While Pinot Noir has long been the main focus in Oregon's Willamette Valley, Chardonnay is their new rising star. Chardonnay is not new to the region, but the combination of finally isolating the proper clones and matching them to their ideal soils has sparked a new love affair with this Burgundian grape. Heck, even Dominique Lafon, one of the most respected producers in Burgundy has called Willamette Valley Chardonnay "the best in the New World." And one of the producers making the most thrilling Chardonnay's out of the region is 00 (Double Zero) Wines!
00 sources Chardonnay grapes from some of the Willamette Valley's most notable and selective growers. This wine is made in the "Black Chardonnay" method; a process where the grape juice is exposed to a substantial amount of oxygen prior to fermentation, with no sulfites added, which turns the juice a dark brown or black color. However, once the juice is fermented, the wine turns a brilliant gold color, and it resists oxidation while in the bottle. This method is being used in Burgundy and California, and pays in spades when done correctly. The VGW bottling quite literally stands for Very Good White, and that's exactly what this is; a VERY good white wine, and it's bottled with minimal pre-bottling sulfites! This is a Chardonnay that can stand toe-to-toe with some of the best made in Burgundy, and throughout the world.
JEB DUNNUCK 94 POINTS - "Bright and expressive, the 2022 Chardonnay VGW displays a straw hue and layers of preserved lemon, gunflint, ripe apples, beeswax, and almond. Full-bodied, it has a driving core of acidity, a silky texture, and impressive length. This fantastic appellation-level Chardonnay delivers plenty of intensity. Drink 2025-2035."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - "The 2022 Chardonnay VGW opens with alluring tones of flint and matchstick that give way to golden apples, quince, lemongrass, toast and allspice. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with concentrated, savory, flint-laced flavors. Its depth of flavor and textural presence is foiled by racy acidity, and it has a long, dynamic finish."
00 sources Chardonnay grapes from some of the Willamette Valley's most notable and selective growers. This wine is made in the "Black Chardonnay" method; a process where the grape juice is exposed to a substantial amount of oxygen prior to fermentation, with no sulfites added, which turns the juice a dark brown or black color. However, once the juice is fermented, the wine turns a brilliant gold color, and it resists oxidation while in the bottle. This method is being used in Burgundy and California, and pays in spades when done correctly. The VGW bottling quite literally stands for Very Good White, and that's exactly what this is; a VERY good white wine, and it's bottled with minimal pre-bottling sulfites! This is a Chardonnay that can stand toe-to-toe with some of the best made in Burgundy, and throughout the world.
JEB DUNNUCK 94 POINTS - "Bright and expressive, the 2022 Chardonnay VGW displays a straw hue and layers of preserved lemon, gunflint, ripe apples, beeswax, and almond. Full-bodied, it has a driving core of acidity, a silky texture, and impressive length. This fantastic appellation-level Chardonnay delivers plenty of intensity. Drink 2025-2035."
ROBERT PARKER'S WINE ADVOCATE 94 POINTS - "The 2022 Chardonnay VGW opens with alluring tones of flint and matchstick that give way to golden apples, quince, lemongrass, toast and allspice. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with concentrated, savory, flint-laced flavors. Its depth of flavor and textural presence is foiled by racy acidity, and it has a long, dynamic finish."
