Friends, we have a big one for you today on WWB. One of my favorite things is attending special vertical tastings. Over the course of several hours this gives you a chance to taste the evolution of the wine and recall not only what you remember about specific wines but the vintage as a whole. Other than recent vintages being consistently warm, the start to the 2010s was anything but ordinary in Oregon, as 2009, 2010 and 2011 were major outliers. In general I have been quite pleased with how Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay has showed in both 2010 and 2011, with 2011 bottlings typically coming off a tad leaner and more linear.
A few months back I had the chance to sit with Domaine Serene winemakers and sample an absolutely epic display of ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay, starting with the first vintage of this wine in 2010. Domaine Serene head winemaker Michael Fay noted that Chardonnay became a large part of the Domaine Serene program in the late 1990s. Fay mentioned “Buying Cote Sud in 1997 and having deep soils and high elevation was a great buy and when Ken and Grace came here in 1989 they wanted to make Pinot Noir and do it in the Dundee Hills but the former owner of Cote Sud saw the opportunity for making great Chardonnay. They made Chardonnay a bit in 1997 and then a commercial release in 1998 and the Evenstads fell in love with the Chardonnay and the expression from that site. From that time it has led to our philosophy of Chardonnay being from Dijon Clones set on Jory soils at high elevation. Djjon clones are early ripening and the clones that were traditionally set in California didn’t have success and that was something that has dictated our program ever since. That vineyard has been a huge part of having Chardonnay be a varietal that we really love.”
One of the challenges with making a new wine is dialing in the oak program. Rachel Zasadni, their assistant winemaker, noted “There has been a level of fluctuation [in new oak] but we have been using similar cooperages since we started using this wine in 2010. We wanted to make a flagship of Chardonnay to get our name out there to show the quality of Chardonnay. We had always done the single vineyard bottlings but in 2010 we wanted to take components from all those sites.”
The 2010 Doamine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay (WWB, 95) is a magical wine at now nine years of age. This spectacular bottling has amazing weight and a seamless texture that the ‘Evenstad Reserve’ has been known for. I was blown away with the 2012 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay (WWB, 96) which is amongst the best wines I have tried from this special vintage. The wine has incredible brightness and tension that runs through the core of the wine, with amazing range and sense of minerality. Just as good was the 2014 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay (WWB, 96) which is fat, round and generous while maintaining wonderful freshness. This marvelous bottling will cellar well for the next fifteen years. Learn more about these beautiful Chardonnay wines at domaineserene.com Here are my tasting notes from the Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay vertical tasting.
2010 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay- The 2010 ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay was aged for 17 months in French oak (72%) new prior to bottling. The wine was largely sourced from the Cote Sud Vineyard (47%) with smaller parts from Clos du Soleil, Clos du Lune and Etoile Vineyards. The aromatics are gorgeous here with butterscotch, toasted hazelnut and wild mushroom with peat moss tones that all build on the nose. The mouthfeel is soft and voluptuous as this soft wine effortlessly glides across the mid-palate. The savory and saline edge to the wine is fantastic, as is the near minute long finish. This really shows the wonderful balance found in the vintage This is seriously good now and has at least a decade to go. Drink 2019-2029- 95
2011 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay- The 2011 ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay was crafted quite differently than the 2010 as this saw 31% new French oak for 13 months prior to bottling. The nose is beautiful, showing butterscotch with shades of Pink Lady apple and nutmeg that mingle with lemon zest that all mingle together in the glass. The texture is wonderful here as the bright acidity literally rips through the mid-palate. The freshness is intense with a remarkable texture. Juicy green apple with kumquat zest, and nutmeg infused Challah bread flavors all come together marvelously on the palate. The exceedingly long finish lingers. This is very Chablis. Drink 2019-2029- 94
2012 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay- The 2012 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay was aged for 13 months in 31% new French oak prior to bottling. The vintage was warmer than the prior to vintages but saw a steady and warm growing season. The nose is seductive, showing bright kumquat zest, Meyer lemon cream, and butterscotch with macadamia nut that all meld together in the glass. The wine has a seamless quality that is hard to describe. The textural element to the wine is phenomenal. Bright mango and lemon creme brûlée with shades of nutmeg and bright Pazzaz apple flavors all really entice on the palate. The minute-long finish accentuates this stunning wine. While outstanding at the seven year mark, the wine has a very long life ahead of it. Drink 2019-2033- 96
2013 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay- The 2013 vintage was strongly marked by the torrential rains came that came in during early October. However, there were only a few blocks of Chardonnay at Domaine Serene that they had not picked prior to this major weather event. The wine was aged for 12 months in 20% new French oak prior to bottling. The texture to this wine is truly fantastic as the wine unveils butterscotch, macadamia nut, Bosc pear and shades of sourdough bread with a nice salinity. The wine finishes exceedingly long with vanilla cream. While this might not be as fresh as the 2011 vintage, this glorious wine is truly fantastic at the six month mark. Drink 2019-2026- 93
2014 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay- The 2014 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay is a head-turning wine that is showing why it was the #2 wine of the year by Wine Spectator. Aged for thirteen months in 31% new French oak prior to bottling, this wine was marked by a warm growing season with high quality and high quantity of fruit. Vanilla creme brulee, banana, and a light nutty character that all combine marvelously on the nose. The richness and tension in the wine is really fantastic as this glides across the mid-palate. Showing a light beam of salinity the wine effortlessly shows off shades of wet stone that mingle with cantaloupe, butterscotch, Meyer lemon zest and nutmeg infused Challah bread with shades of Pink Lady apple. The exceedingly long finish lingers. This is utterly compelling Chardonnay that is truly one of the beset of its kind. Drink 2019-2032- 96
2015 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay- The 2015 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay is a stunning wine that is showing marvelously at the four year mark. The wine was aged for 13 months in 40% new French oak prior to bottling. The vintage was known for the intense heat spikes, which led to thinker skins on the grapes. This shows a tropical fruit edge aromatically with citrus zest and wild mushroom undertones that all mingle together in the glass. The palate is plush, delivering a stunning texture. Like many of these wines, this possesses a seamless quality that really shines through. The length and mouthfeel marvelously combine, leading to an exceedingly long finish. Remarkable in its youth, this has the stuffing and acidity to cellar well for a decade or more. Drink 2019-2032- 95
2016 Domaine Serene ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay- The 2016 ‘Evenstad Reserve’ Chardonnay is simply beautiful in its youth. This marked the first year that they have introduced a larger portion of Chardonnay from the Triple Crown Vineyard (Dijon clones 76 and 95). This beautiful wine was aged for fourteen months in 30% new French oak prior to bottling. The nose is just stunning, showing marvelous layers and serious range. Macadamia nut, nutmeg infused sourdough bread, white truffle shavings and shades of vanilla creme brûlée all shine on the nose. The acidity and weight to the wine is just exceptional. Vanilla creme brulee, ripe banana, Pink Lady apple and Macadamia nut tart with shades of wet stone and peat moss all magically mingle together on the palate. A stunning wine, this Chardonnay is outstanding in its youth and will be exceedingly long lived. Drink 2019-2035- 95