99 POINTS: ROBERT PARKER’S WINE ADVOCATE - The 2021 Chardonnay Koosah Vineyard—the first iteration of this single-vineyard wine from Walter Scott—is already impressive from tank. Youthful hints of matchstick give way to intense aromas of white peach, jasmine, spring butter and crushed almonds. The medium-bodied palate balances layers of perfumed fruit with electric acidity, and its satiny, mouth-coating texture drives a very long finish. This Chardonnay offers an intoxicating combination of power and energy, and I can't wait to see how it performs from bottle.
MISSION NOTES: Ken Pahlow and his wife Erica Landon have been making wine in Oregon’s Willamette Valley since 2008 when they first launched Walter Scott. Back then they shared a facility with Patricia Green Cellars, before transferring over to Evening Land alongside Dominique Lafon, and later Bethel Heights in the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA. Like many modern winemakers, Ken and Erica strive for a sense of place, a representation of terroir, and a purity of flavor in each of their wines. However, the big difference between Walter Scott and other winemakers in the region has been the reaction from critics and consumers alike, both of whom are completely freaking out over the Chardonnays from the 2021 vintage.
From the entry level La Combe Verte, fermented with 100% ambient yeast with full malo in French oak, to the Cuvée Anne marriage, to the single vineyard selections of Freedom Hill and Koosah, each of these Chardonnays delivers a complexity that is on par with some of the best wines of Burgundy—many of which sell for triple or even quadruple the price! As devotees of the Burgundian style, Ken and Erica have paid homage to the French profile, but the fleshiness of fruit from Oregon in 2021 adds an entirely new dimension.
