What Goodfellow/Matello are you drinking?

  • 2018 Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir Lewman Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (10/18/2023)
    Wow, how this wine has changed!! Explosive and expressive nose of rocks, florals and berries, and the palate delivers more of the same - rewarding, gripping, packed with red berries and finishing with crunchy cranberries. Silky but snappy on the mouthfeel, great bracing acidity that really carries the finish. My last bottle and I truly wish it was not - this wine has developed so beautifully and I can only imagine (now that I have no more) how much better it can become. Holy crap, @Marcus_Goodfellow , amazing juice
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    Just had one as well. Agree, great stuff. Luckily still have a few more :slight_smile:
    Quickly becoming one of my favorites in the Goodfellow lineup

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    So I brought the 2021 Ricard’s Cuvee to a wine dinner on Thursday night along with the 2020 Domaine Tawse Puligny Montrachet 1er cru Champs Gain . My two dinner companions were guys that are much more experienced with white Burgundy than Oregon Chardonnay, and while I won’t say that they had a preference for the Goodfellow, we all felt the wines were fairly comparable, which in the final analysis is quite the compliment for Marcus’ handiwork, as I had put his bottle against a wine that cost twice as much.

    Now for the bad/sad news - only 90 cases of this stuff produced in 2021. Which means that as good as this wine is, not a lot of folks will ever get the chance to try it.

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    Couldn’t resist an early peek and my impatience was rewarded!

    • 2021 Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir Whistling Ridge Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Ribbon Ridge (10/21/2023)
      Stop in your tracks nose that leaps from the glass, with pure red berries and a hint of anise. Crystalline red fruit that’s deep and expansive in the mouth but light and fresh. Finishes with tannins that dry just a bit. Will probably improve but so damn good now that I may not find out. Decanted for an hour before service.

    Posted from CellarTracker

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    I’ve found that a good 6-8hr double decant does wonders on the younger whistling ridges. I have some 21s coming here shortly, and as much as I’d like to save a few for a decade, I seriously doubt they’ll stay hidden long enough in our house.

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    That’s what unkempt basements are for.

    Interesting. I always find Whistling Ridge to be pretty open on pop n’ pour when young, maybe gaining a little weight after an hour. Haven’t tried decanting that long.

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    • 2017 Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir Pumphouse Block Temperance Hill - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (10/19/2023)
      Day 1 (94 pts): strawberries that are just starting to soften, raspberries. Flowers and earth? Rocks? Saved half a bottle for the second date. This makes no sense, but it feels like if I were drinking a ruby that was starting to soften and age. Half a bottle saved for tomorrow, excited for round 2.

      Day 2 (93 pts): more cranberry and pomegranate. Fruit is giving way to savory. I see that the elements are the same, but it's just a different wine than last night.

      Day 4 (94 pts): back to day 1, just a bit more mellow fruit and savory. The food we ate with the wine on day 2 may have thrown everything off. (94 points)
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    Well put. I’ve yet to open anything from Temperance Hill, but from what I’ve read it sounds like that site leans toward the California side of Pinot. I’d be interested in others’ thoughts.

    I wouldn’t call it California. It’s not at that ripeness level, IMO. But it is slightly darker fruited, and I find a sort of chalky textural element that runs through all the wines, regardless of producer. There’s a lot of mineral and earthy character. I love the wines, including Marcus’ versions from the vineyard.

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    2017 Berserker Cuvee

    I know Marcus is a master of single vineyard and micro block bottlings. But simpleton that I am, this blend is one of the most fabulous, head-turning, drool-inducing Goodfellow Pinot Noir I can recall having in a very long time.

    I hope Marcus kept this recipe!!! :heart: :wine_glass: :smiley: :heart: :wine_glass: :smiley: :heart: :wine_glass: :smiley:

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    Maybe my favorite Goodfellow. It’s been several years and they were too young but felt there was a lot of stuffing. Reminds me of Volnay.

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    It is still young, but oh so good. This is my first bottle of a case. I wish I had bought several.

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    Don’t sell yourself short. You’re a tremendous simpleton!

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    Lol…your timing is impeccable. We saved about 25 cases of that, and have been planning to offer 15 of them again on some BD (the 5 year mark was my goal, but it was still too tight last year) when it begins to come around.

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    While Temperance Hill definitely carries a lot of power and density, it’s rarely as lush or polished as CA Pinot Noir often is (big generalization of CA, no disrrspect intended). It also has a signature of cedar/tobacco in many offerings from the vineyard that I have tried. That spans wines from multiple producers, JK Carriere, Vincent(one of my favorites), Evesham Wood, St. Innocent, and Lumos.

    It’s a unique site, and big enough in acreage that there’s quite a bit of diversity in the different blocks. What is funny to me, is that the West Field Blanc de Noir seems to have a cedar/herb/fresh hop/piney note to it that is right in line with the still Pinot Noir.

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    Early, early, early. Lots of power here. Good structure.

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    Had the 2021 Whistling Ridge Blanc this afternoon with friends while watching the rugby. Lots of Rieslingy goodness on the nose with tart citrus and red fruits on the palate. Almost like two different wines in one with lots of character. A fun wine for a warm New England fall day.

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    Got a delivery this week and had to check something out. 2021 Tsai Vineyard Chardonnay was the choice.

    This is so, so good.

    It was a great final and a fitting end to a thrilling set of knockout rounds. Also that wine is fantastic every year! Always a shape shifter over the course of its first few years, as well—I feel like it goes through phases where different parts of the blend seem more pronounced, then everything harmonizes after a little bit. I love drinking it at any stage, so thanks for the check-in and the note.

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