This pitch from The Rare Wine Company is pretty intriguing:
Chris and Kathryn Hermann’s Double Zero (“00”) Oregon Chardonnays are forcing the world to reconsider the potential of Chardonnay grown in America.
Every month, we hear another story about a serious Burgundy collector or winemaker mistaking a glass of Double Zero Chardonnay served blind for an elite White Burgundy. And often it’s a grand cru as lofty as Chevalier Montrachet.
Such dazzling quality is of course partly due to the extraordinary fruit that comes from some of Oregon’s oldest and most legendary vineyards. Yet, other Oregon producers have access to great vineyards. Why are the Double Zero wines at a completely different level?
There are three answers. The first is the Hermann's obsessive pursuit of greatness. The second is their deep knowledge of Burgundy itself; in addition to their work in Oregon, they also make wines from Chambertin, Corton-Charlemagne and Meursault Charmes.
Finally, there’s how they make their Chardonnay. Unlike anyone else in America, they exclusively use an old technique born in Burgundy and embraced by Coche, Roulot and Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey.
Named “Black Chardonnay,” it results in otherworldly phenolic density and oxidation resistance, which not only makes the wines taste much more like great white Burgundy, it ensures long aging.
If the early reviews are any guide, the 2021 vintage is sure to solidify Double Zero’s position as the Great New American Wine Icon. Between just two reviewers—Audrey Frick (jebdunnuck.com) and Jeremy Young (internationalwinereport.com)—Double Zero has already received nine ratings between 98 and 100.
Of course, Double Zero's five iconic single-vineyard Chardonnays, ranging in price up to $250 a bottle, are stunning. But the truest measure of the year’s historic quality is the $75 flagship Chardonnay, VGW, where five great Willamette Valley vineyards are brought together in one spectacular wine.
The names of these sites are a Murderer’s Row of famous Oregon vineyards: Seven Springs (60% of the blend), Chehalem Mountain, Open Claim, Shea and Hyland. Something else these vineyards have in common is that they also appear as more expensive Double Zero single-vineyard bottlings selling for two or three times as much.