No American wines have captured our attention quite like the wines from Walter Scott in Oregon. American Chardonnay & Pinot is, of course, a stacked category, one with no shortage of great producers in it. But even in that crowded field, Walter Scott stands out. Put simply, these are some of the best wines being made in the country right now, offering terroir expression and ageworthiness rivaled only by Burgundy.
It's no secret that the Willamette Valley is Pinot Noir country. Pinot is far and away the most planted variety in Oregon, and any other varieties are frankly an afterthought for many wineries. But slowly, quietly, there's been a change happening, and people are starting to realize Willamette is also an amazing terroir for Chardonnay. No one is making a stronger case for Oregon Chardonnay as the next great category than Ken Pahlow and Erica Landon at Walter Scott (named for family members of Ken).
Ken has been making wine in the Willamette Valley for over 20 years, starting with the famed St. Innocent winery in 1994. In 2008, he began his label, focusing primarily on Pinot Noir. While making his wine on the side, he took a job at Evening Land, where he had the opportunity to work under the legendary Dominique Lafon of Meursault. Lafon's influence is obvious in the wines: more than once we've been poured these wines blind and been so struck by their detail and precision that we were convinced we could only be drinking great Burgundy. Ken's techniques are directly inspired by the Burgundian masters he has learned from on annual visits to the region, and results are incredible.
Like with Burgundy, and unlike so many other American Chardonnays & Pinot Noirs, overt fruit is not the focus here, but rather minerality and harmonious texture. Crushed oyster shells and citrus is the name of the game in the Chards, along with structure built for the long haul. This is American Chardonnay for the lover of white Burgundy, Chenin Blanc, and Champagne. If you love the wines of Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Jean Marc Roulot, Boisson Vadot, or Arnaud Ente, these are domestic wines that should be in your cellar. The Pinots at this address are just as important as the Chardonnays, and It's rare that we are able to offer the full lineup of Chardonnays, and we have an extremely small amount of this vintage, so grab up what you can now.
To order, please click here. Shipping and pickup are available, as always. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to respond to this email or call us at (607) 319-0500.
WInes arrive Wednesday.
Wines are pre-discounted to some of the lowest in the country!
1) Walter Scott Aligote "X Saca" 2022 750ml
Regular price $55
Sale Price: $43.99/btl!! BUY NOW
In 2018, the family added an additional 40 acre site which sits adjacent to their X Novo Vineyard. The high density X Saxa Vineyard sits on an extremely steep, intensely-rocky volcanic slope that was originally planted to Riesling in 2005 by famed Australian Winemaker Brian Croser. The Williams’ grafted the established vines over to Aligoté and Chardonnay in the spring of 2018.
2021 Review: 93 points Wine Advocate: "The 2021 Aligoté X Saxa Vineyard opens with alluring matchstick reduction that complements a deep core of ripe golden apple, lime candy, beeswax and marzipan—there's depth, ripeness and exotic floral hint on the nose despite the zippy palate. Light-bodied, laser fresh and streaked with chalky and flinty character, it has a creamy texture and a very energetic finish with expansive savory layers. A lovely rendition of Aligoté with a depth of flavor that nods to its sunny origins. (March 2023)"
2) Walter Scott Chardonnay "Cuvée Anne" 2022 750ml
Regular price $65
Sale Price: $53.99/btl!! BUY NOW
The Cuvée Anne Chardonnay is blended from Ken and Erica's best Chardonnay sites, including Freedom Hill, X Novo, Sojourner and Vojtilla Vineyards. It is a reserve blend that represents their vision of Willamette Valley Chardonnay. The juice was fermented with ambient yeast, minimal bâtonnage and aged in a mix of new and neutral 500 & 350 liter barrels for 12 months. The wine is finally racked and blended to stainless steel for an additional 3 months prior to bottling. This wine boasts clarity and precision, leading with supple aromas of Meyer lemon zest, green pear, and white peach, layered with floral notes of honeysuckle, lemon myrtle, orange blossom, and a hint of oyster shells. The palate is intricately fruity with freshness at the forefront, followed by a focused acidity.
2021 review: Wine Advocate: 95-97 Points": A tank sample, the 2021 Chardonnay Cuvée Anne has beautiful aromas of apple pie, quince and elderflower with streaks of matchstick and roasted almonds. The light-bodied palate has a quietly intense core of honeyed fruit, tangy acidity, and a touch of textural presence lengthens the mineral-driven finish. Tremendously energetic, it's shaping up to be an age-worthy Chardonnay!"
3) Walter Scott Chardonnay "Freedom Hill" 2022 750ml
Regular price $95
Sale Price: $79.99.99/btl!! BUY NOW
The Dusschee Family has been growing Chardonnay longer than most, putting lots of care into growing the best fruit possible since 1981. In 2012 Ken and Erica were lucky enough to start working with their fruit, getting access to one acre of Chardonnay. The wine is fermented with ambient yeast and minimal bâtonnage. It is aged in a new 500L puncheon, a once-filled puncheon and neutral puncheon for 12 months. The wine is racked and blended to stainless steel for an additional 3 months prior to bottling. Our 2021 Freedom Hill Chardonnay is erupting with powerful aromas of tangerine blossom and Meyer lemon layered with lemon balm and ginger. The palate is a balance of density and elegance, with a razor-sharp acidity, limestone texture, and an intense saline minerality in the finish.
2021 Review: Jeb Dunnuck, 93-95 Points: "This is sourced from a block of young vines that used to go into the St. Innocent bottling from the estate. The 2021 Chardonnay Freedom Hill displays more pronounced flinty reduction up front at this stage, with green apple, thyme, and fresh herbs. The palate is elegant and textured, with lemon curd, light baking spice, and white flowers. It is pure and crystalline in nature."
4) Walter Scott Chardonnay "X Novo" 2022 750ml
Regular price $120
Sale Price: $99.99/btl!! BUY NOW
In 2010 famed California Cabernet Winemaker, Craig Williams came to Oregon and purchased a few pieces of land and began planting vineyards. What he did would turn heads as he took an incredible site, facing east in the Eola-Amity Hills, and planted it to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. (But that's not what got people talking.) The clonal selection that he planted was the special part. The Chardonnay block that Ken and Erica work with is planted to fifteen different clones of Chardonnay. It is one of the most unique sites in Oregon, if not the West Coast. This wine is fermented with ambient yeast and minimal bâtonnage. It is aged in a mix of new and neutral 500 & 350 liter barrels for 12 months. The wine is racked and blended to stainless steel for an additional 3 months prior to bottling. This wine is exotic and striking, scented with jasmine, gardenia, lemon blossoms, white peach, and flint. The palate frames balance and concentration effortlessly showing notes of lemon drops, candied tangerine peel, fennel, and wet stones, and welcomes a salty, mouth-watering finish.2021 Review: Jeb Dunnuck, 96-98 Points: "The 2021 Chardonnay X Novo is layered and lifted with a perfume of yellow orchard fruit, white flowers, and lemon verbena. The palate is pure, with ripe peach, lemon curd, and salty earth, and the texture is long and persistent, with great clarity. There is so much to love about this wine. Drink 2025-2035."
4) Walter Scott Pinot Noir "La Combe Verte" 2022 750ml
Regular price $50
Sale Price: $39.99/btl!! BUY NOW
94 points The Wine Advocate: "The 2022 Pinot Noir La Combe Verte was sourced from vineyards planted on both volcanic and sedimentary soils, including Distraction, Freedom Hill, Sojeau, Temperance Hill and Witness Tree. Matured for 10 months in 25% new French oak, it opens with flinty reduction that gives way to cranberry, pomegranate, raspberry, forest floor and bitters. The palate offers bright, spicy red fruit, tea-textured tannins, vibrant acidity and a long, pure finish. Complex and expressive, the 2022 La Combe Verte is approachable now, although it will develop savory complexity in bottle over the next decade or more."The inviting nose envelopes the senses with the suggestion of both ripe red & black fruits complimented by fragrant summer flowers and the comforting warmth of earthy spices. The dense fruit, succulent tannins, and vibrant acidity all come together to produce a lovely & balanced example of what the Willamette Valley has to offer. -team Walter Scott 5) Walter Scott Pinot Noir "Cuvee Ruth" 2022 750ml
Regular price $65
Sale Price: $53.99/btl!! BUY NOW
Wine Advocate: 94 Points: It will require some time in a decanter for its initial flinty reduction to give way to strawberry, raspberry, blood orange, licorice, lavender and spices. The light-bodied palate is punctuated by bright pops of juicy, perfumed fruit and citrusy top notes. It has very fine, tea-textured tannins, shimmery acidity and a long, layered finish. Cuvee Ruth, a testament to the Eola-Amity Hills' unique terroir in Willamette Valley. Crafted with devotion, this Pinot Noir stands as a tribute to Ruth and Irv Kantor, embodying the passion and dreams of its creators. Made from select barrels across iconic vineyards, this wine, aged 10 months in French oak, showcases a harmonious blend of red fruit, floral tones, and mineral depth. Cuvee Ruth unfolds with a tapestry of elegant red fruits, intertwined with delicate floral nuances and a mineral core. Its complex profile is polished and pure, reflecting the Eola-Amity Hills' quintessence. A gentle touch of French oak adds depth, enhancing the wine's seamless integration of flavors. 6) Walter Scott Pinot Noir "Freedom Hill" 2022 750ml
Regular price $100
Sale Price: $79.99/btl!! BUY NOW
The Freedom Hill we've always waited for. We've watched the evolution of Freedom Hill in the Walter Scott cellar and to our tastes, the 2022 is the pinnacle. Ken has always coaxed more refinement from Freedom Hill but in '22 it is more delicious, more open, more satiny, more reddish-blue in tone, more magical to taste! Whether or not you've gravitated toward the Freedom Hill bottling in past vintages, this wonderful wine will knock off your Pinot-loving socks. Walter Scott: Freedom Hill Pinot noir captivates the sense with its signature intensity, unraveling a tapestry of flavors reminiscent of brambly Marionberries, grilled black cherries, and the enticing allure of violets. It boldly unravels its flavors with an interplay of fruit alongside black tea and licorice. Delighting the palate, it reveals a captivating density, woven with nuances of sweet tobacco and mineral-rich gravel while embracing velvety tannins. With our intention to balance its inherent strength with its finesse, this expression celebrates the unique potential of Freedom Hill. 2021 Review: Wine Advocate 95-97 pts: The 2021 Freedom Hill Pinot Noir from barrel has a medium ruby-purple color and scents of cranberry, pomegranate and orange peel, unfolding to accents of pipe tobacco, tar, tea leaves and dried herbs. The light bodied palate is delicately styled, offering fragrant, crunchy fruit, soft, grainy tannins and bright bursts of acidity. 7) Walter Scott Pinot Noir "Koosah Vineyard" 2022 750ml
Regular price $100
Sale Price: $79.99/btl!! BUY NOW
From its inception, Koosah has been known for an almost cosmic-level of energy, and we see this build in the 2022. The rainbow label hints at this wine's multi-spectrum nature—from bright to dark flavors, sweet to savory, the whole while making you feel that same kind of joy as when you see an actual rainbow. Smiles all around with this one. Walter Scott: Embarking on a sensory adventure, Koosah Pinot Noir presents a captivating fusion of savory and fruity, weaving together the enchantment of wild red cherries and cola, harmoniously balanced by whispers of anise, and a lovely bouquet of Fresia. The palate unfurls with remarkable length and intensity boasting the essence of succulent blackberries, mulberries, and a gentle kiss of velvety cocoa. Buoyed by silky tannins on the palate, the flavors gracefully linger and continue to unapologetically delight the senses. Koosah vineyard sits atop the windswept crest of the Eola-Amity Hills at 700-1100 feet. The steeply-sloped, profoundly-rocky 82.5 acre site consists of 44 acres of vineyard, 6 acres of orchard with the remaining acres in oak savannah pasture. They employ permaculture techniques, having planted hundreds of species of flowering and fruiting trees, shrubs and vines. This wide plant diversity encourages a healthy microbiome to naturally reduce disease and insect pressure. Additionally, Kevin has pioneered the use of compost-teas brewed on the farm to aid in building soil fertility, microbial diversity and disease prevention. Walter Scott began sourcing three mixed-clone blocks in 2019, including 1.4 acres of Pinot noir and 3.3 acres of Chardonnay. |
