Darkly floral and intense, the 2021 Pinot Noir La Crete smolders up with a burst of crushed ashen stones, giving way to violets, lavender and blood orange. It’s elegant in feel, with silken textures and polished red and blue fruits that gain an energetic momentum. Juicy acidity enlivens the experience throughout. Gently tannic yet potent and long, the 2021 finishes with bitter licorice, wild blueberries and spice hints. La Crete is a selection of parcels from throughout the WillaKenzie vineyards.

The woodland-inspired 2021 Pinot Noir Shea Vineyard smolders up with a bouquet of violets, lavender and sage, complementing crushed blackberries as a tinge of dusty earth adds an oldworld complexity. This floods the palate with textures of pure silk, soothingly round and succulent, with ripe red and blue fruits that slowly saturate. It finishes with outstanding length, mixing confectionary spice and wild blueberries. A subtle tug of fine tannin frames the experience beautifully.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Conifer impresses with its old-school bouquet, blending flowery underbrush and worn leather with spiced orange and dried black cherries. It sweeps across the palate with soft yet lifted textures, coming across as energetic and spry with citrus-tinged red berry fruits that slowly saturate. Cola and spice cake notes gradually fade as the 2021 finishes juicy and fresh yet incredibly long, with a framewrok of fine tannins. This is a total pleasure to taste.

Chamomile hints complement a blend of freshly sliced pears and yellow apples as the 2021 Chardonnay Dropstone slowly blossoms in the glass. This shows its minerality up front, salty and savory, with a sensation of liquid stone that mixes with ripe green apples. It finishes fresh and crunchy yet still potent. A candied lime tinge calls the taster back to the glass for more.

An enticing blend of cherry sauce, cola and clove introduces the 2021 Pinot Noir Emery. Soothingly round and supple, it washes across the palate with a cascade of ripe red berry fruits underscored by tactile minerals. A juicy, acidic core maintains fantastic energy throughout. This leaves a web of fine tannins and a crunchy sensation, finishing long and potent yet nicely framed as a tart blackberry concentration fades slowly.

The 2021 Chardonnay La Crete opens in the glass with a mix of dusty dried flowers, ground ginger and nectarine. This displays lovely depth and complexity, with soothingly round textures and masses of mineralinflected, ripe orchard fruits, all guided by brisk acidity. It leaves a citrusy concentration and edgy tannins to mingle under an air of sweet spice as the mouth waters for more.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Zena Crown is dark and brooding in the glass. Crushed stones and flowery underbrush give way to ginger, clove and dried black cherries. This is a juicy and playful effort, with ripe wild berry fruits and hints of candied citrus motivated by vibrant acidity. It firms up through the finish with a web of fine tannins, adding youthful poise. A bitter licorice tinge tugs at the cheeks, and hints of chalk dust slowly fade. Both accessible and refined, the 2021 Zena Crown is a pleasure to taste.

More savory than sweet, the 2021 Pinot Noir Clairiere slowly unfurls with a blend of blackberries, sage and cedar shavings. It washes across the palate with soft textures and ripe, citrus-laced red and blue fruits, taking on a saline mineral concentration toward the close. This leaves a subtle tinge of citrus and violet inner florals over a bed of edgy tannins, coming across as only lightly structered and aiming to please. The Clairiere is at the about 620 feet of elevation, ina cooloer exposition, surrounding by woods.

The remarkably pretty 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Vineyard is coy in the glass, with a nuanced blend of crushed blackberries, zests of blood orange and spice. It sweeps across the palate with silken textures lifted by fresh acidity as wild blueberries and strawberries settle on the senses. This tapers off with a spicy tinge and subtle tug of fine tannins, leaving an air of lavender pastille to fade slowly.

The 2021 Chardonnay Desiderium tempts the imagination with a spicy bouquet that blends cardamom and fresh vanilla bean with ground ginger and young peach. This displays contrasts, with salty mineral tones up front enhanced by brisk acidity that gives way to ripe orchard fruits and lemon custard. The 2021 cleans up beautifully, long and staining yet still somehow fresh, leaving hints of candied lime and mint lingering. This is the inaugural edition of the Desiderium, from vines planted in 2014. I’m very excited to see what future vintages will reveal.

A darkly alluring mix of blackberries, sage, tangerine zest and dusty earth wafts up from the 2021 Pinot Noir Dropstone. It sweeps across the palate with a savory presence, round and pliant, showcasing ripe red and black fruits over a tactile core of minerality. Sour citrus puckers the cheeks as the 2021 finishes long, yet only lightly structured, and with a pleasantly bitter tinge.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Triple Black Slopes opens in the glass with a dark and earthy blend of mint leaves and camphor, giving way to black cherries and hints of rum cake. This is a lifted and graceful upon entry, yet concentrated within. Vibrant acidity and crisp red and blue fruits swirl beneath an air of sweet lavender. It finishes with admirable length, yet still fresh, leaving the mouth watering as traces of licorice taper off.

The 2021 Chardonnay Yamhill-Carlton opens with a delicate blend of white flowers, vanilla beans, wet stone and young peaches. This mixes saline minerals with ripe orchard fruits and sweet spice over a stream of brisk acidity. It finishes potent and with medium length, yet maintains fantastic energy as hints of almond paste and citrus remain.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Cuvée opens with a rich blend of crushed black cherries, grilled herbs, mocha and pine. It’s juicy and fruit-focused, with soft textures and depths of ripe wild berry and licorice tones that swirl throughout. This takes on a spicy tinge through the finish, leaving a hint of sour citrus and edgy tannins that frame the experience without slowing its momentum. The Estate Cuvée is refined in 49% new French oak for fifteen months.

The 2021 Chardonnay Estate Cuvée whisps up from the glass with an understated blend of fresh apples and pears accentuated by mint and lime zest. This is racy and spry with a tinge of saline minerality up front to contrast its ripe orchard fruits. It finishes with medium length and has a pleasantly tactile tinge, leaving sour citrus and kiwi to taper off slowly.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is spicy with a bouquet of crushed woodland berries and flowery underbrush complicated by shaved cedar. It’s soothingly round and energetic, with cool-toned acidity and fresh red and blue fruits that swirl throughout. It leaves a subtle tinge of licorice and blackberry, only gently tannic, along with a hint of citrus that adds lovely depth. This is a perfect introduction to the Penner-Ash style.

A vivid burst of crushed yellow apples and peaches, minty herbs, vanilla beans and sweet spice form an enticing bouquet as the 2022 Chardonnay Willamette Valley comes to life in the glass. This is fruit-focused and rich, with round and supple textures and a core of ripe orchard fruits. Juicy acidity keeps the mouth watering through the finish as candied lime notes linger on and on.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Yamhill-Carlton is savory and sweet, with a blend of grilled herbs and flowery underbrush giving way to plum sauce and dark chocolate. It’s soft-textured and round, with lifting acidity and ripe wild berry fruits contrasted by hints of inner sage. The 2021 finishes with medium length and a subtle tinge of spice, ending with a trace of black currant.

The 2021 Pinot Noir Kiana is backward and coy, showing just glimpses of grilled herbs, spiced oranges and black cherries. This is silky-smooth with ripe wild berry fruits and an herbal tinge that forms toward the close. It finishes with medium length and a pleasantly bitter tinge. This is fruit-focused, boasting its warmer location within the vineyards, yet leaves me longer for more depth and complexity.

From the estate’s 1946-planted bush vines. Half whole berries, half crushed, with gentle pump overs and extended maceration on some parcels up to seven months; matured in older French puncheons, foudre, ceramic eggs and amphorae. This is quite a different wine to the 2022. That’s a tale of two seasons. Both cool, but the buttress of natural tannin in the 2022 is commanding and it is more compressed, needing time. This is prettily lifted, with cherry, cranberry, rosehip, dried orange peel, wild raspberry and red florals. It’s a gloriously fine and elegant expression of this cuvée, but it has tannic drive, line and length, savouriness, flavour depth and detail. Excellent.

A pyrazine green pepper note blasts through the glass like a firecracker upon the first whiff, yet it’s absent on the palate. Instead, dark fruit leather proliferates with fine-rained tannins that permeate through the wine. It has a medium finish and one that intrigues as it evolves in the glass.

Pouring a ruby/magenta hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir Slope is almost all from the 667 clone of Pinot Noir and was entirely destemmed and raised for 17 months in nearly 70% new French oak. It reveals beautiful aromas of kirsch, floral and fruit notes of mixed berries, crushed flowers, sweet mossy earth, and a hint of anise. Medium-bodied, it expands through the palate, with a weightless feel, ripe tannins, the texture of river stones, and a clean finish. It’s a fantastic wine with a cuddly feel, but it’s never heavy and it has a great finish. Drink 2025-2040.

A barrel selection, but mostly from a single block in the Gran Moraine Vineyard, the 2021 Chardonnay Dropstone is a yellow/silver color and has a nose boasting notes of almond, lemon curd, yellow apple, delicate spice, and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied, it’s long on the palate, with a decadent but mouthwatering feel, vibrant, fresh acidity, and an appealing, long finish. It takes things up a gear and is going to show well over the coming 10-12 years.

This is a fun, easy-drinking wine that's chock full of yellow and green citrus fruits and golden and green kiwi flavours. The texture is that of rough green kiwi skin-- the kind that feels a bit prickly and tickles the tongue-- but it's not off-putting. It's light and lifted and a great addition to any cellar.

Its first vintage as a stand-alone wine, the 2021 Chardonnay Desiderium does not disappoint. A bright yellow/silver color, I love its nose, which has a really fresh lift to its aromas of lime leaf and lime zest, pristine green apples, delicate spices, and a pleasing, delicate reduction. Full-bodied, it has a silky and delicate, creamy texture, with a more broadly expanding, weightless feel and a long, long finish. It’s very nicely styled and is going to show its best over the coming 8-10 years.