00 Wines

A new winery out of Oregon, 00 Wines was founded by proprietors Katheryn and Chris Hermann. My first introduction to the wines and the people behind 00 Wines was earlier this spring while in London for a trade event. I had never had or seen this distinctive label and I was quite impressed with how both their Chardonnay and Pinot Noir showed. A lawyer by trade, Chris has served advisor to many wineries of the Oregon wine industry for 30 years. He and Katheryn had the vision to create wines that reflect the wines of Burgundy, through winemaker Wynne Pederson-Nedry and French consulting winemaker Pierre Millemann. Winemaking practices include pre-press crush and extreme pressing program extracts for Chardonnay and amphora aged and hand-selected Pinot Noir. 

The new releases were more than good — they were sensational. Not only that the wines brilliantly reflected the different vintages. While wines from 2015 and 2016 typically show similarly at wineries, 2017 is a more finesse-driven vintage. Their wines from 2017 are gorgeous, particularly their new 2017 00 Wines ‘VGW’ Chardonnay (WWB, 93) which has remarkable freshness and energy with excellent range. Simply put, 00 Wines has an exceedingly bright future in Oregon. Learn more about these fantastic new wines at https://www.00wines.com/ Here are the brilliant new wines by 00 Wines.

2015 00 Wines ‘VGW’ Chardonnay- Literally translating to ‘Very Good White’ the ‘VGW’ shows a stunning bouquet once in the glass of roasted hazelnut, vanilla cream and shades of Meyer lemon zest that all gain momentum. The palate is intense and high-toned with bright citrus zest flavors most prominent and lighter melon tones as well. The stony and smoky undertones add to the enjoyment here. A delight to savor now, this will only get better with time. Drink 2019-2028- 93

2016 00 Wines ‘VGW’ Chardonnay- The 2016 ‘VGW’ by 00 Wines was sourced from the Open Claim and Von Oehsen Vineyards. The heady, powerful aromas are quite gripping with toasty oak that wraps around citrus rind and bright orchard fruits, with smoky and flinty tones that round out this outstanding nose. The palate shows wonderful balance, viscosity and tons of lip-smacking acidity. Meyer lemon cream, starfruit and Pink Lady apple connect with minerals and smoky undertones. This is seriously good in its youth but will evolve well for a decade or more. Drink 2019-2029- 93

2017 00 Wines ‘VGW’ Chardonnay- The 2017 00 Wines ‘VGW’ Chardonnay is another stunning new wine from this exciting winery in the Willamette Valley. This wine opens with a bouquet of smoke with shades of wet stone, peat moss, citrus zest and orchard fruits that all mingle in the glass. The palate shows wonderful freshness and tension, unveiling bright lemon cream infused Challah bread, toasted hazelnut and forest floor flavors. While this is delicious now, the wine will cellar well over the next decade or more. Drink 2019-2029- 93

2015 00 Wines ‘VGR’ Pinot Noir- The 2015 ‘VGR’ Pinot Noir by 00 Wines is a downright gorgeous bottling from this great vintage in the Willamette Valley. On the nose this brings on a heady bouquet of red rose petals colliding with shades of smoke and blood orange with bright red fruits rounding out the beautiful aromatics. The palate shows a silky texture that entices. Smoked kirsch, cigar shavings, damp earth and minerals all connect on the palate with citrus rind undertones. A delight to savor at four years of age, the wine will have a very long life in the cellar. Drink 2019-2032- 93

2016 00 Wines ‘VGR’ Pinot Noir- The 2016 ‘VGR’ Pinot Noir shows wonderful range on the nose from smoky undertones to peat moss and citrus zest as well as bright red fruits that all connect in the glass. The palate is quite earthy and seductive, yielding a wonderfully rich mouthfeel and bright sense of minerality despite the obvious heat of the vintage. Red fruits dance with citrus zest flavors and minerals, with smoky and earthy undertones. While this is seriously good now, this complex Pinot Noir will only get better with time. Drink 2019-2033- 93

2017 00 Wines ‘VGR’ Pinot Noir- Translucent in color, the 2017 ‘VGR’ shows off beautiful aromatics of kumquat rind, guava, wild strawberry and shades of thyme that all combine marvelously on the nose. The palate shows a nice viscosity and texture, as bright red fruits march alongside citrus zest and earthy undertones. Enjoy this beautiful bottling over the next decade or more. Drink 2019-2029- 92