My trip in mid-February included three Jackson Family wineries I had not visited. At the first, La Crema, I tasted with the winemaker Craig McAllister. I had wondered why La Crema was so much better than when I tasted it years ago. Now I know why – the Jackson Family owns it. All of the Chardonnays are barrel fermented, undergo malolactic fermentation, are aged in 100% French oak and all highly recommended.

My trip in mid-February included three Jackson Family wineries I had not visited. At the first, La Crema, I tasted with the winemaker Craig McAllister. I had wondered why La Crema was so much better than when I tasted it years ago. Now I know why – the Jackson Family owns it. All of the Chardonnays are barrel fermented, undergo malolactic fermentation, are aged in 100% French oak and all highly recommended.

My trip in mid-February included three Jackson Family wineries I had not visited. At the first, La Crema, I tasted with the winemaker Craig McAllister. I had wondered why La Crema was so much better than when I tasted it years ago. Now I know why – the Jackson Family owns it. All of the Chardonnays are barrel fermented, undergo malolactic fermentation, are aged in 100% French oak and all highly recommended.

My trip in mid-February included three Jackson Family wineries I had not visited. At the first, La Crema, I tasted with the winemaker Craig McAllister. I had wondered why La Crema was so much better than when I tasted it years ago. Now I know why – the Jackson Family owns it. All of the Chardonnays are barrel fermented, undergo malolactic fermentation, are aged in 100% French oak and all highly recommended.

Should you be drinking Pinot Noirs this young? Absolutely, the exception being the greatest, priciest red Burgundies, which wouldn’t be released so early anyway. But the terroir of Oregon allows the fruit to ripen and emerge above softened tannins, so drinking a Pinot Noir like this right now is a capital idea. The winery is only seventeen years old and its first vintage was only in 2005, but Gran Moraine started by using some of the finest Dijon Pinot Noir clones—667, 777 and 115—and has already built an impressive rep.

WillaKenzie’s 2017 Pinot Noir is also close to a Burgundian style, being of moderate body and silky texture with tannins complementing the fruit. An excellent choice for lamb, pork or veal. Oddly enough, it costs less than the winery’s Chardonnay.

The name of the winery comes from the region’s two rivers, the Willamette and the McKenzie. It was founded by a Burgundian named Bernard Lacroute, so it nods to his heritage, and the wine has a substantial body of a kind you find in some of the Grand Crus like Aloxe-Corton and Chevalier Montrachet. The vintage was one of ideal conditions, and the Chardonnays are at their peak for drinking well. Further aging is unlikely to improve them much. I love the fresh fruit of this wine. It’s pricey but it’s in a league of its own among Willamette Chardonnays. A broiled lobster with butter demands a wine like this.

The record execs must be going wild. It’s a hit any way you describe it. And exactly how I want it — crisp, cold, balanced, textural, and right beside me for every summer pool party. Anyone who thinks Chardonnay is too oaked and buttered to death, fear not. This is the wine for you. Brought up in small stainless steel tanks, the nose gives you the essence of whipped butter, orange blossom, and prairie grass, but the mouthfeel cuts through with exceptional acid and stone fruit minerality. The ultra-fine and grainy texture is complemented by an indulgent slow motion lemon-lime squeeze (food porn closeup please), and a mouthful of ripe and juicy nectarines, some saltiness, and a hint of honeysuckle that levels it out. The finish is a fresh burst of zesty, citrusy, thirst-quenching energy to heighten your senses and bring it all home. Like a hit record that becomes the song of the summer, the lyrics will be stuck in your head for months. Get this wine in an ice bucket on your patio immediately. An absolute banger anthem for the price.

This white gold colored Chardonnay from La Crema opens with a pleasant and inviting lemon, pineapple and gentle oak bouquet. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied with plus acidity and is very fresh. The flavor profile is an oak influenced baked apple with hints of lemon, butter, vanilla and nutmeg. The finish is pleasant and drifts away nicely. This Chard is very food friendly. It would be a great glass pour at a seafood restaurant. I would pair it with a seafood casserole or a crab cake.

La Crema has focused on cool climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in California and Oregon for more than 30 years. La Crema produces one sparkling wine, a blend of 73 percent Pinot Noir and 27 percent Chardonnay sourced from the Saralee’s Vineyard in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. Fresh and wild strawberries jump out of the glass mixed with white flowers and wet stones. The minerality continues through on the finish, along with vibrant acidity and lovely mid-palate weight.

La Crema is a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir specialist. Though crafting numerous versions of both varieties from various wine-growing regions, this Chardonnay is my favorite. It captures both richness coming from oak barrel fermentation and aging, but with a core of citrus-scented minerality and freshness to balance. It’s an excellent choice to serve as a cocktail on its own, but with food it shines. Scallops, lobster in butter, pasta in cream sauce with mushrooms and soft cheeses are all ideal partners to this elegant pour.

Overall score: 19.2 (9.2 for quality, 10 for value)Taster’s notes: Expressive citrus, peach and pineapple notes. Bright minerality, bracing acidity. Refreshing!

Vintage Retrospective: The 2001 Napa Valley CabernetsBright medium red-ruby; not hugely saturated. A bit darker and more minerally on the nose than La Muse but still with a slightly sauvage quality to its aromas of black raspberry, spice cake, underbrush and coffee. Thick and rich on entry, then fairly large-scaled, sweet and deep in the middle palate. A step up in texture, depth and size from La Muse, showing a darker, more medicinal character to its blackberry, black cherry and dark chocolate flavors and perhaps greater potential longevity. Ultimately quite structured and uncompromisingly dry, finishing with slowly mounting, echoing length and serious but nicely buffered dusty tannins that should continue to soften with cellaring. I find this sweeter for a Médoc blend than La Muse is for a Pomerol. A superb showing, and full of life.

Vintage Retrospective: The 2001 Napa Valley CabernetsBright, dark red to the rim. Slightly wild scents of dark fruits, black cherry, spice cake, licorice and coffee bean. Supple, fine-grained, savory and dry; less open to inspection and more tannic at first blush than La Joie, with its sweetness dominated by its tannic spine. Finishes pungent and long but a bit brutal, with less sweetness than La Joie and substantial tannins dusting the front teeth. I can see this wine softening further with another few years in the bottle. Will it expand or will it always remain tannic? This is Pierre Seillan's St. Emilion blend but I find this vintage more Medoc-like in style.

Vintage Retrospective: The 2001 Napa Valley CabernetsBright, dark, moderately saturated red to the rim. Very sexy scents of black raspberry, mocha, graphite, tobacco, licorice, game and spices, lifted by a floral topnote. Moderately sweet on entry, then shows a fine-grained texture and lovely savory concentration to its berry, spice and floral flavors. At once dense and juicy, even if it doesn't show quite the complexity or detail of the better later vintages of this bottling. Finishes with firm, dusty, slightly drying tannins and very good subtle length. I wanted a bit more sweetness of fruit. With 48 hours in the recorked bottle, this was the supplest and juiciest of the three Vérité 2001s but not the densest or richest. And the tannins turned a bit more clenched.

Vintage Retrospective: The 2001 Napa Valley CabernetsGood medium-deep red. A whiff of Band-Aid on the rather bound-up, with aromas of raspberry, blueberry, spice cake, pepper and game. Supple and smooth on entry, then fully evolved in the middle palate, with flavors of raspberry, mocha and spice cake coming across as more savory than sweet. Finishes firm, with slightly dusty, peppery tannins and decent length. I wanted more sweetness and depth. Turned a bit drier with air, suggesting that it's not going anywhere positive at this point.

Vintage Retrospective: The 2001 Napa Valley CabernetsGood medium-deep red. A bit wilder and more leathery on the nose than the Helena Dakota, with spice cake, mocha and meaty nuances dominating raspberry fruit. Larger-scaled, denser and plusher on the palate, showing more sweetness but also a slight barnyard impingement to its raspberry, milk chocolate and mocha flavors. Finishes with dusty, broad tannins that dry the tongue and palate. I wanted a bit more freshness and energy. Drink up.

Rich ruby color, smooth and juicy with toasty oak and a hint of vanilla; juicy and balanced, long and charming.

Golden color, smooth and rich with toasted oak and a core of bright acidity; this winery is very consistent in style and quality; long and lovely through the finish.