Great meeting @Matt_Perry here in Houston and tasting through the full Perry-Colin lineup. No formal notes as it was a pretty casual stand-around format, but yep all of the wines are still excellent. The single vineyards have opened up noticeably even in the few months since my BerserkerDay bottles landed, though I sense there is a lot more uncoiling to be done over the next several years.
For current drinking the Oregon Blanc (no surprise) and the Johan were the most open to my palate, with the Grand Oak and Tsai still a touch more surly. But if your reference point is from back when they landed, there’s been some positive movement on all of them.
I was particularly excited to learn that there is a Koosah bottling slated for debut with the 2026 vintage - I think the house style here will mesh really nicely. (And can you really be a cutting-edge “New Oregon Chardonnay” house without an Eola-Amity bottling? )
A friend in Seattle buys a decent bit of white Burgundy, and I keep telling him he should buy some Oregon Chardonnay as well (he does buy Goodfellow). He tells me he doesn’t know the scene, so we’re up on the Hood Canal and opening a few fun wines tomorrow.
It’a a lot of Goodfellow because the following day Megan’s parents are having a get together out here and we’re supposed to bring wines for that as well.
I’m looking forward to it, though bummed that I couldn’t find the Bethel Heights “The High Wire” in the cellar. I was looking for some WS as well, but ran out of time.
Edit: the shiner is the 2024 Cameron Clos Electrique Blanc
I will commit to hosting the first (?) BerserkerFest in the Willamette Valley for next year, or whenever the local wine guys decide its best for them. Just decide between the powers that be and let me know when. I am sure i could use some help! I am game to hosting for as many days and nights as there are people willing to have fun and drink and eat.
Looking forward to it. It will be fun just like the ones i went to in Napa and Sonoma back when i lived in the bay area.
Thanks so much for coming! It’s always great to put a face to the names of all these people I see on UPS labels and in my computer. AOC is such a nice community. So glad they are able to represent our wines in Texas. See you soon!
Unfortunately not this trip. Simon is waiting for me back in Portland and I’m just about to hop on my return flight. I’d love to make it up there next year though!
It really is. I originally talked Matt into doing an svd only sixer but tried the Blanc at my local shop and promptly bought several bottles. Really impressive wine.
I need to reload on Violin, we have been working through a mixed case since last year’s visit and I have remained impressed - not always the case once the romance of tasting in wine country has worn off. Will’s chardonnays in particular strike me as significantly underrated - or maybe more accurately under-discussed, given that when they are mentioned it is usually fairly positive.
This wine pours a pale silvery gold (whatever idk) with some green tones. On the nose the wine shows moderate intensity of spearmint, lemon, orange creamsicle, pineapple, tangerine.
The wine really shines on the palate, where it lands with a really nice combo of precision and finesse on the one hand with round creamy weight on the other. There is mid+ juicy acidity with a tangerine inflection, the body is full, and the finish is north of moderately long. The texture is just fantastic, super silky.
Will’s winemaking is reductive for both reds and whites but this does not show the stereotypical strong flint/burnt sesame/steel imprint you often see in WV. Maybe a tiny tiny touch of steel buried in there if you look hard. Really nice stuff and plenty of time in hand if you are inclined to let it age for a while.
Thanks for agreeing to host John! Woohoo! I think you should propose a date that works for you next summer-- I would suggest end of July if that works? With a year’s notice we all can get our racking/pre-bottling, disgorgement, bottling, etc. work schedules figured out. (And we want to avoid VinDependence Days…)
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