Crushed lime mingles with minty herbs and a nuance of young kiwi as the 2023 Aligoté X Novo Vineyard opens in the glass. Juicy and fruit intense it is also full of salty tension. The 2023 leaves the mouth watering for more as a hint of green melon and chlorophyll fades through the wickedly fresh finish. - By Eric Guido on July 2025
Tasting the 2023s at Walter Scott was the highlight of a long day of tasting. Winemaker Ken Pahlow leaned into the racy nature of the vintage and worked diligently to make sure that the wines would express an undeniable sense of place. The lineup shows more immediacy in this vintage while maintaining crisp acidity and balanced structure—quite a compelling mix. Pahlow practiced a minimal amount of fining with the 2023s and in general he began bottling the Pinot Noirs about three months earlier than in the past. The red wines here have seen a marked improvement over the last few years as this has always been an estate that set benchmarks with Chardonnay. And yes the 2023 Chardonnays are simply fantastic. There’s certainly a deeper level of fruit intensity but their overall balance is remarkable. This lineup exemplifies how broadly Chardonnay excels over Pinot Noir in 2023. Of note 2023 was the last vintage where Pahlow had access to fruit from the Justice and Temperance Hill Vineyards. As sad as that is this lineup is simply an embarrassment of riches. I continue to be thoroughly impressed by this project.
