An outstanding winery which was founded back in 2012, Fullerton Wines is led by their talented head winemaker Alex Fullerton. Alex makes a great group of value wines under his Three Otters label and crafts a wide range of high quality Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that embody good value. Formerly working for Penner-Ash, as well as Drylands in New Zealand, Alex began making his own wine out of his garage in 2011.
I recently had the chance to sample the range of new wines by Fullerton and they were very good across the board. The 2018 Fullerton ‘Luxe’ Chardonnay (OB, 92) is delightful to consume now and has some brilliant aging potential with its silky texture and bright acidity. Even better is the sinfully good 2018 Fullerton ‘Tenebris’ Pinot Noir (OB, 93) which is rich and viscous, showing great tension and plenty of weight from this warm vintage in the Willamette Valley. Learn more about these wines at http://www.fullertonwines.com Here are the great new releases from Fullerton Wines:
2018 Fullerton ‘Lux’ Chardonnay- Really good to enjoy right now the 2018 ‘Lux’ Chardonnay is an awesome new wine by Fullerton. The combination of tension, texture and mouthfeel is simply awesome, as this delivers bright lemon zest that combines with minerals, wild mushroom and Gravenstein apple flavors. Every bit delicious in its youth, the ‘Lux’ Chardonnay will cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2022-2032- 92
2018 Fullerton ‘Five Faces’ Pinot Noir- What is a striking value, the 2018 Fullerton ‘Five Faces’ Pinot Noir was aged in a small portion of new French oak barrels for 11 months prior to bottling. Despite the lack of new oak, the wine is beautifully textured, displaying good verve with tart red fruits that dance with minerals and peat moss undercurrents. Drink 2022-2029- 91
2019 Fullerton ‘Bella Vida Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Located above the town of Dundee, the ‘Bella Vida Vineyard’ is set on ancient Jory soils. Showing beautiful finesse, the wine unveils medium-bodied Yakima cherry and strawberry flavors alongside wet gravel, wild mushroom and red rose water. Complex and delicious, this beautifully speaks to the vintage and will surely cellar well for at least another decade. Drink 2022-2032- 92
2018 Fullerton ‘Bjornson Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- I’ll admit that this is my first soiree into this vineyard which is located in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. The nose is super high-toned with red rose petals and shades of orange blossom that combine with the core of red fruits. The palate is refined and elegant with pretty red fruits that dance with blood orange zest, peat moss and baking spices. Nicely textured, this has the length and acidity to last for at least another ten years. Drink 2020-2032- 92
2018 Fullerton ‘Bennett Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Bennett Vineyard’ Pinot Noir is 100% Pommard clonal selection from this site set on Bellpine soils. Deeply colored once in the glass, this unveils black tea and Asian spices that collide with Shitakki mushroom and wild blackberry tones aromatically. The palate is soft and generous with good tension that holds the core of red and dark fruits in place. This has both the acidity and stuffing to hold for well over a decade. Drink 2022-2032- 92
2018 Fullerton ‘Tenebris’ Pinot Noir- The 2018 ‘Tenebris’ is a barrel selection wine that utilizes clonal selections 113, 114, 667, 777, Pommard and Wadenswil. This is quite simply a gorgeous effort that really needs an hour of air to show its stuff. Once aroused this yields a gorgeous array of bright red fruits with blood orange zest, summer sausage and peat moss aromas that brilliantly combine. The weight and richness of the wine is apparent, as linzer torte notes mingle well with smoky minerals, damp earth and orange blossom flavors. Fresh and full-bodied, this excellent effort will live on for another fifteen years to come. Drink 2022-2037- 93