This Week's Tasting
Domaine Verdant - At the Pinnacle of Willamette Wines
July 22, 2026
We are postponing our German-Austrian tasting to next week because we just found out that Dr. Ron Sanchez, the owner of a Willamette estate that makes some of the finest, most extraordinary Pinots and Chardonnays I have tasted in the last year, is in town and has agreed to do tonight's tasting.
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This Week Wednesday, July 21, 2026 Domaine Verdant At the Pinnacle of Willamette Wines In-store, 5 - 6:30pm
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We are postponing our German-Austrian tasting to next week because we just found out that Dr. Ron Sanchez, the owner of a Willamette estate that makes some of the finest, most extraordinary Pinots and Chardonnays I have tasted in the last year, is in town and has agreed to do our tasting.
You won't find Domaine Verdant reviewed by wine critics; nor will you find it listed on the Internet. Dr. Ron Sanchez’ beautiful folly of an estate makes a total of only about 800 cases a year. What is not sold at the winery goes to Michelin-starred restaurants and connoisseurs in Denmark, where he teaches business.
I loved the Verdants when I tasted them in April. My notes repeatedly mention intensity, fat, and breed, which seemed to me to be the hallmark of the wines. Their prices reflect meticulous individual attention in the vineyard and the cellar. He holds them at the winery until he judges they are ready to drink. These are current releases.
Originally planted in 1998-1999, Verdant’s10 acres of vineyards are among the oldest plantings in the Yamhill-Carlton. A unique mix of highly mineral soils and glacial gravel enriches the vineyards’ underlying sedimentary soils, giving wines a distinctive mineral structure that balances their intense fruit flavors.
Quality over quantity and quality over economy or expediency are the winery’s vineyard mantra. You can taste that in the wines.
White
2016 Domaine Verdant Chardonnay Enchanteuse
From Puligny clones, this is aged in half new oak to give length and richness.
Color: very light tan; Aroma: heady and full, fat, savory and bright, shows some age, very heady, dense; Mouth: clean, rich, and full, rounded, very rich and full, fat, and full; Excellent
$125; Case, $106.25
2019 Domaine Verdant Chardonnay Chanson d'Été
Only three barrels, one new and two old, were made of this “Song of Summer”.Color: light; Aroma: heady, reserved, savory, rather rich, heady, lifted, yet fresh; Mouth: rounded, savory, fleshy, intense, fat & full, clean, intense, fine, subdued acid, long, wood-accented finish; Excellent
$125; Case, $106.25 Preorder
2019 Domaine Verdant Les Belles Jumelles
“The Beautiful Twins are Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris cofermented. Just one barrel was made. I loved it for its spice, breadth, and singularity.Aroma: heady and intense, heady, and fruity; ripe, spicy, and forward; Mouth: clean, spicy, intense and forward, ripe and rounded, bright, forward; Excellent - Outstanding
$125; Case, $106.25 Preorder
Red
2023 Oregon Crest Vineyards Pinot Noir
A non-estate wine. It has more breed and quality than any Oregon pinot noir I have tasted at the price, echoing Verdant’s estate pinots.
Aroma: lean and spicy, intense, heady and full, heady intense, soft spice, clean, savory, light rather fine, clean; Mouth: bright, very pure clean, fine acid, elegant, clean, firm, saturated but also lean and focused, fine acid on a long finish, Very Good - Excellent $24.99; Case of twelve, $21.25
2016 Domaine Verdant Pinot Noir Tryptique
Fermented and aged in used barrels, this is the largest proportion of the estate wines and excellent at its price. Aged for up to 18 months in veteran oak barrels to achieve a well- rounded balance of fruit-forward and lingering, spicy Pinot finish that is highly expressive of each growing seasonColor: deep dark, semi opaque; Aroma: heady and forward, fleshy, heady fruity, and lifted, savory, heady savory and lifted, lightly oaked; Mouth: bright clean fine, clean tight acid, precise; Excellent
$135; Case, $114.75
2016 Domaine Verdant Pinot Noir Quintessence
Lightly filtered, this was fermented and aged about 18 months in one-third each new, second-use, and older barrels to give an expressive, well-rounded balance of fruit-forward and lingering, spicy Pinot finish.Aroma: bright and intense, rather bright, forward, heady, intense, savory, and deep; Mouth: fleshy and ripe forward, clean acidity, sweet and intense, Excellent - Outstanding
$135; Case, $114.75
2016 Domaine Verdant Pinot Noir La Follesse
“The Crazy Lady” was aged in all-new Hungarian oak, which gives it a heavier cast. It highlights Pinot’s spicy side. Sanchez feels that it is the best and most that Pinot Noir can be in North America, demonstrating a depth and range of spicy Pinot flavors that he feels are unmatched by Pinots grown elsewhere in the world. This seemed to me to be the least obvious of the estate Pinots and needs more of a decant. Less than 50 cases made.Color: very dark semi-opaque; Aroma: savory and intense, heady, forward, and ripe, savory full, intense, more reserved; Mouth: dense and spicy, clean, fine acid, clean acid very long; Excellent – Outstanding
$135; Case, $114.75
Len Rothenberg
Prearrival wines should arrive in about three weeks.
Oregon Crest is a case of 12
The estate wines are cases of six.
Mix any wines at their case prices and quantities
At the tasting, purchase any bottles at their case prices.
Order by phone at 617.367.8605, or reserve here: order@federalwine.com
Please pass this on to any friends who are wine enthusiasts!
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FREE DELIVERY!
downtown on orders more than $75;
in Greater Boston on orders more than $199
