PONZI VINEYARDS, 'RESERVE' PINOT NOIR & CHARDONNAY
WILLAMETTE VALLEY, OREGON
I'd be willing to lay odds that the winery that introduced you to the manifold glories of the Willamette Valley was none other than Ponzi Vineyards.
As it was for so many of us.
Ponzi was among the small and hardy band of pioneers that put the region on the map and the world on notice, opening its doors in 1970 and, little by little, edging its winemaking up to a world-class standard. Little wonder that the renowned Bollinger Family, makers of Champagne Bollinger, purchased the winery last year, marking its first foray into the U.S. market with what its owners declared "an ideal fit" with its own uncompromising vision.
We're so honored and proud, today, to be able to share two expressions from Ponzi’s exalted vineyards, both of which we absolutely reveled in at a recent tasting: the 2018 Ponzi Chardonnay Reserve, a 96-point wine that we're offering for an astounding price of under $28 a bottle; and the 2017 Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains Reserve, a 95-point wine that Wine Enthusiast named a Top Cellar Selection of 2021 (and that represents tremendous value for a Pinot Noir at under $60 a bottle).
More than five decades after Dick and Nancy Ponzi established their vineyard on a 20-acre plot of farm southwest of Portland, Ponzi continues to set the standard for Oregon winemaking. The operation today is in the hands of the children: Anna Maria, who serves as president, and Luisa, who is the winemaker. Then as now, Ponzi is guided by a passion for sustainable agricultural practices, hands-on methods, varietal integrity, and making wines that are in strict accord with the soil and climate.
As a winemaker, Luisa draws both on her experience working alongside her father and her time apprenticing in France — she was the first American woman to receive her certificate in enology and viticulture in Beaune. For each vintage, she will experiment with grapes from various elevations, soil types, clones, spacing, and trellis systems, believing that it is in the blend of various elements that a wine acquires depth, complexity, harmony, and balance.
All of these traits are on vivid display in these two beautifully crafted bottles.
James Suckling's 96-point review speaks to that sense of harmony, as well as to the explosive aromatics on offer in the glass: "love the aromas of fossilized shells and sliced cooked apples. Quince and aniseed, too. Perfumed. Full-bodied, yet creamy and compact with a beautiful, long finish of honey, straw, and lime."
As for the Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains Reserve, which he awarded 95 points, he nails the fruit-forward aspect that captured us, too, along with its almost insistent juiciness: "attractive ripe and pure red cherry fruit that is nicely framed in spice, conifer-forest and sweet-earth elements. The palate has a bold heart of concentrated red-cherry flavor and delivers a bold, youthful and succulent finish. Impressive."
His final words on the Pinot Noir are: "drink or hold." To which we would only add: cellar if you must, but at least part of our excitement in making this acquisition is that we can bring our Concierge Family a pair of knockout wines that are ready to go right now.
Many hours of pure pleasure await, in other words, but act now to secure yours!
*Offer NOT valid in-store. This offer is made pre-arrival, with wines estimated to be delivered to your preferred store in Fall 2022. With the supply chain issues that we are seeing globally, there may be some unforeseen delays which could affect the ETA. All sale prices are the lowest available at Total Wine & More and ONLY valid through Concierge Sales. No further discounts or coupons may be applied. Offer not valid in IL, MI, NY, or TN. This offer is for ONE WEEK, or until sold out, and will expire on Sunday, July 10, 2022.
