09 Matello Fool’s Journey Syrah (co-ferment) with 17% Viognier!!!)
Was opened by Marcus yesterday morning, my wife had a glass last night (I passed); left the cork off of it overnight by mistake (ooops) and am now enjoying in a bit so perfect glass after a 5 hour drive with out 9 mo old)
Dark as night in the glass; savory and uplifted aromatics; where this wine is shining now is in mouthfeel, texture and taste - dark berry, black licorice, creole, tar. A great wine that still has quite a long life ahead of it!
Had the 2013 Richard’s Cuvee last night at a local place with a couple of fellow wine geeks and we really enjoyed it. Perhaps most impressive as it approaches 10 years of age is the fact that it is showing no signs of decline at all - it actually got better with the 2nd glass and some air. Sadly, I only have a couple bottles left.
Drank from a Magnum. Somewhat developed dark garnet. Gorgeous nose of pure cherries, cranberries, strawberries, some secondary notes of figs, mushrooms, sous-bois, some ash and tar. Palate is still fresh and youthful with a silky mouthfeel and shows notes of gorgeous strawberry, fresh cranberries and still great structure with nice lift of acidity and completely resolved tannins. Finishes medium+ with complex red fruit and earthy undertones.
This is a perfectly aged Willamette Valley PN drinking likely at its prime. At least this magnum will likely stay at this level for a long time.
Yes, I finished the magnum by myself. Greed is good.
We had this last night with Smoking Goose’s maple ginger glazed ham steaks and it was delicious after about 90 minutes of air. It continued to get more complex and supple as the night went on, and the fruit seemed to get deeper and spicier. It was probably perfect about 11 o’clock but we finished it by 9.
Just popped a 2012 Matello Pinot Noir Souris and first impressions are very favorable! Just trying a little sample and it seems ready to go right from the PnP.
Only a couple more years until I start opening my 17s and 18s - I figure I’ll check in on both in 2025. I had an entry-level 2001 Burg a while back, and judging by it’s style I may have to switch back from buying KF to Goodfellow. I wish there was room for more than one regular OR Pinot purchase in my budget…
Realistically I need to revisit both Goodfellows upper level wines and KF’s Maresh Royal Ann which is what I usually buy. The 01 Burg I had, which was a good, more entry level red Burg, seemed to have some of the elements that I noticed in some of Marcus wines. With the age they presented very well, and it just made me wonder if I might prefer 10-20 year old Goodfellow over KF.
I’ve enjoyed every KF wine I’ve tried, but I purchase a lot more Goodfellow because the quality is equal but the value is much higher. (IMO of course.)
I bought and likely would buy the Heritage because I like some variety and think its interesting to try what Marcus thinks is best. Its pretty much at the same price point as the KF Royal Ann. I wonder if maybe I should be looking at some of his standard SVDs…
KF and GF’s top PN cuvées are from different vineyards so hard to compare. But many of the GF wines do have that interplay between fruit and earthy flavors that sometimes people are looking for. And top to bottom of the range, few producers anywhere can match GF’s QPR.
That said, the 2019 KF maresh royal Anne is just such a stunning bottle of wine. I feel it is it like a red wine for white wine lovers. The Bersekers day deal on that was insane QPR but even at the regular price this wine is well worth it for me. Not a wine I’d have with beef bourguignon however.
Would be interesting to try the ‘19 KF Durant chard to compare stylistic differences.
For me, Kelley’s PN are her best wines followed by the the Pinot Blanc. While I’ve enjoyed her Chardonnay, including the 19 Durant recently, I feel that Goodfellow Chardonnays are significantly better. She has really only made it for a couple of vintages and will likely continue to improve. If I was forced to choose, I’d drink KF reds and GF whites. But as noted, GF PNs are excellent value across the board and KF PNs are getting pretty pricey ($90 for the SVD in 2021).
