WTN: Out for a stroll at Stoller Family Winery

[Jenise]

I was thrilled when my friends Suzanne and Jim booked an appointment at Stoller last Sunday. I've actually been aware of the winery and familiar with their entry level ($30 and under, say) products for a long time but had not yet experienced their upper end and I craved an experience to do so. They make a number of chardonnays and pinot noirs, admirably particular about both isolating and blending according to clone of which they grow a smart variety. The beautiful 240 acre vineyard is planted to 70% pinot noir, 25% chardonnay and 5% other things less usual to this Valley like tempranillo and syrah.

The hands-on owner Bill Stoller grew up in the Willamette Valley when this acreage was his family's turkey farm. When they shut down the operation after five decades in 1995, Bill grabbed the property and began planting grapes. It's a significant operation with a staff of about 40 where head winemaker Melissa Burr is helped by several assistant winemakers and enologists. But despite the size the vibe is classy and personal--well worth a visit.

Here's what we tasted:

2017 Stoller Chardonnay Dundee Hills
Fresh, balanced, multi-clone blend aged on neutral French Oak, blocked malo. Very good. $20ish

2018 Stoller Chardonnay Reserve Dundee Hills
Winery tasting. A blend of older Dijon vines planted in the late 90's, whole cluster, native yeast, 50% malo, 20% new French oak. Potent nose shows green apple pie and citrus with Burgundian hints of flint and wet rocks. Luxurious presentation with great depth, body and balance. Purchased! $40

2016 Stoller Pinot Noir Helen's Dundee Hills
Winery tasting, served from magnum opened the day before and made from a single vineyard section devoted to the Wadenswil clone. This wine is, for me, quintessential Oregon pinot. Taupe-y color, elegant with ripe raspberry and plum fruit supported by generous minerality and a potpourri-ish dash of oak spice and rose petals. Long finish and aftertaste. Purchased! $75

2016 Stoller Pinot Noir Nancy's Dundee Hills
Winery tasting, from magnum opened the day before. Strong cherry cola aromas and pushy tannins (all Pommard clone here) immediately put some distance between this wine and the more elegant Helen's served prior. There's a lot of spice, too, and something Kirsch-like. But this wine needs time, or food, or both. Should be a 15 yr wine, easily. $75

2018 Stoller History Columbia Valley Red Blend
Winery tasting. 50+% cabernet with malbec, merlot and CF. All Washington fruit but the subtle, finessed style one would hope for from makers of elegant pinot noirs. Very good. Would in fact have been tempted to buy but, honestly, I was here for pinot and chardonnay. $40

2016 Stoller Pinot Noir Ruth's Dundee Hills
Stoller's website describes this Ruth as being from the oldest block of Pommard clone in the vineyard whereas the Nancy is simply pommard clone, just more recent plantings. But at the winery I was told the Ruth was the winemaker's choice of four best barrels, and that wasn't clone-specific. Bought three untasted based on the latter information to honor our grandmothers, both named Ruth. $100

I had a couple of visits to their Woodinville tasting room many years ago, but was never really moved by anything, especially given the prices on some of the upper end wines. A recent entry level experience was promising, though. No doubt things have changed since I last visited, and it sounds like you are a fan, so I won't forget them the next time I am in Oregon or Woodinville. Thanks for the notes!

Jenise/Others:

Any thoughts on Stoller vs. Patricia Green re: Dundee Hills? I have a few Chards and PNs from P Green. Some are specific vineyard within Dundee Hills, other are not.

Stoller is on my to-try list....when I actually need wine.

[Jenise]

What? They have a Woodinville tasting room? Didn't know it, but what a smart move on their part.

I had never had Stoller until I tasted their entry level pinot ($25) back around 2012. I was at an event involving fund-raising, friends and Riedel glassware at which I was expected to buy something. I hadn't really been impressed with any of the wines poured but the Stoller pinot seemed the most useful so I bought six, stuck them in the cellar and forgot about them. Maybe a year later I tripped over them and opened one. My reaction: which stands for DAMN, this is GOOD! I recall posting my first CT TN on it and seeing that the guy before me had a similar experience--a year in bottle had changed everything and we were both amazed at the quality for just $25. The wine was every bit as good as $50 bottles from other wineries. And every bottle we opened thereafter was better than the last. VERY impressive.

That pretty much sums up my experience with Stoller. I just amended my post to show the prices for the wines we tasted; and I'll add that I got a 30% discount so though expensive, yes, 1) I didn't pay the going rate and 2) post-Covid everybody's prices are up.

Pat, I've liked some well-aged Patricia Greens but have never been especially impressed with the wines when young. They have struck me as overtly American, quite rich and sweet initially that is, and I don't detect the kind of future elegance I prefer. They sure have their fans, though.

Curiosity. I looked up my TNs for this year on PN. Vintages ranged from 2011 to 2015. 2015 was an inexpensive NM PN that I didn't expect to last. Generally, the older the PN the more I enjoyed. No hard and fast rule, but I seem to enjoy PNs with some age.

Years ago, a vintner in CO invited us into the back of his winery for a barrel tasting. I'd just purchased a Cab Franc and a PN from the tasting area. In the back, he told me his friend Rodney Strong likes his PN at about 15 years old.

[Jenise]

Makes sense. Baby fat calms down, secondary nuances emerge--everything about that is more interesting to those of us who have moved on from supermarket wines. My target range is roughly 8-15 years, depending on the wine and vintage of course. I used to follow the rule about drinking younger than 4 and older than 8, presuming the wine in between would be asleep. I unnecessarily killed a lot babies (and innocently believed them dead) before I figured that out. But these days the majority can't be presumed to sleep like they used to. Thank God for CT for providing the platform that enables us to share experiences and learn from each other.