It is my pleasure to write about one of the most electric houses in the Willamette Valley. Holocene began in 2015 and the new releases come from the ’24 and ’23 vintages. I have found that winemaker Todd Alexander makes consistently exceptional wines regardless of vintage. He even produced knockout wines in 2015 in Washington — the earliest harvest the region had ever seen. Carrie Alexander manages this brand. They have only recently been producing Chardonnay for the brand but I am totally enamored with what they have done with that program.
I adored the 2023 Holocene ‘Apocrypha’ Pinot Noir (OB, 97) which is dense with a killer blend of red and dark fruits alongside amazing salty nuance and texture. Learn more about this awesome Oregon outpost at http://holocenewines.com Here are the beautiful new release wines by Holocene.
2024 Holocene ‘Aureolin’ Chardonnay- A world-class wine, the 2024 Holocene ‘Aureolin’ Chardonnay was sourced from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. Made in a reductive style, this was stored for 9 months in 50% new oak, stainless and neutral oak, including feuillettes. Freshly cut limes and salted nectarine skin fill the palate alongside suggestions of baking spice laced pastry crust and crushed seashells on the palate. Very salty and savory, with a seamless texture, this glides throughout the drinking experience. A total beauty, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years. Drink 2025-2037- 97
20224 Holocene ‘Pyxis’ Chardonnay- Deep, concentrated and heady, the 2024 ‘Pyxis’ Chardonnay was sourced from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA and then stored in neutral French oak before bottling. Rich melon fruits mingle well with sweet peaches, wet stone and shades of lemon rind on the palate. Deep and rich with serious texture and underlying tension, showing salty nuances, this is drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2025-2037- 97
2023 Holocene ‘Apocrypha’ Pinot Noir- The outstanding 2023 ‘Apocrypha’ was aged for 9 months in 25% new French oak and saw100% whole cluster fermentation. This is lush, round and rich on the mouth with serious texture, tannin and mouthfeel. Dense red and dark fruits collide with salty minerals and volcanic stony accents on the palate. A stunning wine that is already drinking well, enjoy over the next fifteen plus years to come. Drink 2025-2042- 97
2023 Holocene ‘Codex’ Pinot Noir- The 2023 ‘Codex’ was stored in a small amount of new French oak (20%) before bottling. For 50 bucks USD, this is an incredible Oregon Pinot Noir. Silky and rich throughout the drinking experience, this exudes class with its core of Bing cherry, guava puree, cranberry and salty minerals, alongside Mandarin orange zest. This beautiful wine is already nicely evolved and will cellar well for at least another ten years to coe. Drink 2025-2035- 95