My seafood sampler from Nola had arrived. My friends Steve/Eric have never tried Spanish conservas so I brought over some Tuna, Sardines & Mackerel.
Eric opened one of the newly shipped 2017 Walter Scott X Novo.
Gave it some air to really let it shine (or a few years in bottle ha ha!). Decanted for a hour then double decanted back into the bottle. Really clean generous fruit on the palate and as more and more air gets introduced the nose becomes livelier and more expressive. A hint of smoke mix with fresh cut white flowers and sweet yellow fruit. ⠀Not the same powerful reductive flint & smoke of the 2016 which had that really brash mouthfeel but much more generous fruit in its youth. Still some reduction but in a more subtle vein.
2017 Walter Scott Chardonnay X-Novo Vineyard- USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (4/15/2019)
Wine is clear pale yellow. Lovely flinty reduction and grapefruit on the nose with good minerality and very subtle hints of creme brulee. The palate attack starts with some acid and then mid palate brings out the grapefruit and Meyer lemon and the richness of the malo. There is some richness, but there is this raciness throughout the palate with the fruit and the acid and the richness all playing off each other leading to a long chalky finish. DIAM 10 closure.
This wine is not quite as reduced as the 2016 but still has a lovely flinty character. Fruit seems to come forward with Air. Prefer this closer to room test than cold. To me this is the pinnancle of domestic chardonnays. In my opinion only Ceritas, Goodfellow, and Cameron Clos Electrique come close to this wine. A domestic Chardonnary for PYCM fans. Aubert fans look elsewhere. Good QPR when compared to its real competition (1er White Burgs). Immediately went bought some more this morning before its all gone…
They’ve only been producing since 2008 and I haven’t had any with age on them but I am trying to find out and am cellaring some bottles for future consumption.
I have Walter Scott Chardonnays in my cellar back to 2011. None of them have shown any signs of being over the hill. While I like them all, the 2013 vintage was a little weaker than the others.
X-Novo is a relatively unique vineyard - tight spacing, planted with many different clones in a selection massale format. Walter Scott’s first year making an X-Novo was 2013, and I think it took Ken a little while to figure out the vineyard. Certainly the 2015, 2016, and 2017 vintages have been stellar.
Rick has me by a year, but I can go back to 2012 with Walter Scott wines.
I think that I mentioned it in another thread, but we opened a 2014 Walter Scott Cuvee Anne Chardonnay a few weeks ago for some friends that were planning their first trip to Oregon wine country next month. It was fantastic and disappeared in short order. Coincidentally, I received some questions about their tentative Oregon itinerary yesterday and Walter Scott was at the top of their list for a visit.
We first visited Walter Scott with 2 other couples in the summer of 2014. At the time they were sold out of everything except the 2012 Cuvee Ruth Pinot Noir, so the group bought a case of the wine. Flash forward to a holiday party last December, one of the couples opened a bottle of the 2012 Cuvee Ruth. Probably needed a decant to really sing, but it was wonderful example of 2012 Oregon Pinot Noir.
I’m a believer and frequent buyer of Walter Scott wines, new and old, red and white…
Briefly, adding to Rick’s comments, this vineyard aspect is east-southeast at approx. 550’ elevation; planted in 2011 at a 5’x3’ spacing, which is just under 3000 vines per acre. Two acres of CH with multiple selections/clones that I came to appreciate having worked with them at some point during my tenure in CA. The focus was to emphasize the site/region rather than the vine. The photo attached shows the fractured basaltic rock that exists about 3’-4’ below the surface of the soil. Soil type is known a Gelderman… a name that was unknown to me at the time. Think of it as a cross between Nekia and Jory. Stirling Fox developed and continues to farm this vineyard as well as another vineyard nearby. We are extremely fortunate to work with many accomplished wineries, Walter Scott being one that took a gamble on us right from the beginning. Oregon is a very special winegrowing region and we are very grateful for all of the support and encouragement we have received from so many since arriving in 2010.
