The Willamette Valley Wine Auction was yesterday, and while I didn’t get to taste extensively, the wines I did taste made an excellent impression across the board.
This year the auction lots are all from the 2019 vintage. I tasted the lots from Brickhouse, Crowley, Division, Abbot Claim, and a few others. While flavors ranged considerably, I really, really enjoyed all of the wines. There was considerable finesse in all of the wines, excellent balance, and a really enjoyable combination of fruit and savory character, with good acidity. All had lots to explore, and showed their connection to site and cellar.
It’s a fine vintage rather than a powerful one, but all of the wines that I tried were from older vines and there is plenty of depth. The Brickhouse wine was exceptional, for my whole cluster loving palate, but the Crowley lot, from Four Winds vineyard, was one of my favorite of Tyson’s wines and an excellent destemmed wine.
I know a lot of people have cellar space issues, but I wouldn’t skip this vintage. And with global warming, I feel that wines like this will become increasingly rare.
Last, thank you to the Berserkers who bid on the lot.
Haven’t tasted many 2019 pinot noirs yet, but my general impression from the chardonnays is the same. I might be upgrading my storage space in the next couple weeks
After missing our annual visit last year, I’m excited to return this year and start trying some 2019’s in eight (8) days. I have only opened a few 2019 Chardonnays at this point and they were WV or AVA specific bottles, so I’m looking forward to getting a better sense of the 2019’s.
Regarding the auction, at initial glance it was the Goodfellow, Crowley and Walter Scott lots that caught my attention. I overlooked the Brickhouse lot or it would have been included in that group as well.
Hosted outside at Willakenzie. When I agreed to participate, I thought it was virtual again. But they opted to do it in person, on the assumption that Oregon would make the governor’s vaccination goals for re-opening. Jackson Family requested masks for indoors, but the entire event was staged outside.
That said, with the current data on breakthrough infections and transmissibility of the Delta variant, it’s the last bigger event that Megan and I are doing.
With harvest coming up, getting Covid now, even vaccinated, would be massively problematic.
It’s in the same family as 2010 and 2007, though different from both. Due to inclement weather in 2007, the wines required 4-5 years to hit their stride. They filled in admirably though.
2010s were also delicious, one of my favorite vintages, but I felt there was less diversity of flavor in 2010, both in depth of complex flavors and vineyard diversity. 2019 also seems to have a bit more structure than in 2010 (in my wines at least). 2010 was gifted with wines that were superbly pretty and charming. The 2019s, while very balanced and enjoyable, were a little more gritty at this age. Which I might like better at this stage.
However the elegance, nuance, and balance of both of those vintages aligns very well with 2019.
I agree— tried the 2019 Vincent Temperance Hill again this week and it has compelling elegance, structure and wow, showing beautiful fruit and spice aromatics and flavors. At this stage, I prefer it to the previous three Vincent TH vintages I have had. As for my wines, much more elegance and refined red fruits in 2019 for sure; very different than 2018 (my first commercial vintage) and 2017 (home 4 barrel production only) which showed more black fruit and a touch less acidity.
i have really enjoyed all the 2019s i have tried. its a vintage that should be right down the sweet spot for a lot of berserkers i think. cellar space should be less of an issue considering the lack of wines being made from 2020, which makes it even more imperative to stock up on the 19s.
Thanks for writeup Marcus. So far the 2019’s have been good. Had the 2019 Goodfellow Durant Chardonnay and the 2019 Vincent WV Chardonnay yesterday and both were right up my alley. Nice reduction, minerality and ripping acids. CT says I have 10+ cases 0f 2019 WV in stock so I think I’m good!
A couple of us gathered and bid on Marcus and Megan’s lot, but we unfortunately didn’t win. Hammer price on their lot went for $7k. Amazing result! And 100% warranted
“Quaintrelle" is an old French word that refers to a woman of style and charm > who cultivates life’s pleasures—an apt description of our Auction offering from the 2019 vintage. This unique wine was selected from a single barrel of our estate fruit for its flirtatious aromatics, red fruit and baking spice notes and its ability to linger long on the palate. The fruit was sourced from a tiny, three-sided, 0.6-acre block of Dijon 115 planted in 1995 at the highest corner of our farm vineyard. It has been carefully tended for the last four years by our assistant winemaker, Savannah Mills, for her own proprietary label. This Auction lot was raised in French oak cooperage for 17 months before being bottled by hand on-site. It is an authentic reflection of Savannah’s personal style in both wine and in life: bright, lithe, spicy yet loaded with the subtle power found in great Pinot noir. With this wine we intend to deliver some of the best of life’s pleasures to you!
Am I right in presuming the house styles of Brick House and Quaintrelle are different and thus in understanding that the wine you tasted was the sort sold by Savannah Mills under that label instead of the Brick House label?
I would say that it was Brickhouse fruit, and that Savannah is Doug’s assistant winemaker and protege. I believe that she is also his niece. So the house styles are different but not hugely so. It was a bit more rustic, in a good way, than I think of Brickhouse typically being.
I would definitely recommend digging into them. They will age well, but it’s a good time to get a view of the vintage and the wines are delicious.For our wines the acidity in the Durant is quite bright, but beyond that all show very well early.
The 2019 Abbot Claim Seven Springs bottling was lovely. Great aromatics, with lots of seawater and stone. I had Seth’s WV bottling not long ago, and that was just delicious. He’s doing extremely good work.
Never heard of Abbott Claim, how is their style? Noticed they make an X Omni chardonnay as well. Seth’s 2019 X Omni was mind boggling good and had killer acidity for my riesling-loving palate
Will do. Unfortunately away from most of the 2019 wines until the Fall, but I’m planning to dig into them as soon as I can. Will also be on the lookout for some Abbott Claim.
