious wood. It could easily pass as a Burg in a blind tasting. Very quaffable, perhaps too much so. Lots of life ahead of it. Be patient with your Goodfellow SVD Pinots.

RT

Glad that was in a good place for you! I am becoming more and more of a fan of the 2012s, but we worked very hard to get fruit picked before potential alcohols jumped with the heat. It’s a vintage that took stems quite well, but we were thoughtful about stem inclusion because clusters were smaller and loose (so stems make up a bigger percentage of the cluster weight than normal).

[Richard T r i m p i]

2012 Goodfellow Durant Pinot Noir
Not a favorite vintage, but this one is really tasty. A little age has done the wine well. Subtle leather, button mushrooms, woodsy fir, baking spice, almonds and ripe mildly jammy sour cherry, pomegranate and black briar fruit. The attack is bright and pleasing with a tingling midpalate suggesting whole cluster. Kind of like a less overt Cristom...which can sometimes be too stemmy IMHO. Balanced, integrated tannins. Excellent fruit intensity through the long finish. No obvious wood. It could easily pass as a Burg in a blind tasting. Very quaffable, perhaps too much so. Lots of life ahead of it. Be patient with your Goodfellow SVD Pinots.
RT

Glad that was in a good place for you! I am becoming more and more of a fan of the 2012s, but we worked very hard to get fruit picked before potential alcohols jumped with the heat. It’s a vintage that took stems quite well, but we were thoughtful about stem inclusion because clusters were smaller and loose (so stems make up a bigger percentage of the cluster weight than normal).

It definitely flirts with the edge of warmth/heat for my palate. The ripeness would be more apparent in a lineup with cooler vintages. Pretty close to edge with the stems too. Some winemakers might have compensated with oak. Nice work.



RT

[jon leifer]

2016 Goodfellow Whistling Ridge Heritage #7 Pinot Noir..Nose rather closed in, drinking nicely, tart cherries and a surprising amount of acidity, wd hold for at least 2-3 more years, I this this wine will reward cellaring..try again 2022-2025

Similar experience tasting with our UK importers about a month ago. It was much better the following day! (Hopefully, you have a bit left...)

Second night, nose still AWOL, wine had fleshed out a bit, notes of cinammon added,a bit less acidity as well...I did enjoy the wine..Went very well with grilled chicken. I just think its' best day are still to come and it will improve with age and reward cellaring

[DaveStandridge]

I was visiting McMinnville over the weekend and Megan was kind enough to set up an impromptu tasting yesterday as it was sunny and warm enough outside. Highlights for me were the '18 WR Chard and the '17 Pumphouse Block Pinot. Thank you Megan and Marcus!

[Dale Williams]

Had my first Goodfellow on a Zoom call Monday night (Marcus joined us, and was super-informative). The 2015 Heritage #4 PN, lovely if structured. I put rest in cellar (just corked, no gas) and it was delicious 2 nights later. Look forward to trying more (especially whites).

[Bob Hughes]

I decided to make Thanksgiving an all-Goodfellow affair. I had originally been thinking about doing some 2014-2015 wines, but when I read the vintage assessments on the website, I shifted gears and went with 2013 for the reds and 2017 for the whites, as follows:

2017 Chardonnay Richard’s, Durant, Whistling Ridge and Ribbon Ridge

2013 Pinot Noir Whistling Ridge, Durant, Bishop Creek and the Heritage

So, still pre-dinner here (but getting closer!), and at this point my favorites are the Durant Chardonnay and the Heritage Pinot, both of which are impressing the hell out of me. And I think either wine has a lot of time/further development ahead of it.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

[Brian S t o t t e r]

I started mine with a 2018 Goodfellow Durant chardonnay. So so good. A little less matchstick reduction than the 2017 but I enjoy it more for its general balance and the purity of the fruit. Flavors of lemon peel, tart green apple, lime leaf, kiwi, and papaya complement wet rocks on the nose and palate. I have no doubt this will age well but it’s hard not to drink now.

[Max S.]

About to be drinking a 2018 Lewman!

[JDavisRoby]

2018 Whistling Ridge Pinot Noir today. Was tempted to pull a WR Heritage but it wasn’t the only one and saving those for time down the road and a time to shine alone.

[Richard T r i m p i]

2017 Chardonnay Richard’s, Durant, Whistling Ridge and Ribbon Ridge

2013 Pinot Noir Whistling Ridge, Durant, Bishop Creek and the Heritage

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Cheers Bob. Drinking well! Lots of miles left on both of those.

RT

[Adam Noble]

2009 Matello Hommage Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. Still lively and delicious. Took about 10 minutes of air to really blossom into a large shouldered but balanced OR PN.

[ChrisJames]

2012 Matello Souris Pinot Noir

This is the last vintage of this multi-vineyard wine made by young Marcus Goodfellow. I had this wine a few years ago, and this bottle seems identical. This is a hallmark AFWE wine . Very light, shimmering red color. After decanting for four hours, and for several hours of drinking beyond that, the wine is coy, subtle, fleeting, and elegant. At times, aromas of (brown) sugar and (clove) spice drift out. The palate is tart cherries, cranberries, and even ruby grapefruit. I love Goodfellow/Matello wines (especially the 2013s right now) and want to love this one, but it is being a bit of a flirty, teasing vixen. The word that keeps coming to mind is “elusive.” Maybe it still needs a few more years?

But to really give it the praise it deserves, it paired wonderfully with home-raised leg of lamb with tomatoes and black olives. I am thankful that I can have such wonderful food and handcrafted wine for Thanksgiving 2020.

And then, like any Goodfellow wine, after being open for eight hours, that last glass finally opens up with anise and cured meat flavors , puts on weight, and shows its best.

[Marcus Goodfellow]

Sorry Chris...we’ve had a few library wines open over the past two weeks. Deconstructing past choices and looking at how the wines were aging.

Mostly 2010 and 2012, and I had been meaning to post a note about our experience, and just didn’t get it done. It might have helped.

All of the wines from sedimentary soils needed 24 hours(no decanting) to open up. The lone exception was a 2010 Durant that was a little reductive for about 15 minutes, and then was ready to go. Youthful, but not elusive at all.

The 2010 and 2012 Whistling Ridge and Souris bottlings were all elusive on opening, potpourri, dried fruits, bright acid. On day 2 the wines all filled in, found some juiciness, some silk, and just really turned into what I like about our wines as they mature. The 2012 Whistling Ridge was a monster, and the 2010 wines were beautifully elegant.

We also opened the 2010 and 2008 Syrahs. The 2008 was lovely from the get go, smoke and meat for days. Beautiful weight. The 2010 was pale and wan(IMO), and then opened into a really fun, black fruited, bright, fresh 10 year old wine.

Bob, we had the 2013 Whistling Ridge recently, and I was really enjoying it until we opened the Heritage...glad that wine is showing for you tonight!

I appreciate all of the love for the wines here, it’s great to see the older wines being opened. I have an 09 Hommage on deck, and a pair of hopefully sh**ty 07s to try. I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving! Be safe, and good luck in the coming months.

[Sean_S]

Great Library offer from Goodfellow this morning. You might want to investigate before the limited stash disapears...

Sean

[JDavisRoby]

Paused all other productivity to put a case together from the offer. Pumped to have some stuff that is or nearing 10+ years past vintage.

[Sean_S]

Paused all other productivity to put a case together from the offer. Pumped to have some stuff that is or nearing 10+ years past vintage.

Yum!!!!!!

Sean

[Jeff Wilkinson]

Great Library offer from Goodfellow this morning. You might want to investigate before the limited stash disapears...

Sean

Agreed! Just spoke to Megan and got the order in.

[Doug Uno]

Got my order in!

Thanks,

Megan

[James Lyon]

Great Library offer from Goodfellow this morning. You might want to investigate before the limited stash disapears...

Sean

Agreed! Just spoke to Megan and got the order in.

I know a guy with a few of those older bottles from the library bottles section.

James

[Jeff Wilkinson]

Great Library offer from Goodfellow this morning. You might want to investigate before the limited stash disapears...

Sean

Agreed! Just spoke to Megan and got the order in.

I know a guy with a few of those older bottles from the library bottles section.

James

We'll have to compare the ones that I got to the inventory that your guy has and make an evening out of it!

[Jason R.]

In for a 6-pack of Holiday wines, a couple of library wines and couldn't resist rounding out with Dundee Hills Chard - Thanks Megan!

[JDavisRoby]

Was able to get an order in and pick up a few library bottles before they sold out. Rather than bug Marcus directly I thought I would ask the community if you knew if these two entries are the same? Different?

The label images in CT don’t match up to the vintage.

[ChrisJames]

Was able to get an order in and pick up a few library bottles before they sold out. Rather than bug Marcus directly I thought I would ask the community if you knew if these two entries are the same? Different?

The label images in CT don’t match up to the vintage.

7FAF587B-BBAF-4F71-90E6-E52834694708.jpeg

Since no one responded, I am going to jump in and guess that this is the same wine. I have never heard of Marcus making more than one Whistling Ridge specific bottling until he started the Block bottlings in 2017. Furthermore, if you look at the bottle image for the 2006 Whistling Ridge North, the second picture (which shows the back of the bottle) says "North" and bottled by Soter Vineyards (not associated with Marcus as far as I know). So I think the Whistling Ridge North designation was a mix up wines by who ever created the entry. Guessing here....

[Megan Joy]

Was able to get an order in and pick up a few library bottles before they sold out. Rather than bug Marcus directly I thought I would ask the community if you knew if these two entries are the same? Different?

The label images in CT don’t match up to the vintage.

7FAF587B-BBAF-4F71-90E6-E52834694708.jpeg

Since no one responded, I am going to jump in and guess that this is the same wine. I have never heard of Marcus making more than one Whistling Ridge specific bottling until he started the Block bottlings in 2017. Furthermore, if you look at the bottle image for the 2006 Whistling Ridge North, the second picture (which shows the back of the bottle) says "North" and bottled by Soter Vineyards (not associated with Marcus as far as I know). So I think the Whistling Ridge North designation was a mix up wines by who ever created the entry. Guessing here....

Entirely different, actually(though a totally understandable confusion). Whistling Ridge North is Patricia's son Chuck's property, down the road from Whistling Ridge. (If you look up Whistling Ridge on Google Maps it will actually show you his property, where their tasting room is, and not the main vineyard, which is directly up-hill from Beaux Freres). 2006 was the only year that Marcus bottled Whistling Ridge North separately. The fruit came in after everything else, after it had cooled off, ferments were able to start slow, and the benefit showed in the wine. Tasting library wines ahead of the sale it was the standout of the vintage. In other years it has been a nice wine that has been a blending component for the Ribbon Ridge or Willamette Valley mostly, and currently goes to Marcus' former Assistant Winemaker: Bobby Rowett, for his Oregon Sparkling project Mellen Meyer.

[ChrisJames]

Was able to get an order in and pick up a few library bottles before they sold out. Rather than bug Marcus directly I thought I would ask the community if you knew if these two entries are the same? Different?

The label images in CT don’t match up to the vintage.

7FAF587B-BBAF-4F71-90E6-E52834694708.jpeg

Since no one responded, I am going to jump in and guess that this is the same wine. I have never heard of Marcus making more than one Whistling Ridge specific bottling until he started the Block bottlings in 2017. Furthermore, if you look at the bottle image for the 2006 Whistling Ridge North, the second picture (which shows the back of the bottle) says "North" and bottled by Soter Vineyards (not associated with Marcus as far as I know). So I think the Whistling Ridge North designation was a mix up wines by who ever created the entry. Guessing here....

Entirely different, actually(though a totally understandable confusion). Whistling Ridge North is Patricia's son Chuck's property, down the road from Whistling Ridge. (If you look up Whistling Ridge on Google Maps it will actually show you his property, where their tasting room is, and not the main vineyard, which is directly up-hill from Beaux Freres). 2006 was the only year that Marcus bottled Whistling Ridge North separately. The fruit came in after everything else, after it had cooled off, ferments were able to start slow, and the benefit showed in the wine. Tasting library wines ahead of the sale it was the standout of the vintage. In other years it has been a nice wine that has been a blending component for the Ribbon Ridge or Willamette Valley mostly, and currently goes to Marcus' former Assistant Winemaker: Bobby Rowett, for his Oregon Sparkling project Mellen Meyer.

Thanks Megan. Glad you cleared up my wild guess. And on the side, Mellen Meyer is a really nice sparkler at only $25ish.

[JDavisRoby]

Was able to get an order in and pick up a few library bottles before they sold out. Rather than bug Marcus directly I thought I would ask the community if you knew if these two entries are the same? Different?

The label images in CT don’t match up to the vintage.

7FAF587B-BBAF-4F71-90E6-E52834694708.jpeg

Since no one responded, I am going to jump in and guess that this is the same wine. I have never heard of Marcus making more than one Whistling Ridge specific bottling until he started the Block bottlings in 2017. Furthermore, if you look at the bottle image for the 2006 Whistling Ridge North, the second picture (which shows the back of the bottle) says "North" and bottled by Soter Vineyards (not associated with Marcus as far as I know). So I think the Whistling Ridge North designation was a mix up wines by who ever created the entry. Guessing here....

Entirely different, actually(though a totally understandable confusion). Whistling Ridge North is Patricia's son Chuck's property, down the road from Whistling Ridge. (If you look up Whistling Ridge on Google Maps it will actually show you his property, where their tasting room is, and not the main vineyard, which is directly up-hill from Beaux Freres). 2006 was the only year that Marcus bottled Whistling Ridge North separately. The fruit came in after everything else, after it had cooled off, ferments were able to start slow, and the benefit showed in the wine. Tasting library wines ahead of the sale it was the standout of the vintage. In other years it has been a nice wine that has been a blending component for the Ribbon Ridge or Willamette Valley mostly, and currently goes to Marcus' former Assistant Winemaker: Bobby Rowett, for his Oregon Sparkling project Mellen Meyer.

Thanks Megan. Can’t wait to receive the library wines!

ETA, should the 2010 and 2012 entries for Matello Whistling Ridge North be merged into the Whistling Ridge entries? Us anal retentive folks must keep it all straight. Ha!