Today we present one of the electric new brands out of Oregon. White Walnut is the brainchild of the former winemaker and general manager of Archery Summit, Chris Mazepink, who purchased land in the Dundee Hills back in 2013. Chris sensed the potential of the property as it is located adjacent to the vineyards of legendary Oregon wineries Domaine Drouhin and Archery Summit. Chris and his sons, Archer and Charles, cleared the land, by hand, in the summer of 2014 and then planted it to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in 2015 and 2016. They preserved the remaining walnut trees on the property that continue to produce fruit and are now well over 70 years old, standing stoic amongst the vines. A smaller site at less than seven planted acres, Chris sees incredible potential for Chardonnay in the Dundee Hills. I have really been impressed with these wines since their inception and then ew releases from 2021 were truly amazing.
Do not miss out on the incredible 2021 White Walnut ‘North Block’ Chardonnay (OB, 95) which is vibrant with its tension and also very soft with glorious length. delivers really good range and a silky mouthfeel. Even better is the sensational 2021 White Walnut ‘Amphorae’ Pinot Noir (OB, 94) which shows immense texture and is very gratifying on the mouth, with serious viscosity and underlying acidity. Learn more about this outstanding new winery at https://www.whitewalnutestate.com Here are the great new wines by White Walnut.
2021 White Walnut ‘Dundee Hills Estate Grown’ Chardonnay- The gorgeous 2018 ‘Dundee Hills Estate Grown’ Chardonnay is a joy to consume right now. Immediately gratifying on the mouth, this offers whipping cream, honeydew melon and a soft mouthfeel upon approach. Medium to full-bodied, this is highly seamless Chardonnay that shows a light dusting of salinity and rocky undertones to add complexity. Great to consume now, enjoy over the next eight years. Drink 2023-2031- 92
2021 White Walnut ‘Worden Hill Road’ Chardonnay- The 2018 ‘Worden Hill Road’ Chardonnay is a stunning, limited production Chardonnay that has some great cellaring potential. Once on the nose this takes on layers of citrus rind, creme caramel, roasted pineapple and suggestion of wet stone. The palate is fat and unctiuous, showing the heat of the vintage — yet maintaining a bright underlying acidity. Rich and layered, with tropical, melon and citrus fruits, do not serve too warm to enjoy the full gamut of complexity. Only 75 cases produced so get this while you can. Drink 2023-2033- 94
2021 White Walnut ‘North Block’ Chardonnay- The 2021 White Walnut ‘North Block’ Chardonnay comes from this site high atop the Dundee Hills AVA. The nose shows off bright Bartlett pear, cardamom dusted cantaloupe, rock salt encrusted Challah bread and suggestions of stony minerals. The palate is utterly seamless and very soft, as this glides throughout the drinking experience. Deeply concentrated, with its lovely salinity and underlying finesse, this is a stunning new bottling by winemaker Chris Mazepink. Enjoy now and over the next twelve years to come. Drink 2023-2035- 95
2021 White Walnut ‘Dundee Hills’ Pinot Noir- The 2021 ‘Dundee Hills’ Pinot Noir is a gorgeous warm vintage effort from White Walnut. This is loaded with guava, wild strawberry, and red cherry fruits alongside silty soils and suggestions of baking spices on the palate. Lithe and very polished, with a soft mouthfeel, enjoy now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2023-2033- 92
2021 White Walnut ‘Amphora’ Pinot Noir- The ‘Amphora’ as the name suggests, saw extended time aged in these clay vessels before bottling. The nose is fresh with beautiful red rose petals that mingle with mulberry and pink grapefruit blossom notes. Extremely soft on the mouth, the weightless effect mid-palate is quite dazzling. You are greeted to this pillowy texture and great core of freshly picked guava and red raspberry fruits which makes this particularly difficult to put down. This is already nicely evolved at the two year mark and savor this beauty now and over the next twelve years. Drink 2023-2035- 94
2021 White Walnut ‘Estate South Blocks’ Pinot Noir- The really good 2021 White Walnut ‘Estate South Blocks’ Pinot Noir comes from this site high atop the Dundee Hills. This bottling is wonderfully stony on the mouth, with loads of minerality and tension. A great melange of red and dark fruits collide with Middle Eastern spices, toasted hazelnut and shades of damp earth. Very soft and refined throughout the drinking experience, consume this gem now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2023-2035- 94
2021 White Walnut ‘Worden Hill Road’ Pinot Noir- Deep, dense and downright delicious, the 2021‘Worden Hill Road’ Pinot Noir displays a wonderful whiff of smoldering stones and cardamom spice on the nose with suggestions of peat moss and marionberry preserves. The palate is silky and elegant with a soft texture. Very pretty red and dark fruits mingle well with copious minerals and stony undertones on the palate. While great to consume now, this has at least another decade in front of it. Drink 2023-2035- 93