ROYER VINEYARD BD16 NEWBIE — Class In a Glass — 96 PT Oregon Whites

BerserkerDay 16 Forum (January 31, 2025)
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At Royer Vineyard, our passion and philosophy is to do just one thing – grow the best white grapes in Oregon.

We are so excited to be a NEWBIE on BerserkerDay16!

Cheers
Mark & June Royer
Email us with any questions - service@royervineyard.com

Three bottles of white wine sit on a table.

About Royer

Royer Vineyard began in 2016. Our focus began with 13 acres of Chardonnay and 2 acres of Riesling. In 2023, we expanded with 1 acre of Sauvignon Blanc. With a few more acres unexplored, we will see what comes next.

We sell fruit to the likes of Vincent, Sun Break, 00, Division, Cristom, and Brooks.

We made a little wine on the side each vintage to both preserve the memory of the harvest and to share with friends and family. Due to vineyard maturity and a wonderful yield, we were honored to make three unique cuvees totalling 400 cases in 2023.

As a Newbie, we are probably a complete unknown to most of you. Outside of visiting us for a glass at the vineyard, the best way to get to know us is to have a glass of our gorgeous wine in your WineBerserker hands.

The best way to do that is to have a great sale.

Our BerserkerDay Offers - TODAY ONLY!

Today only, ALL ROYER VINEYARD OFFERS ARE AT WHOLESALE PRICES OR BETTER

IF YOU MAKE A PURCHASE AND COMMENT ON THIS THREAD, YOU WILL BE ENTERED TO WIN A CHAMPAGNE 3 PACK COMPLIMENTS OF CAVEAU SELECTIONS - (www.caveauselections.com)

Offer 1 - 2023 Royer Estate Chardonnay 6-Pack

This is our flagship wine, and we are so pleased to introduce it to the Berserker community.

The first 16 Berserkers get this offer for $150! Hell, I might even upgrade a bottle. (Price goes up a bit after that.)

  • Dijon clones on volcanic basalt soil
  • Lemon curd; pastry cream; ripe apricots; green apple
  • Neutral oak; native yeast; 12.3% abv
  • “Profound elegance.” - Decanter (93 pts)
  • “Texture, details, and depth. This wine has it all.” - Paul Gregutt (93 pts)

Retail: $270
BD16: $179!
Click Here to Order

Offer 2 - 2022 Royer Estate Riesling 6-Pack

  • Alsatian-styled in the Van Duzer Corridor
  • Cardamom, mineral, a dash of petrol
  • Neutral puncheons; 10 months aged on lees; 12.8% abv
  • “Beguiling and complex.” - Decanter (94 pts)
  • “Clean, clear and classy.” - Paul Gregutt (95 pts)

Retail: $228
BD16: $149
Click Here to Order

Offer 3 - 2022 Royer Witzel & Wind Chardonnay 3-Pack + Bonus

Folks, this wine is transcendent. Splurge with confidence.

  • Made in the “Black Chardonnay” style
  • Briny mineral, flint, lemon wedge, verbena
  • 18 months in 1-year old puncheons; 13.5% abv
  • “Beguiling and confident.” - Decanter (96 pts)
  • “Exceptionally long finish.” - Paul Gregutt (96 pts)

Retail: $345
BD16: $275
FIRST 16 ORDERS GET A BONUS BOTTLE OF 2023 ESTATE CHARDONNAY
Click Here to Order

Offer 4 - Intro to Royer 6-Pack

Check out our style and try a couple of back vintages. One bottle each unless specified.

  • 2023 Estate Chardonnay Reserve – specially selected barrels; longer elevage
  • 2023 Estate Chardonnay (2 bottles)
  • 2021 Estate Chardonnay
  • 2022 Estate Riesling
  • 2021 Estate Riesling

Retail: $310
BD16: $209
Click Here to Order

Offer 5 - Royer Estate Chardonnay 2023 Horizontal - 6 pack

2023 was a special year for us. The barrels were showing so much character we decided to make three Chardonnays. We are so over the moon with this horizontal.

  • 2023 Estate Chardonnay (3 bottles)
  • 2023 Chardonnay Reserve (2 bottles)
  • 2023 Chardonnay “548” Clone (1 bottle) – 1 yr Damy barrel! Only 24 cases made

Retail: $420
BD16: $289
Click Here to Order

Offer 6 - Royer Estate Chardonnay Vertical - 4 pack (LIMITED TO 12 PACKS)

  • 2023 Estate Chardonnay
  • 2021 Estate Chardonnay
  • 2020 Estate Chardonnay
  • 2019 Estate Chardonnay

Retail: $260
BD16: $179 - Only 12 available
Click Here to Order

Offer 7 - Royer Estate Riesling Vertical (2021-2022) (LIMITED TO 12 PACKS)

  • 2022 Riesling (3 bottles)
  • 2021 Riesling (3 bottles)

Retail: $210
BD16: $139 - Only 12 available
Click Here to Order

SHIPPING

Shipping has become unfortunately expensive. All offers ship flat rate based on your state.

  • $20 - West Coast per case
  • $30 - “The Middle” per case
  • $40 - East Coast per case
  • $20 - 3 or 6 packs anywhere in USA (with exceptions noted)

Unfortunately, we cannot ship to Kentucky or Mississippi. If you live in Alaska, Hawaii, or Utah, email me at service@royervineyard.com.

Free pickup/delivery is available at 3 locations - at the vineyard, at Caveau Selections, or at Willamette Wine Storage.

If for some strange reason you did not fill up a case but wish to take advantage of shipping, you can pick any bottles from my Champagne and Burgundy company, Caveau Selections
www.caveauselections.com.
This will be a separate order and please select PickUp for shipping so there is no charge.
Then let me know you did that so I can combine the orders.

THE TERROIR

Royer Vineyard sits on the southwest facing ridge of the Eola Hills, with 16 acres planted - 13 acres of which are Chardonnay. The clonal selection is diverse with both French and Heritage clones creating a healthy environment and a more complex wine.

Elevation on the site ranges from 600’-700′ of volcanic origin. We get slammed by the Van Duzer Corridor winds which thicken grape skins as well as reduce disease and pest pressure. The site experiences wide diurnal swings helping the grapes recover from the day’s heat and build beautiful acidity.

This year we planted four acres as a Black Perigord truffle orchard so stayed tuned for BerserkerDay 21 when these become mature.

THE REVIEWS

DECANTER

96 pts - Royer Chardonnay Witzel & Wind 2022

Drinking Window: 2024 - 2036

Beguiling and confident, Chardonnay may be the future of the Willamette Valley, with the Eola-Amity Hills continuing to show Witzel & Wind comes from a so-named, mixed clonal block containing seven heritage clones of Chardonnay, planted on seven rootstocks. This wine is made using the ‘Black Chardonnay’ method, and its reductive nature shows a briny oyster shell mineral tone, smoky chipped flint, and sleek salted lemon wedge. The palate is exquisite, saline, and stony, with taut lemon oil, verbena, white pepper, and ample brine. Exquisite and classic.

93 pts - Royer Chardonnay Estate 2023
Drinking Window: 2024 - 2033

An impressive Chardonnay of profound elegance comes from the windy southwest slopes of Royer Vineyard, at 200 metres in the Eola-Amity Hills. Soft on the palate, this delicate and floral wine shows honeyed aromatics of lemon curd and sweet pastry cream lifted by notes of ocean air salinity. It is creamy on the palate, with lemon pastry cream, fleshy ripe apricots, honey-drizzled peaches, and a vibrance that carries through to the finish. Hold this wine to appreciate the ageability of Oregon Chardonnay.

94 pts - Royer Estate Riesling 2022

Drinking Window: 2024 - 2036

From the windy southwest slopes of Royer Vineyard, at 200 metres in the Eola-Amity Hills, comes a gorgeous Riesling evocative of the Old World owing to its texture and depth. The aromatics are beguiling and complex. Layered citrus cream and cardamom spice with beeswax and clover honey. Honeyed apricot on the palate with dashes of classic petrol and fleshy, macerated peaches. A minerality and spice and a beautifully paired acidity finish this wine gorgeously. Out of sight.

PAUL GREGUTT
The clients lined up for grapes from this vineyard speak to the quality; among them are Cristom, Vincent, 00, Division, Niew, Amica Luna, Sanguis and Brooks. Owner Mark Royer explains that “in 2022 we decided to grow production and make a run at it ourselves. This was the first year we harvested off our newest Chardonnay block – Witzel & Wind – 7 original heritage clones on 7 rootstocks.

96 pts - Royer 2022 Witzel & Wind Block Chardonnay
Witzel is a type of soil, the wind in the name is presumably referring to the impact of the Van Duzer Corridor breezes blowing through. This wine was made by 00 (Double Zero) – a cult producer whose wines I have greatly admired. This is a high impact style, packed with orchard fruits and showing touches of mint and charred toast after spending 18 months in year-old puncheons. An exceptionally long finish that will develop more and more nuance over time suggests that more bottle age is in order, or decant it aggressively. 13.5%; $115 (Eola-Amity Hills) 96/100

93 pts - Royer 2023 Estate Chardonnay

The Royer vineyard is on volcanic basalt and planted to several different Dijon clones. Fermented in neutral oak and bottled just last month, this impressive wine is already drinking well, mixing grapefruit, green apple flesh and peel, a hint of butter and a firm, lasting finish. Clean, clear and classy. 12.3%; $45 93/100

95 pts - Royer 2022 Estate Riesling

Made with native yeast, finished dry, aged on its lees in neutral puncheons for 10 months and bottled in September 2023. Chris Butler (Cristom) was the consulting winemaker. This wine’s strength is its finish, which sneaks up on you through the palate’s back door. Intended to emulate an Alsatian style, it gathers strength and focus and depth, with deep, juicy citrus fruit expanding gorgeously as it breathes. Texture, detail and depth – this wine has it all. 12.8%; $38 95/100


The Workers


The Boss

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Any shipping to Mexico?

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So I’m one of the producers who buys fruit from Royer Vineyard (starting in '23, coming this fall…) and Mark and June have one of the most impressive sites in the Eola-Amity Hills for Chardonnay. It’s windy, cool, and seems to really create long hang-times with zippy acids–which is what I think makes a great white-wine vineyard.

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Can’t wait to drink that wine :grinning:

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Hi Glenn
Pretty sure I cannot ship there. A nice order with plane ticket will get you personalized delivery :laughing:

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Yucatán is nice for another 4-8 weeks and I’m good for a case. Travel with wife I’m good for two!

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Hey Glenn, hope all is well, its been a spell. Some great deals up above. We had a tasting with Mark’s wines. His 2022 Witzel & Wind had everyone coming back and that bottle was the first to tip over that night. Complex, and had all of our attention discussing how it could really evolve wonderfully over the long haul.

I’m about to post more notes now that I just walked in and can focus. We had a great experience with Mark’s wines.

Hope shipping can work out.

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Hi Folks,

A group of us had the opportunity to do a formal tasting of Mark’s wines and they made our night enjoyable, Specifically we tasted the 2022 Witzel & Wind, 2023 Estate Chardonnay, and the 2022 Estate Riesling. All showed were enjoyed across the night, drove spirited conversations, and had us going back for more at different intervals across the night.

First, the 2022 Witzel & Wind, this did not make it to the end of the night. Consensus, well made, great structure, and complex. Everyone went back for additional sips across the night and it evolved wonderfully. It has weight. You get the stone fruit with the apricots, citrus zing, subtle spice notes, a brine and stone undercurrent, creamy lengthy finish like a lemon curd. There’s elegance throughout. We gave it a long decant and that’s an amalgamation of multiple notes and over time. This is a serious wine, and It was our WOTN.

Next, the 2023 Estate Chardonnay. This also had our discussion going back and forth. Round and full in style, the grapefruit check, then a mix of thoughts on flavor profile ranging across stone fruit, diacetyl, medicinal notes (not racy), bandaid, banana peel, toasted oak dipped in honey; overall flinty throughout, a bit lighter on acidity vs the W&W. Quite different from its counterpart. Would be nice on the porch during the summer was a common thought.

Lastly, we had the Estate Riesling which likewise showed well. Notes included perfumed nose, white florals, honey, citrus punching in, light spices. Bone dry, acidic zing with petrol present but quite light and subtle, not disjointed; good balance. Some weight to it, smooth creamy finish; satisfying. Another wine I (and others) could sip chilled playing guitar on the porch.

Overall, we all could taste the care in their offerings. They have a style, there’s craftsmanship and intent on what they are producing. Some common themes in the tasting emerged in our notes. A welcome addition to Berserker Day and worthy of taking a swing and trying something new. I’ll be awaiting them to pop up in the rotation tomorrow.

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Placed my first order. Looking forward to trying your wine!

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Unfortunately this isn’t supposed to be available until tomorrow

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Got me some Riesling. Really excited to try it.

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Yes fun to compare the two. The 2021 is made really old school, 18 months in neutral wood. Both have long lives ahead. Thanks Stephen.

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In for the Estate chardonnay and the Witzel & Wind. Final purchase, I hope!

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In for a 2023 Estate Chardonnay 6-pack. Never had this producer before, but I love what Vincent Fritzsche does with fruit from this vineyard.

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Thanks Dan - slightly biased but I really love this wine. I would have been happy keeping the 50 cases for personal consumption.

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Some classy Eola Bench goodness! Cheers Mark

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In for the Chardonnay 6pk, been focused on red this Berserker so far, but had to make this my first white of the day–can’t wait to try this one!

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Ordered the Chardonnay 6-pack. Also, as you suggested I headed over to Caveau Selections - and I found a wine I’ve been looking for forever, and added it. I’ll be in touch about consolidating.

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Thanks Gil, for sure Vincent’s representation is fantastic. I can’t wait for a future dinner doing verticals and horizontals with these wines.