Back for a Round 2 of a winner today: This phenomenal Willamette value serves style - UNDER $20!!

Like the Essere, this is a lush, creamy, and tropical style. A real crowd-pleaser. Even our resident Chard hater could not find a fault with it at a recent tasting. This stuff simply shines - even brighter when you toss in a 50% plus discount and 92 points. For not even 20 bucks!

We saw Cathy B. recently posted this wine on her Instagram saying “We don’t drink much Chardonnay….Finding a nice bottle from Oregon makes me realize we should have it more often.” Could not agree more, and this is the ONE everybody needs in their stash.

So… Bryn Mawr you say? Never heard of them? Neither had we. They’re a small winery up in Willamette with a fairytale story. The short version starts with Jon and Kathy Lauer, who got married in San Diego in the 1980s and took a drive up to the Bay Area. That’s where they encountered one of the greatest wines known to man – Newton’s Unfiltered Chardonnay – an ultimate benchmark to strive for.

From that point on, they basically became obsessed with wine. Jon planted a half-acre on his parents’ property in San Diego. The wine was good… but not great. During a visit to the Eola-Amity Hills, Jon and Kathy felt a connection with the appellation, and the rest is history. Almost. All they needed next was a rockstar winemaker to keep up with the high level of quality wines being made in the area.

Enter Rachel Rose. She took over in 2010 and was NOT impressed with the double-wide trailer, incessant rain, or the run-down house/basement winery. But she knew they could only go up from there. And up they went as this wine lays testament to their dedication and skill.

Buttery and ripe on one hand, but also zippy and fresh on the other. This walks a fine line between a richer New World style and Burgundian elegance. Lemon bars and lemon zest, flint, maybe some starfruit, and a little toasty brioche, nectarines, and yes, some butter, but not tubs of the stuff. Spending a long time in a third new French oak gives it some of that richness you love, and it has some terrific acidity to keep it all flowing.

Our advice? Get a bunch! And keep a bottle on permanent rotation in a safe, cool place for optimum enjoyment during the last days of summer and beyond.

92 Points – Wine Enthusiast

“Scents of flint, toast and cream open the door to a lovely wine centered around ripe and pretty nectarine fruit. Nicely focused and deep, the flavors show spicy wood highlights as well as a lingering finish which resolves in a wash of toasted hazelnuts. Credit 18 months in 30% new French oak.”