Winemaker Notes
VGW stands for "Very Good White," and it's 00 Wines calling card. Comprising four vineyards and three Dijon Chardonnay clones (plus the Mendoza clone), it's wonderfully balanced—rich yet bright, lush yet tense, showing both structure and texture. A blend of four vineyards and three Dijon clones (as well as the Mendoza clone), VGW manages to be many things at the same time: rich, but bright; lush, but with tension; structured, and textural. This is the winery's calling card and largest production cuvée.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
This is layered and creamy with dried apricot and lemon curd with some candied lemon as well. Medium to full body, with lots of tangy fruit and crisp acidity. Lemon tart and sea shell undertones.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A ripe youthful yellow hue, the 2021 Chardonnay VGW is fantastic out of the gates, with ripe aromas of white smoke, lemon balm, salty earth, and white peach. From all volcanic soils, the 2021 Chardonnay VGW is ripe through the palate with generous notes of salted pineapple fruit and a rounded feel, although it’s clean as a whistle and has a fresh lift of acidity.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay VGW comes from grapes harvested September 10–24. On the nose, white peaches are accented by honeycomb, roasted almonds and honeysuckle. The palate pairs concentrated, honeyed fruit with mouthwatering acidity and a silky texture, and it has a gently perfumed, ethereal finish.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
One of Pinot Noir's most successful New World outposts, the Willamette Valley is the largest and most important AVA in Oregon. With a continental climate moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean, it is perfect for cool-climate viticulture and the production of elegant wines.
Mountain ranges bordering three sides of the valley, particularly the Chehalem Mountains, provide the option for higher-elevation vineyard sites.
The valley's three prominent soil types (volcanic, sedimentary and silty, loess) make it unique and create significant differences in wine styles among its vineyards and sub-AVAs. The iron-rich, basalt-based, Jory volcanic soils found commonly in the Dundee Hills are rich in clay and hold water well; the chalky, sedimentary soils of Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton and McMinnville encourage complex root systems as vines struggle to search for water and minerals. In the most southern stretch of the Willamette, the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA soils are mixed, shallow and well-drained. The Hills' close proximity to the Van Duzer Corridor (which became its own appellation as of 2019) also creates grapes with great concentration and firm acidity, leading to wines that perfectly express both power and grace.
Though Pinot noir enjoys the limelight here, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay also thrive in the Willamette. Increasing curiosity has risen recently in the potential of others like Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc and Gamay.