Opened (after ~6 hr decant) a '12 Matello Deux Vert today. Starts slightly acid and thin, but very soon picks up weight and balance. Just a lovely wine, a real home run! Thanks, Marcus (and Corey)! I’ll post a full TN soon.
I think the sentence for baby killing is shorter in Oregon than in other states, but I wouldn’t be putting any evidence up on a website just to be careful. Just kidding, Peter. I just picked up a couple '13s on BD and need to keep my hands off of them.
Aw, don’t be bashful, Ron! Try one, I’ll bet you’ll enjoy it, as long as you give it lots of air first.
Besides, I may be looking for a cellmate 
Picking up some 2011 Souris from Full Pull tonight on the way home and I plan on popping one this weekend!
I bit on that one too. I had some already but at that price why not?
I don’t know Ron, the 2013 is still lean for sure but after an hour or so the aromatics are really lovely. Just make sure you have a bit of red meat to go along and it should be ok. (No pressure )
2010 Caprice. Not as lively as the '14 I had a few weeks ago, but still solid.
Was surprised this was 13.7% abv for 2010. Does not show at all, but for '10 guess thought would be lower.
Pinot Blanc is a quirky grape, and can accumulate sugar early, especially in a low yields vintage like 2010. It’s an interesting consideration that an improving skill set as a winemaker, along with bigger clusters in a vintage, yield a better and livelier wine in a vintage like 2014 than 2010.
Definitely interesting, and unexpected. Glad I stocked up on more of the '14 last weekend as that wine will be perfect for sunnier spring/summer weather.
Marcus – I’ve got 1 2010 and a couple of 2012’s, too, of that Fool’s Journey. Should I just drink them in order of age?
Had this over the last 2 nights - 2014 Goodfellow Family Cellars Chardonnay Richard’s Cuvee
A bit much on the matchstick (reduction/sulphur?) on nose on day 1 & 2, day 2 the wine seemed to be all about oak. Fruit is hidden in background. My thoughts are this needs a couple years in cellar to integrate. I normally love that matchstick on nose but this was over powering.
I picked these up from Europa a few months back. I have tasted your wines Marcus at winery and don’t remember this trait on any of the chards you were pouring. Hold?
I first noticed the flinty character on the 2013 Richard’s. Marcus said he was going more reductive for flavor development. This is classic in burgundy and should mellow out.
To each his own, I guess. I love that matchstick note on the Richard’s Cuvée, as to me it is very reminiscent of a young white Burg - and I can think of no higher compliment to any domestic Chardonnay than to compare it to a wine that might cost twice as much (or more).
I would drink the 2010 first but none are in any hurry. The 2012 definitely will continue to evolve for another couple of years.
Hi Tom, I would definitely say hold. As Ron noted, the 2013 & 2014 are more reductive than previous vintages. Over the past few years I have been tasting some older vintages of Chardonnay and really believe that the “Coche Dury” notes in the young wines were present in almost all of the wines I liked best. Not only as an aromatic influence(I really love the way reductive notes in Chardonnay evolve over time), but also freshness as the wine aged, and texturally as well.
Had dinner last night at a local bistro with Jeff Vaughan and our decidedly better halves ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
, where we paired up the food with a “modified” Pobega from BD - 2014 Richard’s Cuvee and Durant Chardonnays along side the two Pinots, a 2009 Lazarus and the 2008 Winter’s Hill.
I thought all four wines showed well - side by side, the Richard’s Cuvee had more pronounced matchstick notes on the nose, and is also a fuller-bodied Chard than the Durant. Ann also mentioned the oak here, although not enough that it bothered me. As I have observed in the past, I really like what Marcus is doing with Chardonnay in the recent vintages.
The two Pinots were very interesting - I’m guessing that 2009 was a ripe/hot vintage in Oregon, as the Lazarus came across as more “fleshy”/alcoholic. The 2008 Winter’s Hill was restrained & elegant. I liked them both, and really enjoyed how different the two wines showed - one of the fun things about vintage variation in a place like Oregon, IMO. If I had to speculate, I would put my money on the Winter’s Hill as the better wine 10 years from now, but last night I think I preferred the “in your face” showiness of the Lazarus.
Bob, I was pleasantly surprised by these wines. I know very little about Oregon wine other than the bits and pieces I have learned from Monsieur Trimpi.
I think you described the wines very well. We both liked all four of them, but I preferred the Richard’s Cuvee and the Winter’s Hill slightly. I really liked the light flinty/matchstick notes and what I thought was salinity/minerality in the Richard’s Cuvee. I would have guessed white Burgundy if I didn’t know better. I also liked the restraint and higher perceived acidity in the Winter’s Hill.
I checked out the Matello and Goodfellow websites and see that these wines are reasonably priced, too. I would consider buying these, especially the Chardonnay.
It looks like there is some overlap in the vineyards and wineries. What are the differences in style between Goodfellow and Matello?
It’s a trick Marcus came up with to keep customers chronically confused. Wait till he breaks out Goodtello and Mafellow. 
Honestly, he explains it better than anyone.
Nice exploration. Yes 09 was ripe but a select few dialed it in. QPR? Pretty hard to beat.
Word is there’s a new addition to the Goodfellow family (not the vinous kind) on the way. So stock up!
RT
Had a '13 Matello WV pinot noir over two days this weekend and it was a really nice, red fruited zippy number, if you’re into that sort of thing.
We went back and revisited the wines last night. The whites took on a slight oily texture and showed a little more oak. I liked them better on night one. The Pinot’s showed well on day two. I still prefer the Winter’s Hill as it took on some savory notes where the Lazarus seemed a little more candied.