I love the wealth of boutique wineries in Oregon. William Marie makes a great range of wines, sourcing from both Oregon and Washington. Formed by a couple, Monique Marie and Edward William Lefferts, Ed and Mo met each other in 2008 while working together at T Cooks restaurant, within the Royal Palms Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. Moving to Portland in 2010, they both continued their stewardships at great restaurants there and finally in 2014 began making wines with the assistance of Adega Northwest, Day Winery and Urban Crush in Portland.
The new wines were really good across the board. I love the 2019 William Marie ‘Dion Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (OB, 91) which has really good range and is drinking beautifully already. Look to the 2018 William Marie ‘Two Blondes Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 91) which has a nice dusting of salinity and cellaring potential. Learn more at http://www.williammariewines.com/ Here are the great new wines by William Marie.
2019 William Marie Pinot Gris- Fresh and vibrant this takes on sour citrus notes alongside unripe melon tones on the palate. The bright acidity suggests a quick uncorking. Drink 2020-2023- 89
2019 William Marie Chardonnay- Baked pear and melon tones collide with minerals on the palate. Enjoy in the short-term. Drink 2020-2024- 89
2019 William Marie ‘Dion Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Bright red fruits mingle with orange rind tones and shades of peat moss on the palate. Medium-bodied and showing a good sense of acidity, and mouthfeel, enjoy this excellent effort over the next eight plus years. Drink 2020-2028- 91
2018 William Marie ‘Columbia Valley’ Syrah- This shows nice smoky undertones alongside the core of dark fruits and chocolate fudge on the nose. The palate is deep and concentrated with a light dusting of salinity that falls upon the core of wild blackberry, kirsch cordial and dried herbs with smoky undertones. Drink 2020-2026- 90
2017 William Marie ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon shows a ripe mouthfeel and good balance, delivering straightforward red and dark fruits with coffee ground undertones. Already nicely evolved at the three year mark, enjoy this over the next six years. Drink 2020-2026- 90
2018 William Marie ‘3 Vineyards’ Cabernet Sauvignon-Sourced from the Weinbau, Two Blondes and Carousel Vineyards, this shows nice purity of fruit with its dark currants and black cherry tones, alongside shades of Turkish coffee and menthol on the palate. The mouth-watering acidity and length adds to the enjoyment here, Drink 2020-2026- 91
2018 William Marie ‘Two Blondes Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The ‘Two Blondes Vineyard’ is a famed site in the Yakima Valley founded by Washington wine legend Chris Carmada. The palate is very elegant with a nice dusting of saliinity. Ripe red cherries mingle with garrigue and red raspberry cordial tones on the palate. With good length, this has the acidity and weight to cellar well over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2020-2028- 91
2018 William Marie ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2018 ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ shows mocha, tar and dried herbs on the palate with blackberry compote. Showing good weight, this has another eight plus years left. Drink 2020-2028- 90
2018 William Marie ‘Carousel Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This shows graphite and cherry tomato tones alongside wild blackberry on the nose. The palate shows off a soft texture with medium-bodied red and dark fruits with espresso bean and sagebrush undertones. While not particularly rich, this is elegant Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon with nice finesse. Drink 2020-2026- 90
2018 William Marie ‘Vichy Ave’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This California bottling shows nice ripeness with dark currants, mocha, tar and blackberry compote flavors that mingle with minerals. With good viscosity and verve, this is best enjoyed over the next six to eight years. Drink 2020-2028- 90
2017 William Marie ‘Barrel Selection’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 William Marie ‘Barrel Selection’ is a really good wine by winemaker Ed Lefferts. Soft and round, this reveals a silky mouthfeel. Layers of ripe red and dark fruits meld with chocolate and sagebrush undertones on the palate, with a light saline streak adding to the complexity. Enjoy this great wine over the next ten plus years. Drink 2020-2030- 92