One of the exciting boutique producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir out of Oregon, Hazelfern Cellars was founded recently by Bryan and Laura Liang. Bryan and Laura have been making wine since 2006 but in 2018 Bryan left his corporate job to focus on winemaking and operations at Hazelfern, located in Newberg, Oregon. Intriguingly, a great deal of Bryan and Laura's wine education was acquired watching YouTube videos on winemaking. Winemaking in their Portland basement wasn’t the easiest of tasks but over time Bryan and Laura saw their winemaking style evolve.
Admittedly, I had heard about these wines but the most recent set of releases were the first that I had tried from Hazelfern. I was more than impressed with what Bryan and Laura are doing with the wines. These are wines that impart wonderful texture and mouthfeel. The 2017 Hazelfern ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay is a simply gorgeous effort that has wonderful range and a soft mouthfeel. The wine shows the great cellaring potential for this exciting new vintage in the Willamette Valley. Even better was the 2017 Hazelfern ‘Slingshot Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 93) which has beautiful red fruits and citrus accents with great terroir. Learn more about this exciting new winery at https://www.hazelfern.com Here are the beautiful new wines by Hazelfern.
2017 Hazelfern ‘Willamette Valley’ Chardonnay- The 2017 Hazelfern Chardonnay was aged for 11 months in 100% new French oak prior to bottling. On the nose this takes on bright lemon zest and brioche with wild mushroom aromas that build in the glass. The palate shows off a rather opulent mouthfeel, delivering ripe orchard and tropical fruits with wet stone and earthy undertones. Delightful to savor now, this fantastic effort will cellar well for a decade or more. Drink 2019-2029- 92
2017 Hazelfern ‘Ana Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Sourced from the Ana Vineyard located the Dundee Hills, this Pinot Noir was aged in 100% French oak for twelve months prior to bottling. The nose shows remarkably deep red fruits along with blood orange and peat moss tones that add to the aromatic expression. The palate reveals a silky texture and mouthfeel, unveiling cranberries, cherries, pipe tobacco and leather flavors that collide with the bright citrus rind and wet stone character. Showing excellent range, this delicious wine should continue to evolve over the next fifteen years. Drink 2019-2032- 93
2017 Hazelfern ‘Robinson Family Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2017 Robinson Family Vineyard Pinot Noir shows enticing guava and blood orange tones on the nose. Round and generous on the mouth, the wine shows off ripe red cherry candy, cran-pomegrnate and lighter earthy tones on the palate. This is another fantastic new Pinot Noir by Hazelfern that will cellar well over the next decade or more. Drink 2019-2029- 92
2017 Hazelfern ‘Slingshot Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The Sivershot Vineyard is located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. The 2017 Pinot Noir was aged for twelve months in 100% new French oak prior to bottling. On the nose this exudes class with nuances of saline drenched volcanic earth that sits alongside the citrus rind and red fruit aromatics. The palate delivers a lovely combination of weight and mouth-watering acidity, as flavors of red fruits dance with blood orange and volcanic earthy undertones. Seductive and showing serious range, this beautiful wine should go on to cellar well for a decade or more. Drink 2019-2032- 93