Tag Archives: oregon

Half the Bottle, All of the 95 Point Chardonnay: March 2019

Marcus Goodfellow’s labels have been mainstays at the shop for some time now. When the Wine Advocate’s review for the 2014 Richard’s Cuvee Chardonnay came out, we can’t say we were particularly surprised. As you’d expect the 750’s of the Richard’s sold out in a flash, but it turns out that the winery had a number of cases of half bottles that no one has pounced on. Lucky for you, we’ve scooped up the last available from the winery, so once these are gone, they’re gone. In the meantime, this in-its-prime Chardonnay will make a beautiful wine to buy in bulk—the half bottles just make it that much more convenient.

Goodfellow Family Cellars Richard’s Cuvee Chardonnay, Willamette Valley 2014 375ML ($24.95) Buy Now: $20.90 special
Wine Advocate 95 points “The 2014 Chardonnay Richard’s Cuvee knocks it out of the park with a nose of ripe apricots, pink grapefruit and guavaunderscored by fresh ginger, baking bread, beeswax and yeast extract hints with a waft of jasmine. Medium-bodied, the palate is very elegant and refined, with incredible freshness and depth wrapped in a lovely satiny texture, finishing with long lasting mineral and spices layers. Wow!” Continue reading →

Averaen: December 2018

A New Project from Baron Ziegler, One of the Founders of Banshee

We’re pleased to welcome the exceptional wines of Averaen to Vinopolis—at more than exceptional pricing. If you’re unfamiliar with these wines, you’d be excused—2016 is only the label’s second year in existence, but they’ve already established themselves as a top producer of rich, terroir-driven Pinot Noir in Oregon.

Averaen is a project of Baron Ziegler, one of the founders of Banshee wines, and liketheir Cali-counterparts, the Averaen wines deliver exceptional value—a hard thing to do in Pinot Noir. These are exceptionally made, well reviewed single vineyard wines (and one Willamette blend) that are a steal for the prices we’re offering them at.

Averaen Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2016 750ML ($49.95) Buy Now: $36 special
Josh Raynolds 93 points “(50% whole clusters and 50% new French oak) Brilliant red. Powerful smoke- and spice-accented red berry liqueur, mocha and floral pastille scents show excellent clarity and pick up notes of licorice and cola with air. Sweet and expansive on the palate, offering juicy black raspberry, cherry cola, lavender and spicecake flavors that become livelier on the back half. This weighty yet lithe Pinot finishes smooth and very long, featuring slow-building tannins and resonating florality.”

Averaen ‘Eola Springs Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills 2016 750ML ($49.95) Buy Now: $36 special
Josh Raynolds 93 points “(50% whole clusters and 50% new French oak) Vivid red. Spice-tinged black raspberry and cherry scents are complicated by hints of cola, pungent flowers and smoky minerals. Sweet and seamless on the palate, offering energetic red and dark berry and vanilla flavors along with suggestions of rose pastille and blood orange that add complexity. Concentrated but vibrant and precise in character, delivering strong finishing thrust, interwoven tannins and excellent, floral-driven persistence.”

Averaen Meredith Mitchell Vineyard Pinot Noir, McMinnville 2016 750ML ($49.95) Buy Now: $36 special
Josh Raynolds 92 points “(20% whole clusters and 50% new French oak) Lurid red. Blackberry and boysenberry aromas are complicated by suggestions of cola and candied violet, and a smoky mineral note lends nervy lift. Incisive dark berry and bitter cherry flavors slowly gain flesh and become sweeter in the midpalate. Impressively precise and energetic, delivering strong finishing thrust and dusty, building tannins that make a late appearance.”

Averaen Nysa Vineyard Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2016 750ML ($49.95) Buy Now: $39 special
Josh Raynolds 93 points “(30% whole clusters and 50% new French oak) Deep vivid red. A highly aromatic bouquet evokes red fruit liqueur, mocha and Asian spices, along with a smoky mineral overtone. Juicy, seamless and precise on the palate, offering sweet raspberry, rose pastille and spicecake flavors that deepen and spread out steadily with air. Conveys a suave blend of richness and finesse and finishes with supple, harmonious tannins and outstanding clarity and floral-tinged persistence.”

Averaen Flood Line Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2016 750ML ($39.95) Buy Now: $26 special
Josh Raynolds 91 points “(40% new French oak) Bright red. Aromas of ripe red berries and cherry, along with subtle cola and licorice nuances. Sweet and penetrating on the palate, offering bitter cherry and raspberry flavors that flesh out on the back half. A smoky note emerges on the clinging finish, which features fine-grained tannins and suave red fruit preserve and mocha qualities.”

Belle Pente Estate Reserve – 95 Points!

September 2018

Belle Pente Estate Reserve 2014

Best Ever? You decide!

The wines from Belle Pente are a mainstay here at Vinopolis and we’re thrilled to see Brian get some well deserved recognition for his Estate Reserve.

Belle Pente Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton District 2014 750ML ($59.95) $49 special
Belle Pente Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Yamhill-Carlton District 2014 1.5L ($149.95) $119 special
Josh Raynolds 95 points “Limpid ruby-red. Powerful blue fruit liqueur, violet pastille, incense and smoky mineral aromas, along with hints of cola and exotic spices. Appealingly sweet and expansive on the palate, offering densely packed black raspberry, boysenberry, mocha and floral pastille flavors and a strong spicecake note. Supple, well-knit tannins give shape to the intensely fruit-driven finish, which lingers with outstanding persistence and building sweetness.”

Arterberry Maresh Stars: September 2018

With Two 96 Point Scores

In the New Issue of the Wine Advocate

We’ve long supported and loved the wines that Jim Arterberry makes under the Arterberry-Maresh (pronounced “marsh”) label, so it was no surprise to see him get a lot of critical praise in the new issue of the Wine Advocate. These are some incredible wines, made in a understated style from exceptional, often extremely old, vineyards. In the words of WA reviewer Erin Brooks:

“The 2016 Pinot Noirs from Arterberry Maresh offer amazing layers of sweet, precise fruits, exotic spices and earth—everything you want from great Pinot Noir. They’re concentrated and jam-packed with flavor while still maintaining excellent grainy tannic structure and very juicy acidity, not to mention they age beautifully. Jim Maresh is also crafting some beautiful Chardonnays, some of the most exciting Chardonnays I have tasted from Oregon. Jim attributes much of his success to his fruit, which comes from old vines planted by his family in the early 1970s and are entirely dry farmed.”

Available Now:

Arterberry Maresh Pinot Noir ‘Maresh Vineyard’, Dundee Hills, 2016 750ML ($79.95) Buy Now: $69 special
Wine Advocate 96 points “This wine comes from Pinot Noir vines planted in the early 1970s. Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir Maresh Vineyard is scented of lilac, violet, pure strawberry jam, rhubarb and cranberry sauce with layers of warm earth, red and black licorice and exotic spice. Medium to full-bodied, it floods the mouth with warm red cherries, strawberry and rhubarb jam notions and wonderful accents of dried violets, earth, licorice and spice. It has very, very fine, grainy tannins and juicy mouthwatering acidity, finishing epically long with spiced warm red fruits. This just sings! 371 cases produced.”

Arterberry Maresh ‘Old Vines’ Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2016 750ML ($49.95) Buy Now: $41.90 special
Wine Advocate 96 points “This is the first non-vineyard designate made by Jim Maresh. Pale to medium ruby in color, the 2016 Pinot Noir Old Vines has a lovely pure nose of pink peppercorn, dried black tea leaves, red and black licorice and violets with dried cranberries, red cherries and layers and layers of spice. Medium to full-bodied, it has amazing concentration of flavor in the mouth, blossoming out to pure red fruits and spicy layers, with cinnamon and autumn leaves accents, very fine-grained tannins and juicy acidity, finishing very, very long with tons of earth-laced fruit. Wow! 1,040 cases produced.”

Wine of the Day: Holden Wine Company Johan Vineyard Chardonnay 2014 7-8-16

Holden Wine Company Johan Vineyard Chardonnay 2014 750ML ($27.95) Buy Now: $24 special

Holden Wine Company Johan Vineyard Chardonnay 2014

I’ve been training myself off of superlatives lately – wine sales and criticism bear no shortage of ’em, after all, and ‘Best Ever’ doesn’t carry the same weight after a half-dozen or more proclamations. Even so, I’ll proudly confess that this year, I have yet to experience a white wine as lovely as Holden’s 2014 Chardonnay.

Holden’s offerings are marked with an energetic, unique edge; you’re welcome to call them anything you’d like outside of ‘boring.’ While value is meaningless without quality and quality suffers when value is lacking, their Chardonnay delivers such a lovely combination of the two. I can’t really say enough good things about their lineup, so I’ll wrap things up with a few thirst-inspiring descriptors…

The Johan Chardonnay is layered and nuanced, going through malolactic fermentation while being spared overmanipulation. Effects of lemondrop, honey, and wild herbs coat the palate gently with a breezy, acid-tinged finish bringing it all together. It’s rich without being oaky and complex without seeming distracted. Oregon Chardonnay lovers, as well as anyone else searching for a hidden gem, might find themselves right at home here. – Tyler