The 2018 Chardonnay VGW is generous and exotic. The nose is bursting with ripe peach, honeycomb, pie crust, jasmine and gingery touches. The medium-bodied palate offers alluring, perfumed fruit in a silky frame, with focused acidity to balance, and a touch of textural grip drives the long, savory finish.

The 2018 Chardonnay VGW is pure and sunny with pineapple, wet rock, pear, and delicate oak spice. The palate is ripe and long, with fresh peach, orange blossom, and warming spice. This is an exceptional and layered wine with great purity to drink over the next 10-15 years. 00 Wines, founded by husband-and-wife duo Katherine and Christopher Hermann, exclusively produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They derived the name “00” from numerology and say it represents true and absolute potential. Their first vintage was in 2015, and in 2017 they moved to a shared winemaking facility that they operate out of today. Katherine takes charge of the creative direction with packaging and communications. Her background in marketing brought her to New York City and Boulder, Colorado, working for technology startups, before arriving in the Willamette Valley. Prior to establishing 00 Wines, Christopher was a legal advisor for nearly 40 years for many of the top names in the wine and spirits industry, practicing environmental law. They are inspired by the great wines of Burgundy and implement many of Burgundian techniques, advised by their consultant Pierre Millemann and their winemaker Wynne Peterson-Nerdry. I cannot speak to their reds at this point, but they are certainly making some of the most compelling white wines in the Willamette Valley today.

The VGW (Very Good White) is crafted from Dijon clone Chardonnay from the Eola-Amity Hills. The fruit was picked at 22 deg. Brix, despite advice to let it hang. The decision was wise - the resulting wine is balanced and elegant. Despite a pronounced reductive edge from the 'Black Chardonnay' technique of consultant Pierre Milleman, the wine is expressive and deep. Initially, the wine was a bit closed, but aromas of ripe pear, acacia flower, candle wax, and hay develop with time. The texture is rich and broad, with a depth that suggests that it will age for decades.

This just sings on the nose with intense grapefruit and a stony edge. Nougat and almond paste notes add complexity. The palate is richly textural with peaches, smooth honey and spice. Good grip. Intense. Drink now.

Apple skin, lemon curd, wet stones, linear acidity that butterflies into a lees character, lovely but without the flavour depth of the rest of their range. Tightly woven fine linen as opposed to silk in texture. (SCJ)