TNs: My Goodfellow Journey Begins (04/22 update: first Goodfellow Chard)

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

Thanks, Corey. I’ll definitely give the Chardonnays a shot. In your opinion, did winemaking style remain constant/similar from Matello to Goodfellow?

I haven’t had a huge amount of the Matello wines, except for the Syrah. But based on a smallish sample size, the Goodfellow PNs are more expressive/racy/lighter bodied/interesting than his previous wines. IIRC, Marcus once said (I’m paraphrasing) he didn’t want to put his name on the label until he was happy with the wines. Matello wines were good; but the Goodfellows are on another level.

I really appreciate all of the insight and love on this thread. It’s great to have this as a resource as well.

Corey’s description of the difference between Goodfellow and Matello is about as good as it gets. Vintage variation would probably make the comparison a bit of a Venn diagram, but overall he is right on the money(in the way that matters most).

Winemaking for Goodfellow wines is very much just an evolution of what I was working on/towards with the Matello wines.

The biggest changes in the vineyard management were a commitment to managing canopy to have less leaves and more direct sun exposure on the fruit. Pick when fruit is ready, rather than just waiting for “hang time”. The vine age is another 10 years on average. And our experience with each site continues to grow as well. I’ve made Pinot Noir from Whistling Ridge for 18 years now. It’s a challenging site, which produces extraordinary wines, but with very little margin for error.

In the winery, I started using 500L puncheons in 2010, but rapidly increased their use as I transitioned to Goodfellow(we’re about 70% puncheon for Pinot Noir elevage).
Use of whole cluster has continued to increase. With Matello the early wines were 20-50% with some destemmed, by the transition in 2012 nothing was completely destemmed and percentages ran 25-100% but most ferments were 40-60%. Now 100% whole cluster ferments are by far the most common, though nothing is dogmatic.

Time in fermenter has been increasing over the years as well. From a fairly standard 15-16 days up to about 25-27 by 2011, and then to regularly using significant post-fermentation maceration time.

I’m probably forgetting something, but those are the things that stick out.

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

I like Marcus’ wines. In fact, I had a Whistling Ridge Vineyard PN just last night. But IMO, while the fruit speaks of Oregon, the wines are “built” like Burgundy and require a lot of time sideways to show their full potential. YMMV.

Thanks for the notes.

Hi Corey,

Thanks for chiming-in. Question for you: Have you yet had a Goodfellow PN that was, in your opinion, in its prime window (or showing its full potential)? If “yes,” when was that, and what bottling was it?

One thing people often overlook is the Willamette Valley bottling. It’s inexpensive but it’s all the same fruit sources, all the same handling and cooperage(a bit more press wine), and really over performs for the price point. The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir usually drinks well much earlier than the premier cuvees. The 2018 is WIDE open right now. Cooler vintages can be a little tighter, and the wine does continue to age and evolve but it’s usually in a great window 5 years post vintage(if not sooner).

Our other wines that are in the window and ready to go:

2002, 2004, 2005(mostly), 2006, and 2007.

The 2002 Hommage is drinking nicely, though I believe that the majority of wines we make now will be significantly better down the road. I haven’t had a 2003 in about 5 years and probably need to correct that.
2004 and 2005 wines would be my first choice for wines to drink now, but neither is going over the hill either.
2006 is bottle dependent, and cuvee dependent as well. It’s also a hot vintage and the 2006 Hommage is a very nice Pinot Noir if you really like Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

I just got a really nice note from a woman who bought some of my 2007 Willamette Valley and just drank the last one. She really liked the wine(enough to email me).

2008 and 2009-drink or hold. Ready to go is probably a bit subjective.

2010-hold the Souris and Whistling Ridge. Drink or hold the Durant.

2011-starting to drink well but need a few hours to get going.

2012-drink or hold Durant and Bishop Creek. Hold the Whistling Ridge, though it is great now(82 points from Neal Martin, but one of my favorite wines). Hold the Heritage No. 1.

2013, 2014, 2015-drink or hold

2016, 2017-hold

2018, 2019-early window is open, but not everyone will like them now. Palates are not all alike, and they change over time. My favorites right now(in no particular order)

2019 Fir Crest
2019 Pumphouse(tannins are ripping though)
2019 Heritage No. 15
2018 Long Acre
2018 Beloved Acre
2018 Heritage No. 12
2018 Old Vine Pommard, Lewman
2018 Fir Crest

[Adam_Frisch]

Love your wines Marcus, but for someone who hates talking on the phone and calling orders in, I wish you had a webshop solution.

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

Lewman appears to be drinking better earlier.

Included in my box was two bottles each of the '18 Lewman and the '19 Heritage No. 16 from Lewman; those are the two I doubled-down on. Do you have recent experience with either, Michael?

Lewman tends to have a little more flesh or softness to it. The 2018 is tightening up but with time open, it’s really pretty after a day or so. But the 2019, while from a cooler vintage is showing a bit of softness and baby fat. As Chris mentioned it’s been a bit straightforward on PnP lately, but shows nicely after being open a bit.

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

Love your wines Marcus, but for someone who hates talking on the phone and calling orders in, I wish you had a webshop solution.

Thanks Adam.

I hear you on hating to talk on the phone. We make a lot of wines, but not a lot of volume of those wines. So managing a cart is a bit of nightmare.

Just email me what you want. Text works for payment details, if that works for you.

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

… I’ve made Pinot Noir from Whistling Ridge for 18 years now. It’s a challenging site, which produces extraordinary wines, but with very little margin for error…

Thanks for the commentary on the Matello → Goodfellow transition, Marcus. This comment of yours caught my attention; can you explain what makes WR a challenging site, and the nature of the slim margins of error?

[Brian_G_r_a_f_s_t_r_o_m]

One thing people often overlook is the Willamette Valley bottling. It’s inexpensive but it’s all the same fruit sources, all the same handling and cooperage(a bit more press wine), and really over performs for the price point. The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir usually drinks well much earlier than the premier cuvees. The 2018 is WIDE open right now. Cooler vintages can be a little tighter, and the wine does continue to age and evolve but it’s usually in a great window 5 years post vintage(if not sooner).

Our other wines that are in the window and ready to go:

2002, 2004, 2005(mostly), 2006, and 2007.

The 2002 Hommage is drinking nicely, though I believe that the majority of wines we make now will be significantly better down the road. I haven’t had a 2003 in about 5 years and probably need to correct that.
2004 and 2005 wines would be my first choice for wines to drink now, but neither is going over the hill either.
2006 is bottle dependent, and cuvee dependent as well. It’s also a hot vintage and the 2006 Hommage is a very nice Pinot Noir if you really like Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

LOL! I enjoy some CdP, but that’s not exactly what I’m looking for in my Pinot. I’d like to try the WV bottling, and am looking forward to getting into a couple more bottles soon.

I just got a really nice note from a woman who bought some of my 2007 Willamette Valley and just drank the last one. She really liked the wine(enough to email me).

2008 and 2009-drink or hold. Ready to go is probably a bit subjective.

2010-hold the Souris and Whistling Ridge. Drink or hold the Durant.

2011-starting to drink well but need a few hours to get going.

2012-drink or hold Durant and Bishop Creek. Hold the Whistling Ridge, though it is great now(82 points from Neal Martin, but one of my favorite wines). Hold the Heritage No. 1.

2013, 2014, 2015-drink or hold

2016, 2017-hold

2018, 2019-early window is open, but not everyone will like them now. Palates are not all alike, and they change over time. My favorites right now(in no particular order)

2019 Fir Crest
2019 Pumphouse(tannins are ripping though)
2019 Heritage No. 15
2018 Long Acre
2018 Beloved Acre
2018 Heritage No. 12
2018 Old Vine Pommard, Lewman
2018 Fir Crest

Thanks for the Pumphouse tannins warning — thinking I should put that one near the back of my queue.

[Adam_Frisch]

Love your wines Marcus, but for someone who hates talking on the phone and calling orders in, I wish you had a webshop solution.

Thanks Adam.

I hear you on hating to talk on the phone. We make a lot of wines, but not a lot of volume of those wines. So managing a cart is a bit of nightmare.

Just email me what you want. Text works for payment details, if that works for you.

Yes, a professional dedicated wine POS solution is very expensive. But I use Squarespace and it’s only $29/month and it works real well. Kelley Fox uses the same (and many others).

I got so much wine right now, I can’t bring in anymore. But I’d love to get some for BD, if you’re participating!

[Rodrigo_B]

One thing people often overlook is the Willamette Valley bottling. It’s inexpensive but it’s all the same fruit sources, all the same handling and cooperage(a bit more press wine), and really over performs for the price point. The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir usually drinks well much earlier than the premier cuvees. The 2018 is WIDE open right now. Cooler vintages can be a little tighter, and the wine does continue to age and evolve but it’s usually in a great window 5 years post vintage(if not sooner).

Thanks for the insights into the WV cuvee Marcus. Does the WV cuvee follow a similar trajectory to your other wines in that they are open early on and then shut down for a few years?

[JBrochu]

I think 2018 Ribbon Ridge PN is also drinking really nicely now. I preferred the bottle we drank PNP versus the bottle we gave an hour or two of air to. Best PN in that price range that I’ve had so far. Would have thought this was a single vineyard release if tasted blind. (I always feel the need to add a disclaimer that I’m relatively new to this and drawing on limited experience.)

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

One thing people often overlook is the Willamette Valley bottling. It’s inexpensive but it’s all the same fruit sources, all the same handling and cooperage(a bit more press wine), and really over performs for the price point. The Willamette Valley Pinot Noir usually drinks well much earlier than the premier cuvees. The 2018 is WIDE open right now. Cooler vintages can be a little tighter, and the wine does continue to age and evolve but it’s usually in a great window 5 years post vintage(if not sooner).

Thanks for the insights into the WV cuvee Marcus. Does the WV cuvee follow a similar trajectory to your other wines in that they are open early on and then shut down for a few years?

It’s a different curve for sure. Part of a wine shutting down is the tannins binding up some of the fruit, and making it inaccessible for us to taste.

With the thin skins of Pinot Noir, the press wine is less tannic than the free run. As you move up through the press cycle increasing pressure the wine becomes more hollow or shallow. Perhaps the biggest area where extended maceration helps out Pinot Noir is in the quality of the press wine. But that help is in fruit density, rather than tannin increase. By pushing the whole cluster amounts upward, we’ve managed to bump the tannin in the press wine up a little bit, but not to the extent of matching the free run.

Long story short, the aging curve for the Willamette Valley is considerably less extreme than the reserve tiers. It shuts down, but not as much. It has a bit of the amaro stem character but not as much. It has great fruit(typically) and all the hallmarks of our wines but is just a dialed back on all of those aspects.

Usually when the vineyard designates are shutting down(like 2017s are now) the WV is coming into it’s own(vintage does make a difference). I like it quite a bit from 3-7 years old. And it will typically age well considerably beyond that.

To dig deeper than that, really starts to be about each person’s palate. The 2015 was great because it had enough fruit and savory notes to show well for most everyone. The 2018 is open knit, and for me personally it’s enjoyable but I prefer the crunchier 2017 and 2019 versions. The 2017 is in a great spot, and while the 2019 is probably a little bit tightly wound and ethereal, I prefer that to the 2018.

[Rodrigo_B]

Awesome information Marcus. Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to trying some of the WV cuvees and comparing them to the single vineyard and block wines, especially as they age

[Chris_Crutchfield]

I just got a really nice note from a woman who bought some of my 2007 Willamette Valley and just drank the last one. She really liked the wine(enough to email me).

2008 and 2009-drink or hold. Ready to go is probably a bit subjective.

2010-hold the Souris and Whistling Ridge. Drink or hold the Durant.

2011-starting to drink well but need a few hours to get going.

2012-drink or hold Durant and Bishop Creek. Hold the Whistling Ridge, though it is great now(82 points from Neal Martin, but one of my favorite wines). Hold the Heritage No. 1.

2013, 2014, 2015-drink or hold

2016, 2017-hold

2018, 2019-early window is open, but not everyone will like them now. Palates are not all alike, and they change over time. My favorites right now(in no particular order)

2019 Fir Crest
2019 Pumphouse(tannins are ripping though)
2019 Heritage No. 15
2018 Long Acre
2018 Beloved Acre
2018 Heritage No. 12
2018 Old Vine Pommard, Lewman
2018 Fir Crest

Thanks for passing along these notes. I really enjoyed the 2013 WR from last year’s holiday offer (and I seem to have consistently enjoyed the 2013 releases of other WV producers more so than the surrounding vintages). Are there more recent vintages that you would say resemble 2013 the most?

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

… I’ve made Pinot Noir from Whistling Ridge for 18 years now. It’s a challenging site, which produces extraordinary wines, but with very little margin for error…

Thanks for the commentary on the Matello → Goodfellow transition, Marcus. This comment of yours caught my attention; can you explain what makes WR a challenging site, and the nature of the slim margins of error?

Brian,

To really explain the challenge of Whistling Ridge, we need to consider a bit of “macro” information.

1. At the 45th parallel the sun in the growing season is to the south. So slopes get considerably more direct sun than flatter sites. Our heat is late in the day with the hottest part of the day around 5:00pm.

2. Oregon may get quite a bit of rain every year, but very little of it falls in the growijg season.

3. our volcanic soils are deeper basalt-clay based, and hold moisture very well. The sedimentary series are shallow and very poor potential for holding moisture.

4. the Willamette Valley sits between two mountain ranges, the Coast range to the West, and the Cascades to the East. The coast range blocks the maritime influence from the Pacific, except for a few corridors betweens the mountains. The Van Duzer corridor is the best known, but there is another further north, that funnels into the Willamette Valley and then down the valley between Ribbon Ridge and Yamhill-Carlton. The winds through the the corridors cool the entire valley, giving us the diurnal shift in temperatures that we rely on. Breezes both cool and dehydrate, as well as thicken the skins on the fruit.

Whistling Ridge is planted on very shallow sedimentary soils, atop the ridgeline in the southern tip of the Ribbon Ridge AVA.

The vines are in water deficit every year, but in a relatively flat vineyard the sun exposure is less direct and sugar accumulation is modest, skin(of the grapes) exposure is modest compared to most vineyards, and wind is prevalent(thickening skins).

So the wines tend to have lower sugar and less fruit intensity(less direct sun), but more tannins and acids(breeze affect), less water(restricts green growth and canopy development). It’s a challenge to get wines with enough fruit, not too much tannin, acids that don’t overwhelm, all while not having the sugar levels/finished abv that most other vineyards achieve from a textural standpoint.

Add in that all 5 blocks have significant variation on a vine by vine level. The Beloved Acre has two rootstocks that give opposite influences, 6-7 clones, and sits right astride the ridgeline. 60% of the planting faces slightly SE, 10% is flat, and 30% that faces slightly Northeast. It ripens at very different rates. And as we’ve learned how to manage the vineyard, this block tends to produce some of my favorite wines.

[Al_Osterheld]

I order over email. I think I’ve only talked to Marcus once on the phone to give him my cc number for the first order. He actually greeted me by name when he picked up, not many customers in my area code and he was expecting the call. I’ve also communicated with Megan by email but never called. Both are busy running a winery and phone isn’t always convenient.

-Al

[Ed_Steinway]

Cross-posting this from the “Empty My Wallet” thread, as our Goodfellow journey began last night. Loved this bottle!


After making our own contribution to Laura’s House, it is time to post this note from last evening. We had our first Goodfellow, the 2014 Whistling Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir. Thank you to Marcus for including an aged wine in his offering! Pinot doesn’t represent a significant amount of our cellar, but we certainly will continue to buy and support Goodfellow. Very light in color, but very intense in flavor and concentration, with red cherries, earth and spice on the nose. I also picked up a little bit of cinnamon on the nose. Beautiful red cherry and strawberry on the palate, with integrated tannins and a smooth finish. We had given this a few hours of air before opening and saved some to try tonight. This is really good stuff! Thank you to this board and to Dr. Alan for opening my eyes to the Goodfellow wines!

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

I just got a really nice note from a woman who bought some of my 2007 Willamette Valley and just drank the last one. She really liked the wine(enough to email me).

2008 and 2009-drink or hold. Ready to go is probably a bit subjective.

2010-hold the Souris and Whistling Ridge. Drink or hold the Durant.

2011-starting to drink well but need a few hours to get going.

2012-drink or hold Durant and Bishop Creek. Hold the Whistling Ridge, though it is great now(82 points from Neal Martin, but one of my favorite wines). Hold the Heritage No. 1.

2013, 2014, 2015-drink or hold

2016, 2017-hold

2018, 2019-early window is open, but not everyone will like them now. Palates are not all alike, and they change over time. My favorites right now(in no particular order)

2019 Fir Crest
2019 Pumphouse(tannins are ripping though)
2019 Heritage No. 15
2018 Long Acre
2018 Beloved Acre
2018 Heritage No. 12
2018 Old Vine Pommard, Lewman
2018 Fir Crest

Thanks for passing along these notes. I really enjoyed the 2013 WR from last year’s holiday offer (and I seem to have consistently enjoyed the 2013 releases of other WV producers more so than the surrounding vintages). Are there more recent vintages that you would say resemble 2013 the most?

2013 is pretty unique. Quite a warm growing season, and then 6-8” of rain in 3 consecutive days. The clear and cold weather for the next 3 weeks or so. The issue was basically how long could the fruit hang post rain, and how much would it dry out. The Durant fruit from the slope did ok, but the Pinot at the foot of the hill was terrible, no disease but very dilute.

Whistling Ridge was harvested 8-13 days after the rain, and we benefited from being on the top of the hill with shallow fast draining soils. The dry cover crop helped take up some of the rain, and some just ran down the hill. The rain arrived just as fruit was almost ready to go. So flavors are ripe(an extra week or two of waiting to dry our) but weight and abv are like a cooler vintage. 2007s are similar.

But you should like 2019s as well, and probably our stuff in general as we’re working on getting to lighter bodied wines that have good flavor development. 2015 may be a bit big for you, and I would suggest being careful with WV 2014s and 2016s(late pickers made some big wines in 2016, not bad but stylistically big).

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

Cross-posting this from the “Empty My Wallet” thread, as our Goodfellow journey began last night. Loved this bottle!


After making our own contribution to Laura’s House, it is time to post this note from last evening. We had our first Goodfellow, the 2014 Whistling Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir. Thank you to Marcus for including an aged wine in his offering! Pinot doesn’t represent a significant amount of our cellar, but we certainly will continue to buy and support Goodfellow. Very light in color, but very intense in flavor and concentration, with red cherries, earth and spice on the nose. I also picked up a little bit of cinnamon on the nose. Beautiful red cherry and strawberry on the palate, with integrated tannins and a smooth finish. We had given this a few hours of air before opening and saved some to try tonight. This is really good stuff! Thank you to this board and to Dr. Alan for opening my eyes to the Goodfellow wines!

Great to hear that you enjoyed the 2014 Whistling Ridge. Say hello to Dr. Alan for me as well!

[Ed_Steinway]

Marcus Goodfellow wrote:
Say hello to Dr. Alan for me as well!

Hi, Marcus. I have never met him, but I do take notice when he heaps praise on a wine or winery such as yours!

Ed

[RJABBOTTJR]

I too had the ‘14 Whistling Ridge tonight with some friends and they like me were just blown away how good it was. As I told Marcus I cannot write tasting notes as well and eloquent as so many here, however I know enough to know when I’ve tasted a beautifully made wine, which this is. I immediately sent a note looking for similar wines in their drinking window and Marcus was so helpful assembling a mixed case. So looking forward to the next shipment while the rest sleep for a while.