2015 ranks as the Willamette Valley's warmest viticultural vintage on record. The wines are appropriately robust, but have a liveliness and purity to them that belies the heat. Easily my favorite of the hot vintages. I find the 2015 vineyard designate Pinot Noirs to be slightly shut down, but with enough flesh to still be enjoyable. The Whistling Ridge is particularly compelling, but I feel another 3-5 years will show even greater heights.
The Fir Crest is tightening up just a bit. Floral and deep with clove and dark spice on the nose. Silky, purple without unctuousness, floral, refreshing yet comforting but showing just a touch foursquare as forward vintages often do when in the “dumb phase”. (8/2023 this continues to be true. Hold.)
The Whistling Ridge, is layered and just a great bottle of wine. Decanting is recommended and time is required for the complete experience. However, I feel it is in a phase where waiting is the best course of action. Drink 2025-2035. (Tasted 4/2023)
The Durant vineyard has opened up and is showing the richness, weight, and spice of a ripe vintage Dundee Hills pinot Noir. The old vines(43 years old) give it a subtlety and balance lacking in many ripe character wines, but it has considerable robustness.
All three of the single vineyards are wines that I am confident will last 10 to 15 years. The 2015 Willamette Valley is pretty and youthful, with structure and spiced red fruit. It’s complex and beautiful for an entry level wine, and while it will continue to improve, I have had a recent bottle and this continues to be the case. Drink now-2025.
The Heritage wines all seem to be in a relatively dense and closed up phase. For the most part we would recommend holding, but the wines are certainly powerful, and start to show a bit more day two or three.
The Syrah is delicious, elegant, with thyme and purple fruits on the nose. I like this now, it’s very fine, shows layers of flavor, but the 100% whole cluster will give the wine plenty of opportunity to evolve in the cellar. Very much in a drink now phase, this wine is firing on all cylinders but continued time in the cellar will likely not come at a cost. It’s in the plateau but a long time to any drop off.
Currently, I prefer the Chardonnays on day 2 after opening, but feel they will be best between 2023-2028. The Durant is richer with dense aromatics of the sea, orchards, and wheat/grain fields. The Richard's has a smokey nose, black tea abounds, it loads the sense with fruit, non-fruit, and hits a perfect balance between austere and sumptuous. Drink now to 2028. (tasted recently, I agree that the next 5 years are a great window for the 2015 Chardonnays.
The Whistling Ridge Blanc should reward patience, it’s remarkable now, but the best opportunity for a superlative experience is now! While this will hold on a while, it’s in a beautiful place.