Notes from Goodfellow Family Cellars:

This cuvée is one of three that make up the inaugural release of the Goodfellow sparkling project. Over the years we have focused on no-till farming, reductions in canopy, and sites that produce excellent flavor profiles at low potential alcohols and high acidity. In this time we have watched as our numbers for still Chardonnay, and even Pinot Noir in some mico-climates, have come increasingly closer to what is necessary for high quality traditional method sparkling wine.

With the excellently cool 2019 vintage, we felt the wines were at an ideal point, and set aside the first barrels of Chardonnay to use as reserve base wine. Utilizing larger format oak barrels (600 & 800L) allows for extended time on the yeast lees for reserve base wine, while keeping the wines tight, and reducing oxygen exposure for the extended elevage. We feel strongly that the focus on multi-vintage cuvees allows for greater complexity in the wines, with the richness from the gradual yeast lees autolysis in the older wines, working with the youthfulness and drive of more recent vintages.

This first version of the Willamette Valley Extra Brut is balanced more toward the younger portions of the base wine in the program, and includes 32% Pinot Noir in the final assemblage. It is a refreshing and charmingly fruit forward style, while still being quite low in dosage."