Given all the love for Ken and Erica’s wines here on WB, I felt it’s about time they get a dedicated thread to the enjoyment of their wines, much like our other esteemed Oregon producers.
I just took shipment of my fall Walter Scott wines, and as much as I typically let my newly arrived bottles rest for a few weeks to a few months, I simply couldn’t keep my hands off of them and had to crack open a 2022 La Combe Verte Chardonnay to see what’s going on.
Needless to say, the wine is exceptional. There’s the signature gunflint reductive note upfront (which I love, keep on bringing it), which then seamlessly transitions into a fruit and nut medley, showing freshly cut apples, lemon and lime zest, and about a dozen toasty nuts that leave you scrambling trying to find them all. The acid is just perfection here, keeping the wine balanced and long. The finish runs a solid 20-30 seconds revealing notes of candied ginger and crusty flakes of French pastry.
It boggles my mind that this wine is the base offering, and I just think it speaks volumes about Ken and Erica’s talents and commitment to quality, at all price points. I genuinely think this wine competes with white burgundy approaching the $200 mark from some excellent producers.
I’m going to let the X-Novo chards see a couple years in the cellar, and enjoy the hell out of the La Combe Verte in the meantime.
Just checked in on day two to see how it’s evolving.
In short., Still going strong. The reductive note hasn’t changed (good in my book), and there’s a slightly more pronounced freshly cut Granny Smith apple acidity on the palette, but otherwise all the same complex details remain from day one. Texturally, I’m noticing a touch more weight on the back half of each sip. Length is still outstanding. Love this wine.
Yup, Le Combe Vert is a fantastic chard–and at the price, it’s a steal. I haven’t tried any of my '22’s yet, but it’s good to hear that they are drinking so well.
I really loved the 21’s and was trying to not get my hopes up assuming that the 22s could possibly hit the same high mark, but I have to say, they do and they’re drinking well already assuming you love a little extra zing in the citrus realm.
The prices have jumped … but the wine is still undervalued IMO. I grabbed the 2021 X Novo chards and don’t regret it.
I also I have to mention that the 2019 X Novo chards are drinking so absurdly well now that on CT I suggested they were fully mature — and had a raft of comments telling me to basically desist from spreading fake news. I am keeping my last bottle of 2019 and hope they are right and I am wrong,
Sadly, I believe this is a trend we will continue to see accross many WV producers in the coming years. They have keep prices pretty flat for the last 5+ years while I believe quality has improved, all before you consider inflation. Many of these wines feel like good values at 50% higher prices.
That’s good to know. I was going off my own notes and memory (which isn’t always the most reliable!) and I recall the 2021 having punchier acidity, and while the 22 is not lacking acidity, it’s perhaps just a slightly more integrated wine all around. That said, I loved the ‘21 too so there’s no complaining going on around here.
The 2020 Bois Moi was one of the best white wine bargains of all time, lingering around retail for $25-28 for a pretty long time.
I bought as many as I could find and just had one of them Sunday, such a fantastic wine. If you slapped a Burgundy label on it and bought it for $80, you would think you got a great deal.
It was a one-off label when they declassified most of their premiere chards that year because of fires, I think.
@Bweiss or anyone else, any comparisons of the Chene Verte to that wine?
I’ve had both wines, and loved both. Going off my CT reviews of both wines, I scored the ‘22 La Combe Verte a touch higher than the Bois Mois, but it’s really splitting hairs at this point as both as fantastic. The price of the Bois Mois, as you noted, was just unbeatable and I wish I had scooped up those when they were available.
Yeah, that '20 vintage turned out to be interesting. When they released the Bois Moi in 2021, I was under the impression that that would be the only Chardonnay they did in that vintage. But later on they also released a 2020 Cuvee Anne blend and a 2020 single vineyard from Freedom Hill. I don’t remember the price differential, but the Cuvee Anne had a lot more Walter Scott typicity than the Bois Moi, at least IMO.
I LOVED the ‘22 La Combe Verte Chardonnay so much last week I felt compelled to open the ‘22 La Combe Verte Pinot Noir. So, I did. This iS my first red wine from Walter Scott, so I don’t have much to compare to within their lineup, but here it goes…
The wine is light on its feet, both with its restrained alcohol and showing a much “prettier” style and texture overall (more Chambolle Musigny than, say, Gevrey Chambertin). It reminds me of some of the Kelley Fox wines I’ve enjoyed in past years, but I sense that this is 100% de-stemmed fruit. In other words it’s earthy and savory, less fruity than many OR Pinots, but it doesn’t go quite as deep into the spicy/savory side as some OR producers (PGC, Goodfellow both come to mind). Tannins are very subtle, so not a ton of structure here, and I don’t feel bad popping this one right out of the gate.
Overall, I think the La Combe Verte Pinot is nicely balanced, ready to drink, wine that easily commands its price. To me it doesn’t punch so far above its class the way the Chardonnay does, but I’m quite pleased with it and would be happy to share it among friends. CT 90pts.
Thanks for posting the notes on the 22 La Combe, I have one of each as well and will be checking in over the next couple weeks. I tasted quite a bit of 2021 Pinto over the last 6 months and finally feel like I have some sense of the vintage, but I’m excited to start tasting the 2022.
How do you feel it compares? I’ve had one 2022 Evasham wood WV that I was not thrilled with, and I am a little hesitant on the vintage given the potential for variable ripeness. It may be a producer/cuvee by producer/cuvee vintage for me. I have a Vincent RR 2022 lined up to taste side by side with the 21 as well.
I agree the ‘21s across the board were great to spectacular. Outstanding vintage overall. Very few disappointed, and if they did, it was simply a matter of style, which is a personal thing of course.
I only have two experiences with ‘22s so far and it’s the Walter Scott and then a Vincent pinot that I tasted from barrel back in June. Sadly I can’t recall which cuvée or SVD I tasted, but it was excellent, giving me high hopes for the vintage.
and they’re drinking well already assuming you love a little extra zing in the citrus realm.