2021 00 Wines Chardonnay Richard Hermann Cuvee

Rich and seductive, the 2021 Chardonnay Richard Herman Cuvée soothes the senses with its vanilla bean and confectionary spice nuances complicated by hints of ground ginger and crushed rocks. It’s ripe in style and fruit-focused, yet masterfully balanced with a sour citrus core and stimulating acidity, exciting the senses. This cleans up beautifully, quite intense and savory, with teeth-chattering tension and a sour lemon rind concentration that keeps the mouth watering for more. The Richard Herman Cuvée plays tricks on the palate, which I find wildly attractive.

Coming from an exceptional site (wherever it is ), the clear bright yellow 2021 Chardonnay Richard Hermann Cuvee is another stunner, with wild aromas of lime blossom, lemongrass, flinty wet stone, delicate baking spices, and wild white flowers. It’s rounded on the palate, with full-bodied richness and a hint of fresh almond texture. It’s going to do well over the next 15 or more years. 00 Wines, founded by husband-and-wife duo Katherine and Christopher Hermann, exclusively produce Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. They derived the name “00” from numerology and say it represents true and absolute potential. Their first vintage was in 2015, and in 2017 they moved to a shared winemaking facility that they operate out of today. Katherine takes charge of the creative direction with packaging and communications. Her background in marketing brought her to New York City and Boulder, Colorado, working for technology startups, before arriving in the Willamette Valley. Prior to establishing 00 Wines, Christopher was a legal advisor for nearly 40 years for many of the top names in the wine and spirits industry, practicing environmental law. They are inspired by the great wines of Burgundy and implement many Burgundian techniques, advised by their consultant Pierre Millemann and their winemaker Wynne Peterson-Nerdry. Last year I was not able to taste their reds, but it proved to be well worth the wait. They display another level of purity and depth from truly exceptional sites. Also on the horizon for the 00 Wines team are two relatively new projects in both Burgundy and Champagne, which I will be able to share with our readers when I taste them in September of this year.