Fullerton Wines was founded in 2012 by Eric and Susanne Fullerton. Head winemaker Alex Fullerton heads the 4500 case production winery, crafting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Alex has previously worked as Penner-Ash, as well as Drylands in New Zealand. He began making his own wine out of his garage in 2011. The tasting room is located in Beaverton, only about 40 minutes from Portland.
I recently had the chance to sample the range of new wines by Fullerton and they were very good across the board. The 2017 Fullerton ‘Luxe’ Chardonnay (WWB, 92) has great tension and a lovely mouthfeel. This is one for the cellar. 2014 Fullerton ‘Fir Crest Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 92) has wonderful range and freshness, as this has great cellaring potential as well. Learn more about these wines at http://www.fullertonwines.com Here are the great new releases from Fullerton Wines:
2017 Fullerton ‘Five Faces’ Chardonnay- The ‘Five Faces’ Chardonnay is a beautiful bottling by Fullerton. Ripe banana and brioche fill the nose. The freshness imparted its marvelous, as is soft mouthfeel and bright acidity that all leads to the exceedingly long finish. Drink 2020-2025- 90
2017 Fullerton Wines ‘Lux’ Chardonnay- The ‘Lux’ Chardonnay is a barrel selection wine made by Fullerton comprised of Wente, Davis 108, Dijon 76, 95 and 96 clones. The wine opens with suggestions of lemon zest with Challah bread and ripe pear that all mingle on the nose. The soft texture is enticing as ripe orchard fruits mingle with minerals, vanilla cream and shades of baked apple on the palate. While this is beautiful now, the ‘Lux’ will continue to evolve over the next decade or more, picking up tertiary notes. Drink 2020-2029- 92
2017 Fullerton ‘Three Otters’ Pinot Noir- This translucent colored Pinot Noir shows lighter guava and citrus rind tones with shades of red cherry candy on this enticing nose. The freshness here is excellent as light to medium bodied red fruits collide with minerals on the palate. This is really a good value. Drink 2020-2023- 89
2017 Fullerton ‘Bjornson Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Bjornson Vineyard’ is located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, as the vineyard is dramatically set with views of Mt. Hood in the background. Ripe red and dark fruits mingle with shades of clove and cinnamon on the nose. The freshness and sense of balance is wonderful as citrus rind and red fruits mingle with the bright sense of minerality. I can see this cellaring well for another decade. Drink 2020-2029- 91
2017 Fullerton ‘Momtazi Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Oregon wine pioneer Moe Momtazi planted his vineyard in the steeply sloped region that has great influence from the Van Duzer Corridor, as the vineyard is intriguingly set on both marine sedimentary soils and volcanic soils. The stony tones from the volcanic earth really entice on the nose alongside the lighter black fruit tones. While the palate comes off a bit lean, the sense of tension in the wine is really nice, as light red and dark fruits mingle with minerals, saline drenched damp earth and a dusting of volcanic stone. Drink 2020-2029- 91
2017 Fullerton ‘Fir Crest Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, the ‘Fir Crest Vineyard’ is set on sedimentary Willakenzie soils that the AVA has become quite famous for. The light saline tones are beautiful and mingle with the bright red fruits and citrus blossom tones on the nose. The palate has really nice fleshy red fruits that dance with the lovely peat moss and damp terroir tones. This is fantastic stuff now but will continue to evolve for at least another decade. Drink 2020-2029- 92
2017 Fullerton ‘Bella Vida Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Bella Vida Vineyard,’ set on volcanic soils, is located in the Dundee Hills AVA and is plated to Pinot Noir Dijon clones 113, 667 and 777. The earthy tones really excite with forest floor and volcanic earth that mingle with the lighter wild blackberry tones that all mingle nicely in the glass. On the palate this shows excellent verve, with light to medium bodied dark cherry, wild blackberry and damp earth flavors. Drink 2020-2029- 91
2017 Fullerton ‘Lichtenwalter VIneyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Lichtenwalter Vineyard’ is set in the Ribbon Ridge AVA as this wine is planted to Pinot Noir Dijon clone 777. You are drawn to the damp earth and peat moss tones aromatically that mingle with suggestions of cran-pomegrnate on the expressive nose. The balance and poise is really nice, as the creamy, ripe texture connects with the ripe red fruits on the palate. This is excellent now but this beautiful wine will continue to evolve well for the next decade. Drink 2020-2029- 92
2017 Fullerton ‘Alderbrook Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Sourced from the Chehalem Mountains AVA, this limited production single vineyard bottling opens with delicate red fruits that collide with the earthy tones on the nose. The palate comes off a bit lean and linear with a bright sense of minerality. Drink 2020-2025- 89