Wednesday Newsletter 4-1-2020

 

 

Marcus Goodfellow is one of the premier winemakers in Oregon.  He founded Matello wines, his original label, in 2002 and hasn’t looked back since, making wines that have continually improved—both in bottle and from vintage to vintage.  These are profound wines, both white and red, that are made in a style that’s distinctly savory—no fruit bombs here.  Rather, we love them for their coiled power and Burgundian structure.

Like most wineries in the Willamette Valley, Marcus has been hit hard by the recent restaurant shutdown, and so we’re working with him to bring a bunch of wines to you at much lower prices than normal.  It puts (much needed) cash in the wineries pocket and allows you to save a ton on wines that already over-delivered at their original prices.  

We launched this quartet of Subscriber Specials over the weekend to a great response—enough that we had to get the winery to bring more wine yesterday!  These previously sold out (or close to it) wines are now fully stocked and ready for your sheltering-in-place tables. 

Our first of the Goodfellow Subscriber Specials is a wine that we’ve never sold at retail before, technically—a special “restaurant edition” of the 2016 Goodfellow Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. The regular ’16 Willamette Valley was one of our bestselling bottles when we had it in and this new wine offers even more value.  First of all, we’re able to offer it to you for even less than the original WV went for—under $20 a bottle, which is a stellar price for a wine of this quantity.  If you’re willing to commit to a half or a full case (and why wouldn’t you?) the price gets truly nuts: $16.50/btl or just $15.75 respectively.

The wine itself is a slightly different blend than the “regular” bottling, emphasizing a bit more fruit and softer, more elegant tannins.  Its base is made from the Bednarik vineyard (the star vineyard for Panther Creek in the late 90’s and a hidden gem in the Willamette Valley), which provides a rich, textured core that has plenty of Goodfellow zest and savoriness.  The other main vineyards are layered in as well, with Durant providing florals and fruit, Whistling Ridge spice and structure and Fir Crest bringing some earth and color to the mix.

The resulting wine is one of the most delicious, complete bottles of WV Pinot we’ve tasted for the price.  As you’d expect of a wine blended for glass pouring, this is fantastic out of the gate, no need to age this one.  We’re sure it’ll improve over the next 5ish years, but if you’re looking for a Willamette wine to keep you company during a self-quarantine, you should pop (many) of them now.

A special restaurant reserve bottling of the Willamette Valley Pinot Noir!
Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2016 750ML ($21.95) $18 special, 36+ bottles in stock now
Case-6 Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2016 750ML ($129.95) $99 special (that’s only $16.50/bottle!)
Case-12 Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2016 750ML ($219.95) $189 special (that’s only $15.75/bottle!)

This is (technically) the only listing the USA today!
The average price on the 2016 WVPN is $27

 

Unlike the last wine, the “Dundee Hills” bottling of Chardonnay has been a mainstay over the last year.  Made primarily from the Lark Block of Durant Vineyard, this is a classic Goodfellow Chard.  It’s now $5 per bottle cheaper than it was yesterday, so stock up.  At $24, this was one of the better deals in Willamette Chard.  At $19, welcome to your new house white.

Goodfellow Family Cellars Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 2017 750ML ($29.95) Was $24, Now $19 Subscriber Special, 24+ bottles in stock now
John Gilman 90+ points “The fruit for the Dundee Hills bottling of chardonnay from Marcus Goodfellow all hails from the Durant Vineyard. The wine is excellent aromatically, wafting from the glass in a complex and slightly reductive blend of pear, apple, almond, iodine, a good base of soil and a well done framing of new oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and youthfully closed, with a good core of fruit, lovely soil signature, zesty acids and fine balance on the long and vibrant finish. This is perfectly drinkable today, if one decants it a bit and unlocks the reduction, but it is built to age and will be an even better dink with some bottle age. 2020-2035. 90+.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

We originally ran this staff pick a few months ago.  Now that we’ve gone ahead and dropped the price on Marcus’ 2015 Syrah Reserve, well… an already exceptional wine is now even more of a must-buy.

Saul:
At first glance, the Willamette Valley might seem like an odd place to grow Syrah—after all, we think of Syrah as a warmth loving grape.  That said, when you look at the historical temperatures in the Northern Rhone combined with the volcanic soils that define both the Valley and areas like Cote Rotie, you start to wonder about the possibilities of the grape here.  Cristom has occasionally released them, but we recently tasted one of the finest bottles of Syrah I’ve had from Oregon.

You might know that Marcus Goodfellow makes Syrah from Deux Vert Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton, but in 2015 he produced a Syrah Reserve bottling—and boy is it fantastic.  The Reserve bottling spent longer in barrel (over 30 months) and was selected for structure, savoriness and power. Like most of Marcus’ wines, there’s a lot of whole-cluster fermentation in this bottling and it definitely reads as more “serious” as a result.  While the wine is rich and intense, don’t expect over the top fruit here.  It reminded me of really high quality St. Joseph, with dark, fresh fruits and a distinct meaty, savory overtone.  I’m grabbing some for now and some for the cellar—it’s delicious now but I suspect it’s going to be a stunner in a decade.


In Stock Now:

Goodfellow Family Cellars Deux Vert Reserve Syrah, Willamette Valley 2015 750ML ($47.95) Was $36, Now $31.90 Subscriber Special, 35 bottles in stock now
John Gilman 91+ points “Marcus Goodfellow’s 2015 Deux Vert Vineyard (Reserve) bottling of Syrah includes five percent viognier, which grows alongside these syrah vines, which were the first to be planted in the Willamette Valley in 1994. The 2015 version comes in at 13.8 percent octane and delivers a refined and red fruity bouquet of raspberries, pepper, woodsmoke, roasted meats, lovely soil tones, plenty of spice elements and a nice framing of cedary oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, tangy and rock solid at the core, with excellent transparency and grip, ripe tannins and a long, focused and nascently complex finish. This will be a lovely bottle in due course, but it needs some time in the cellar to allow its backend tannins to resolve a bit. Fine juice. 2030- 2055+. 91+.”
VinopolNote: The Reserve bottling spent longer in barrel (over 30 months) and was selected for structure, savoriness and power. Like most of Marcus’ wines, there’s a lot of whole-cluster fermentation in this bottling and it definitely reads as more “serious” as a result.  While the wine is rich and intense, don’t expect over-the-top fruit here. This reminds us of high quality Northern Rhone wines, with dark, fresh fruits and a distinct meaty, savory overtone.  One for the table with some air or for the cellar.

This is the only listing in the USA today!

Looking for a Syrah with a playful, floral side? Check out the “standard” bottling from ’13
Matello Fool’s Journey Deux Vert Vineyard, Willamette Valley 2013 750ML ($24.95) $18 special, 36 bottles in stock now
Josh Raynolds – Vinous 90 points “Bright violet. Smoke-tinged dark berries and pungent flowers on the nose. Juicy and focused on the palate, offering bitter cherry and cassis flavors that take a sweeter turn on the back half. Dusty tannins make a late appearance and add gentle grip to the smooth, energetic finish.”
Winery note “From the Willamette Valley’s first planting of Syrah, this cool climate, low alcohol wine will redefine your idea of the possibilities of new-world Syrah. If you like your Syrah French, here is a kindred but one of a kind wine from Oregon.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!

 
Whistling Ridge is Marcus Goodfellow’s Cros Parantoux—a site he seems to have particular affinity with, producing exceptional wines.  It’s located on top of a hill in Ribbon Ridge, adjoining Patricia Green and the Beaux Freres Upper Terrace.  This is often his most “Burgundian” bottling and takes a few years to open up.

Case in point: the now-stunning 2015 edition, which showed immeasurable promise when young (but not very much immediate pleasure).  Recently, though, the wine seems to have turned a corner and offers an exceptional experience.  Red cherry, spice and orange notes linger over a powerful palate that features a beautiful measure of red and black fruit over a beam of mineral energy.  It’s gonna age for a while more, but is delicious right now.  Marcus has been generous enough to pull a few cases out of the winery’s library and we’re excited to re-release it to you today.

Goodfellow Family Cellars Whistling Ridge Vineyard Pinot Noir, Ribbon Ridge 2015 750ML ($49.95) $36 special, 17 bottles in stock now
Wine Advocate 93 points “From a vineyard planted in 1990, the pale to medium ruby colored 2015 Pinot Noir Whistling Ridge Vineyard has a spicy nose of coriander, warm cinnamon, potpourri and dried leaves over a core of baked cranberry and red cherry fruit with meaty/savory touches. Light to medium-bodied, it has spice-laced red fruits in the mouth, with a great frame of fine-grained tannins and wonderful freshness, finishing very long and very spicy. 270 cases produced.”
VinopolNote “Whistling Ridge has become Marcus Goodfellow’s Cros Parantoux—a vineyard that somehow went overlooked but now produces exceptional wines in the right hands.  Nestled on the ridgetop abutting the Beaux Freres Upper Terrace, wines from Whistling Ridge tend to be compact and powerful-built for aging.  Lots of spice and floral notes blend with a mix of black and red fruits for a stellar wine that’s one of the best versions yet.”

This is the only listing in the USA today!