The wines of Oregon’s WillaKenzie Estate are priced to impress. They’re made that way, too.
Winemaker Erik Kramer, who joined WillaKenzie after a 13-year career split between the Willamette Valley’s highly regarded Adelsheim and Domaine Serene wineries, has been on a roll since arriving in January 2017.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Kramer and taste one Chardonnay and three Pinot Noirs from his first vintage as well as a Chardonnay from the 2018 harvest. All five wines were a brilliant reflection of Kramer’s bedrock philosophy and approach to winemaking.
For starters, they were crisp, fresh and clean with exceptional balance and a deft touch of oak. Despite the generous use of new French oak barrels, the influence of the wood was remarkably subtle.
"Wood selection is about elevating without interfering," said Kramer. "Wine should be wine."
His philosophy came through loud and clear when I tasted the two Chardonnays, the 2018 WillaKenzie Willamette Valley Chardonnay ($40) and the 2017 WillaKenzie Estate Chardonnay, Yamhill-Carlton ($75). The 2018 Willamette chard shows a wonderful touch of lemon creme, richness lifted by firm acidity and subtle hints of baking spice. The 2017 Estate Chardonnay, grown in a slightly warmer microclimate in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, is richer and more opulent, with complex layers of citrus, apple, pear and spice.
Since arriving at WillaKenzie, he’s scoured the 400-acre estate (100 acres under vine) for the best Chardonnay sites. The trick, he said, is "putting Chardonnay in really lovely spots where it has the opportunity to be great." Suffice it to say he is off to a very good start.
The three Pinot Noirs were equally stunning, including the relatively modestly priced 2017 WillaKenzie Pinot Noir, WillaKenzie Estate Vineyard/Jory Hills Estate Vineyard at $35. This is an elegant Pinot that shows exceptional fruit purity, impressive structure and a pleasing finish with a touch of tannin on the back end.
"I’m looking to build palate shape with good tannin," he explained. Hallelujah. Too many Pinot Noir producers are so afraid of tannins that they shy away and go in the other direction with soft, flabby, oft times sweet Pinot.
The other two Pinots are part of WillaKenzie’s terroir-specific program that isolates grapes from six specific sites on the estate. I tasted the 2017 WillaKenzie "Aliette" Pinot Noir ($65) and the 2017 WillaKenzie "Kiana" Pinot Noir ($65). The Aliette delivers a distinctive nose of cherry and spice and is light in color though big on flavor. The beautifully perfumed Kiana, grown in a warmer microclimate, trends to the floral spectrum of aroma, with an impressive mid-palate and exceptional palate length.
I must say I can hardly wait to taste the rest of the WillaKenzie portfolio.
Connect with Robert Whitley on Twitter at @WineGuru.
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