2014 Durant Chardonnay. Superb wine. Probably needs another year or so for the oak to fully integrate. Powerful, complex, and balanced. Definitely in my top 5 all time Oregon Chardonnays (83 Tualatin, 98 Cameron Abbey, 10 Blackcap, 12 Brittan are the others)
Then I’d better pick some up. Drank the hell out of the '83 Tualatin with crab…
With all the talk about Goodfellow Chardonnays, I opened the 2012 Goodfellow Whistling Ridge Chardonnay.
This wine is drinking really well right now! The wine had great aromatics of lemon curd and minerality. On the palate, more of the same lemon curd & minerality with the great mouth feel/viscosity that Marcus’ white wines have. There was also a subtle hint of vanilla from the oak aging. The finish was a balanced combination of fruit and vanilla with a hint of spice. The finish was long and smooth.
I think this wine will drink well for years to come!
Goodfellow offer hit my inbox tonight. What’s everyone buying?
I don’t think you can lose buying Marcus’s wines unless you drink them too soon. He’s increased his pricing to be able to earn a living for his family, but it’s becoming special occasion Pinot for my limited budget and soon to be college age kids.
Send your kids to county college for the first two years and use the savings to buy more wine ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
I picked up some of each of the single vineyard Pinots, and given how much I liked the 2014 versions, I will definitely be buying the 2015 Durant and Richard’s Cuvee Chardonnays. I will also do something with the Heritage releases, but just need to figure out what yet.
I assume that the Fir Crest this year is kind of a “replacement” for Bishop’s Creek - so still three single vineyard Pinot selections.
I had the opportunity to meet Marcus for the first time in McMinnville recently for a tasting. He was quite gracious and generous in sharing not only his time and wines, but also his insights and experiences with the vineyards from which they come, and finally also his own winemaking. He did a great job of meeting me where I am in my own knowledge, answering my questions, helping me learn and generally geeking out on wine while tasting.
I tasted a 2015 Durant Chardonnay and a 2013 Richard’s Cuvee Chardonnay (he’s sold out of the 2014 Chards), along with a bunch of his 2015 Pinot Noirs and a Pinot Gris. The 2015 Whistling Ridge was the first Pinot presented, and came away as my favorite Pinot in the lineup that day along with the Heritage wines. The former matched my own preference for a bit more red fruit vs. darker fruit, and perhaps it seemed the most delicious in part because it seemed the most open at that time. I preferred the 2015 Durant to the 2015 Fir Crest, and the Whistling Ridge over both. The Heritage #4 and #6 (didn’t have the #5) offered promise and more complexity, though I’m not very good at gauging/predicting how their evolution may unfold. As has been mentioned in this thread before, Marcus aims for longevity in his wines.
A very nice lineup - and a lot of fun. Thank you, Marcus!
I joined their wine club to explore their complete selection of wines over the next year. Just in a time for a great fall shipment which I includes something special I can’t find on their website ![[highfive.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/d/db21b9263a9105e51f6f8b11e61dd4de095611f9.gif "highfive"){kind=small}
. I went in for more to finish a mixed case. Mostly all the chards and some cuvee pinots. Heritage wines sound attractive but time will tell if I go down that route. Living in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA you’re spoiled with small boutique wineries with personalized service (we are not Napa). Nice to see that in Oregon, Gaironn made it all Easy!
2nd circle Berserker day pick via Vincent Wine Company… Just discovering Oregon, Yum! 
Mmmmm bring on the crack. 
Sean
Ron, just so you know, the 2015 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir is all of $22.50 via Avalon right now and a really lovely version of the entry level wine.
You also shouldn’t miss the 2015 Willamette Valley Chardonnay at $26.
Marcus,
I apologize if I was too brief or sloppy with the details in my post; I know that can affect perceptions. I was responding to the question about the Fall mailer which just came out and I had just looked at those options, albeit for a limited set of your overall annual portfolio, and this release happened to include many of your finest, smallest production wines with some of the higher tariffs. My response was solely focused on that subset. There are plenty of great Goodfellow wines I can still afford and they compete with others as some of the best values around.
Kudos to Marcus for expanding his empire beyond wine! 
Is this Marcus?
2014 WV Chardonnay - Really lovely light wine, I was skeptical that that much french oak on an entry-level young vine chardonnay would be in balance, but its quite nice; a touch of this, a kiss of that, it has all the elements just in a lighter, refreshing frame. I’m not ashamed to say its pairing exceptionally well with my Chipotle salad bowl…
I don’t know Marcus that intimately.
Cargo shorts, but no Crocs for me.
That is most definitely not me…
I may have to buy some new clothes now 
Just a quick update on 2017, I do think it’s much more of a Felthoven, Tallman, Trimpi type of vintage.
It felt like forever waiting for Marcus to see that photo and respond. He must be busy w/ his day job.
Glad to hear 17 is in my strike zone. Don’t work too hard Marcus and drink lots of beer.
Seems like 17 may be similar to 13?
Go long and hold along with the '11s?
Party!!!