- 2016 Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir Heritage No. 7 Whistling Ridge Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge (6/17/2025)
I have a fair bit of Pinot Noir from Goodfellow in my cellar, but most of it is very young. I know from a prior library release that the wines reward aging, so “hands off” is my general approach. Last night I finally gave in to temptation, six years after first trying this bottling (at the time the first Goodfellow wine I had ever tasted). Leaving aside my disappointment that I now only have one bottle left I am quite glad I opened this. It’s not fully developed, but it’s open, and the tannins are not an issue. There’s still plenty of fruit, but the wine is picking up touches of earth and herbal notes that expand the aromatic and flavor spectrum, along with a citrus zest hit of freshness that brightens the finish. Fruit and structure are evolving at the same pace, so I have little concern about waiting another six years for my final bottle.
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Would 2016s be more friendly to drink now than 2015s? Although my sample size is small (I’ve also opened remarkably few wrt my holdings because of the aging profile), in the last year I’ve had the 2016 Whistling Ridge which was amazing and WOTN after a few hours in the decanter and the 2015 on two occasions that was tight and unyielding as heck.
I can’t say, as I have never had the 2015, and have only ever had one 2015 Goodfellow Pinot.
I recently had the 2015 Heritage #4 and on day 2 it was drinking exceptionally well. If you have multiple bottles, I don’t think it would be a crime to check in on the wine, but it will certainly improve with more time in the bottle.
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I think the 2016s are more enjoyable now than the 2015s. I don’t expect either to reach full maturity for my taste in the next five years.
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