Arguably one of the greatest vintages ever in the Willamette Valley, the one drawback is that the wines are extremely long lived and many continue to want time in the cellar or decanting (posted pre-2020, and in August 2023 this thought remains unchanged). The Willamette Valley is deeply hued, dense, and powerful. The Hommage is a study in dark fruit, balanced by bright acidity and distinct structure. It takes an hour to open up. 2005 also saw my first single vineyard wine, 50 cases of Whistling Ridge Pinot Noir. The 2005 Whistling Ridge is in a stage where I recommend either drink or hold. Not all bottles are tight, but that does seem to be common. 2005 Souris, when last tasted end of harvest 2019, was beautiful and available. I had this wine twice in 2019, and at a spring tasting with some 05 Burgundy, it was delightful to all and easily held it’s own.
*Under cork, wines over 10 years of age develop considerable bottle variation. Our thoughts on these wines are based upon recent samples, but each bottle is unique. *
**This post covers Matello wines**