My jaw dropped at the Eyrie price. Then again, a couple of the other bottlings have stayed relatively the same in price or are even a little less (X-Omni is down a little). Glad to see a dedicated Koosah Vineyard cuvee this vintage.
3 Likes
Whats the number?
Here’s the letter and the wines
The 2023 Growing Season, Harvest and Winemaking
The 2023 growing season began cool and wet, with late April bringing warmth and dry conditions. Bud break occurred in early to mid-May, followed by bloom in early to mid-June. Fruit set was typical and the vines thrived over a hot and dry July and August. Cooler days and chilly nights arrived in September, with scattered showers that refreshed the vines. Harvest began leisurely with four picks between 9/6 - 9/11. The pace quickened with eight picks between 9/15 - 9/22. Yields were average, and the overall chemistry was good to great. I crushed each lot into the press and extracted more the later the pick. I browned the must 3-48 hours before sulfur addition. In select lots, I added sulfur after fermentation started. Vineyard specific pied de cuve was used to initiate fermentation in steel before transferring the must to oak with full solids. Ambient yeasts were highly effective as most lots were bone dry within 10-25 days. More than half of the cellar completed ambient malolactic in November or December 2023. The remainder finished malolactic between April and July 2024 with much more reduction. The wines were blended in steel the last week of August 2024 for a second winter on lees in steel and racked clean in late January 2025. The 2023 vintage has exceptional pedigree and clear site expression. The wines have high acidity, alcohol ranging 12.4%-13.1%. They are beautifully aromatic, crystalline, coiled, full of dry extract, long and structured.
2023 Willamette Valley Chardonnay $54–/btl
Etched from stone, an epic of minerality. Eight distinctive vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley picked between 9/7/23 and 9/21/23. One year in 20% new, 35% once fill, 25% twice fill, 20% fourth fill, six months in steel. Unfined, unfiltered.
36% Blue Heron Farm
24% Durant Vineyard
9% von Oehsen Vineyard
9% Yamhill Vineyard
8% Koosah Vineyard
6% Temperance Hill Vineyard
5% Witness Tree Vineyard
3% X Omni Vineyard
6.68 g/L TA | 3.14 pH | 12.5% | 0.6g/L RS | 0.36 g/L VA | .13 g/L malic | ~35ppm SO2 (free) | 49mm DIAM 10 | 35 barrels
2023 The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay $299–/btl
One exquisite barrel, ornate, perfect, regal, structured. From old, own-rooted vines in the Dundee Hills. Organically farmed, 1968-planted Draper selection picked 9/18/23. One year in 100% new French oak, six months in steel. Unfined, unfiltered.
6.4 g/L TA | 3.26 pH | 12.96% | 0.5g/L RS | 0.5 g/L VA | .1 g/L malic | ~40ppm SO2 (free) | 49mm DIAM 30 | 1 barrel
2023 X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay $139–/btl
Luminous and striking, 97% chardonnay and 3% aligote from two blocks of densely planted mixed clones in rocky volcanic basalts of the Eola Amity Hills. Picked 9/15/23 and 9/22/23. One year in 67% new and 33% once fill French oak, six months in steel. Unfined, unfiltered.
6.96 g/L TA | 3.09 pH | 12.88% | 0.5g/L RS | 0.38 g/L VA | .1 g/L malic | ~40ppm SO2 (free) | 49mm DIAM 30 | 14 barrels
2023 Witness Tree Vineyard Chardonnay $89–/btl
Exotic and otherworldly. Mixed clones on rootstock in Jory of the Eola Amity Hills - steep southeast facing rows at the top of the vineyard without irrigation from 600’-680’ . Picked 9/7/23. One year in 53% new and 47% once fill French oak, six months in steel. Unfined, unfiltered.
6.4g/L TA | 3.19 pH | 12.5% abv | 0.6g/L RS | .39g/L VA | .10 g/L Malic | ~40ppm SO2 (free) | 49mm DIAM 10 | 4.5 barrels
2023 Temperance Hill Vineyard Chardonnay $119–/btl
Decadent and brilliant. A gently sloping bowl facing north at 700’, certified organic, non-irrigated Dijon 76 on rootstock in Jory of the Eola Amity Hills. Picked 9/21/23. One year in 53% new and 47% once fill French oak, six months in steel. Unfined, unfiltered.
5.85 g/L TA | 3.26 pH | 13% | 0.3g/L RS | 0.41 g/L VA | .1 g/L malic | ~40ppm SO2 (free) | 49mm DIAM 30 | 4.5 barrels
2023 Koosah Vineyard Chardonnay $89–/btl
Crystalline, earth meets sky. Organic, high-elevation mixed clones in rocky volcanic basalts of Eola Amity. One steep block on mixed rootstock facing southeast at 800’-985’ picked 9/18/23; one own-rooted in the rocks of a south facing bench at 850’ picked 9/19/23. One year in 53% new and 47% once fill French oak, six months in steel. Unfined, unfiltered.
6.68g/L TA | 3.13 pH | 13.1% abv | 0.5g/L RS | .5g/L VA | .10 g/L Malic | ~40ppm SO2 (free) | 49mm DIAM 10 | 9 barrels
2023 Eola Amity Hills Chardonnay $99–/btl
A cut above, four truly diverse and distinguished vineyards within the wind-swept Eola Amity Hills with great pedigree: 35% Koosah Block 15, 34% Witness Tree, 26% Temperance Hill, and 5% X Omni Block 5. Picked between 9/7/23 and 9/21/23. One year in 53% new and 47% once fill French oak, six months in steel. Unfined, unfiltered.
7g/L TA | 3.1 pH | 12.8% | 1g/L RS | .4g/L VA | .1g/L Malic | ~40 ppm SO2 (free) | 49mm DIAM 10/30 | 4.5 barrels
NV Memorie IV Pink Label Chardonnay $84–/btl
The solera and Pink Label unite in this profound rose d’assemblage - 93% chardonnay (70 lots 14 vineyards, 8 vintages) aged on 7% lees selected from new barrels of Sequitur Vineyard Pinot noir over 2 consecutive vintages. Unfined, filtered.
7.07 g/L TA | 3.16 pH | 12.8% | .25g/L RS | 0.54 g/L VA | .34 g/L malic | ~35ppm SO2 (free) | 48mm CWINE3 | 1.3 barrels
1 Like
Who is taking the plunge on Eyrie? I am dying to know how it stacks.
that’s a hell of price point, most expansive chardonnay in oregon?
I have a single bottle of the 2019 Eyrie, not touching it.
1 Like
Just for optic sake, I feel like he should have put the wines least to most expensive. If the Eyrie was at the end of the letter I don’t think it would have come off as egregious. It was the first higher end cuvee listed.
Maybe I am overthinking this
No email for me. Maybe I got dumped after not buying last release.
I signed up within the last year and just got the offer, so it appears there’s little/no wait. I did not realize the strong pricing on these wines, I was thinking or hoping that they were less expensive directly from the winery.
Easy pass. Too expensive.
3 Likes
No Marine this year?
Pretty sure 2021 was the last vintage for Marine
1 Like
He mentioned to me in 2021 that he was discontinuing Marine.
I have not purchased, but got the email…
I have got it cheaper from Avalon than from the winery in previous years.
I’m thinking about Eyrie. Very hard to swallow that price. If it sells out before I make up my mind, well, so be it.
Order in for 1.5 cases. Love Seth’s wines
1 Like
Mine went to spam.
He said that the sources were getting to expensive.
It also allows him to focus more on the other wines in the line up.
I’m curious what pricing is like up there for Chardonnay - and whether it’s purchased in a per ton or per acre basis. @Vincent_Fritzsche ? @Jim_Anderson ? @Marcus_Goodfellow ?