Bob,
I completely agree. While the WV Chardonnay is good, it’s mostly younger vines. The Richard’s is just a world apart.
The 2013 Syrah is an extraordinary wine from and wacko vintage. It’s really not Northern Rhone like in expression, although initially there tends to be quite a bit of white and black pepper. It’s a lighter wine, but with a few hours air the aromatics are quite lovely and really unlike anything else (Rhone or otherwise).
An update on that '12 Fools Journey Deax Vert:
Tonight I opened the 2012 Richard’s Cuvee Chardonnay to pair with baked halibut encrusted with chopped walnuts & fresh thyme. I don’t drink a lot of chardonnay, but I have to say that this wine is drinking really well right now!!! The nose draws you in with aromas of Meyers Lemon, some matchstick, and a hint of oak. On the palate without loosing any intensity, those flavors continue and blend seamlessly together which coats the mouth. Texturally, the wine has a great a great mouth feel which enhances the wine’s flavors and something that is really important to me in a white wine. In my opinion, this is something Marcus does extremely well with his white wines. The finish was long (30 seconds) and smooth with a hint of vanilla at the very end. This is an exceptional chardonnay! I have one more bottle that I purchased from Marcus. I think I’m going to let it rest for a few more years to see how this wine evolves.
Last Friday I went to a local wine shop that was doing a Pinot Noir shoot out
Oregon vs France. I tried the 2014 Domaine Bart Marsannay St. Jacques & the
2014 Goodfellow Pinot Noir Durant Vineyard side by side.
The Durrant more than held its own against the Marsannay with red currants and a savory earthy component on the nose. The palate had a bright core of red fruits and raspberries with a nice balance of acid and fine tannins on the finish. The finish was long and smooth while the finish on the Marsannay was clipped.
I was really blown away by how well the Durant is drinking right now! All the elements: the savory nose, the red fruit, the acid, and the fine tannins are perfectly balanced. This is a wine you could enjoy now, but with the acid and the tannins the wine should continue to improve for several more years. This is an outstanding wine Marcus crafted from a warm vintage.
2014 WV Chardonnay over the last couple of nights. I’ve had plenty of Pinot and Syrah from Marcus, this was my first Chardonnay. It was very enjoyable and makes me excited to try the Richard’s that I also got on Berserker Day.
I recall when I tried this wine at the tasting room. I was floored. It was simultaneously electric but also dense and concentrated. The mouthfeel was awesome. My first thought was “I have to buy this wine.” I picked up a couple but haven’t opened them yet. Sounds like I should wait a little longer, but I am super excited.
Drinking this field blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Gewurz (if I remember correctly) that I bought from Marcus himself today. He was very hospitable, and it was great to taste through his lineup. Thanks again Marcus, if you’re reading this!
Posted from CellarTracker
A beautiful Saturday here in the Delaware valley today, and I’ve got some Arctic Char and Rainbow Trout to throw on the grill later on. I had already opened a 2014 Durant Chardonnay for lunch - I love this wine, but do wish I would have some more discipline, because as well as it is drinking now, I am convinced it has what it takes to reward further cellaring.
At any rate, sitting in my kitchen finishing up lunch, I recalled some recent correspondence with Marcus and walked down to the cellar to liberate a 2014 Whistling Ridge Pinot Noir. You know, for a young wine, this is pretty tasty ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
. Very lightly colored - as I mention in my CT note, this would even be lightly-colored for an Etna Rosso. But you’ve got some nice spice notes and a cranberry fruit note and life is good on a Saturday afternoon.
2014 Matello Caprice last night. Still in a great place. Perfect low abv weeknight wine at a crazy good price.
EDIT: Had the last of the bottle tonight, and then opened a 2015 Enderle & Moll Pinot Blanc/Pinot Gris blend. Not sure if it is close to the 80% PB/20% PG of the Caprice, but two totally different wines. The E&M was nice, but tasted more like a Saison Brett beer (which I LOVE) that is near the end of its drinking window. Interesting and definitely delicious, but lacked the verve of the Caprice. Would choose the Caprice every time.
2013 Matello Fool’s Journey Deux Vert Syrah (94%)/Viognier(6%). To add to Bob H’s notes, tasted blind I would not have guessed Syrah. Definitely lighter than Syrah, esp new world Syrah (only 12.8%).
The nose subtly gives off typical N Rhone Syrah characteristics, but it initially tasted to me like a nice Loire Cab Franc with some leather and ash tray. After an hour in the glass, the white and black pepper notes appear, but again subtly. Pretty short finish.
Interesting wine, esp in comparison to other new world Syrah. The one I’ve had that compares is Todd’s Deux Vert Syrah. Interested to see how the other half performs tomorrow night.
EDIT: On night 2, I was expecting it to pick up a bit of weight, but actually seemed even lighter. Seemed to lose most of the pepper and ash tray notes in favor of more floral notes, presumably from Viognier. Preferred more on night 1, although still good on second night. Have a few more bottles, but will drink them in next 1-2 years. I know this wine can age gracefully for many years based on past vintages, but this '13 is a different animal.
I’m liking the WV syrahs, in addition Franchere has a Havlin vineyard that I find very attractive, WV syrahs are more savory than fruity which I enjoy. There are a few more I have not sampled from down south.
Had to smile 2 days ago. I gave a bottle of 2013 Goodfellow WV to a friend as a present and had to explain that it was “very bright” and best paired with food. She’s a vegetarian so asked what to pair it with. A dish with “mushrooms” was my response. I warned that as a cocktail wine, it’d be best with something to nibble on. And then found myself wishing I’d kept the bottle.
I’m convinced that a gift you want to keep for yourself is a good one.
RT
Perhaps I’ll blind this and the '10 side by side for kicks.
Ron, good idea. Next time I’ll blind the '13 v '11 v a N Rhone.
Robert Wolfe’s newsletter came out this morning. 
I’ve recently tasted several 2015 pinot noirs from Goodfellow Family Wines. The bottlings are his new “Heritage” bottlings, which highlight old-vine, single-vineyard sources that he’s worked with over time - in some cases, more than a decade. The Heritage wines are the best wines Goodfellow has bottled to date, and mark a new chapter in his development as a winemaker. For his continued improvement over more than a decade, for the undeniable consistency he has achieved in recent years in particular, and for the superb Heritage series bottlings from the 2015 vintage, > Goodfellow should be recognized as an upper echelon winemaker in the pantheon of Oregon wine.
I’ve had a few epiphanies over the years with Marcus’ wines. One was a few years back when he moved into his own production facility in McMinnville, and gained greater control over his schedule and equipment. His wines took a leap forward then, and became significantly more consistent.
Another was at a blind tasting some months ago, where a group blind-tasted red and white Burgundy against the Goodfellow pinot noir and chardonnay. While I have followed the wines since the first bottling, and I knew that Marcus had a goal of making ageable, Burgundian-style wines, > I was mostly unable to discern the difference between white Burgundy and Goodfellow, leading to the inescapable conclusion that he was indeed making Burgundian style wines, and at a quality level equal to Premier Cru (a notable achievement).
But it took a tasting of the Heritage series pinots two weeks ago to realize that Goodfellow wines had reached a new level. One of the things that elevates these wines is a remarkable, rich texture. Despite their dense fruit and significant extraction, these bottlings already have a supple texture with rounded, silky tannins. Part of that is vintage character, but another major factor is an extended post-fermentation cold soak, where the wine stays in contact with the skins for 40-60 days. This helps the tannins polymerize (form bigger molecules) which changes the texture of the finished wine in a desirable way. They are muscular wines that are approachable young, with great cellaring potential.
“The Heritage wines came about for two reasons,” says Goodfellow. "We know from blind tasting that we can compare to Premier Cru Burgundy, but the goal is to pursue Grand Cru quality in Oregon. We do this by selecting vineyard sites and selecting barrels that are closer to Burgundy than the new world.
“The Heritage bottlings focus on that idea. The name has meaning, too. Heritage is both what you inherit, and what you pass on to the next generation. In the modern world we, inherited the bounty of the Willamette Valley, and it is our duty to pass on legacy wines that are both ageable and > show that Oregon is ready to take its place beside Burgundy as an elite growing region for pinot noir and chardonnay> .”
Robert, it would be great if you had a shareable link to your newsletter.
Tx Robert!
Read the whole post here:
https://www.oregonpinotnoir.com/wpwine/?p=189
Thanks for sharing, Steven. Glad to see Marcus receiving such high praise.
Based on all the '15 Heritage love in the post-IPNC tasting thread, I reached out about adding some to my fall club shipment. Sounds like I need to acquire quite a bit.
I’ve recently tasted several 2015 pinot noirs from Goodfellow Family Wines. The bottlings are his new “Heritage” bottlings, which highlight old-vine, single-vineyard sources that he’s worked with over time - in some cases, more than a decade. The Heritage wines are the best wines Goodfellow has bottled to date, and mark a new chapter in his development as a winemaker. For his continued improvement over more than a decade, for the undeniable consistency he has achieved in recent years in particular, and for the superb Heritage series bottlings from the 2015 vintage, > Goodfellow should be recognized as an upper echelon winemaker in the pantheon of Oregon wine.
I’ve had a few epiphanies over the years with Marcus’ wines. One was a few years back when he moved into his own production facility in McMinnville, and gained greater control over his schedule and equipment. His wines took a leap forward then, and became significantly more consistent.
Another was at a blind tasting some months ago, where a group blind-tasted red and white Burgundy against the Goodfellow pinot noir and chardonnay. While I have followed the wines since the first bottling, and I knew that Marcus had a goal of making ageable, Burgundian-style wines, > I was mostly unable to discern the difference between white Burgundy and Goodfellow, leading to the inescapable conclusion that he was indeed making Burgundian style wines, and at a quality level equal to Premier Cru (a notable achievement).
But it took a tasting of the Heritage series pinots two weeks ago to realize that Goodfellow wines had reached a new level. One of the things that elevates these wines is a remarkable, rich texture. Despite their dense fruit and significant extraction, these bottlings already have a supple texture with rounded, silky tannins. Part of that is vintage character, but another major factor is an extended post-fermentation cold soak, where the wine stays in contact with the skins for 40-60 days. This helps the tannins polymerize (form bigger molecules) which changes the texture of the finished wine in a desirable way. They are muscular wines that are approachable young, with great cellaring potential.
“The Heritage wines came about for two reasons,” says Goodfellow. "We know from blind tasting that we can compare to Premier Cru Burgundy, but the goal is to pursue Grand Cru quality in Oregon. We do this by selecting vineyard sites and selecting barrels that are closer to Burgundy than the new world.
“The Heritage bottlings focus on that idea. The name has meaning, too. Heritage is both what you inherit, and what you pass on to the next generation. In the modern world we, inherited the bounty of the Willamette Valley, and it is our duty to pass on legacy wines that are both ageable and > show that Oregon is ready to take its place beside Burgundy as an elite growing region for pinot noir and chardonnay> .”
Visiting Marcus tomorrow.
What could possibly go wrong…
BD '17
Posted from CellarTracker
Popped a 2012 Souris last night. Though the acid is razor sharp (thanks Marcus – I love to see that in a 2012!), it was surprisingly approachable as a pop and pour. The wood could use a bit more integration with bottle age (more caramel showing than overt wood), but other than that this was a really beauty dark brooding notes, some blackberry and barely ripe red plums on the palate. I didn’t take detailed notes but the nose was outstanding as well. Super intense but not in a blockbuster, overly extracted way.
While rooting around in my cellar recently, I came across a 2013 Goodfellow Richard’s Cuvée. I have been doing a dedicated job on working through the 2014 vintage of this wine, but hadn’t tried one of these in a while.
Very likable, but at least IMO, doesn’t quite reach the heights of the 2014. That said, glad to have more in the cellar 