FRIENDS & FAMILY SPRING 2025 ALLOCATION
Hello Friends and Family -
Greetings from the Hazelfern fam! Hope that you had a great winter and are gearing up for what is turning out to be an early and warm Spring here in the Willamette Valley. The sun is out and the buds on the vines emerged @ Hazelfern this week. We’re hopeful for another great season in Oregon, and especially excited for the opportunity to get together with friends to share some great food, delicious wine, and fun stories.
We’ve spent the past month here at Hazelfern bottling our new wines from the incredible 2023 vintage and prepping the vineyard for an exciting year ahead. We're extremely proud of the 2023 line-up and very excited to share them with you. In addition to two amazing new Pinots, we're very excited to be back at the chardy party with our brand new 2023 Rock Block Chardonnay. We skipped the 2022 vintage due to frost damage, so we're extra pumped to have the crown jewel back and ready to share with our friends and family.
Taking you back to 2023: 2023 marked a return to more normal conditions here in the Willamette Valley (yay!). After the wildfires in 2020, extreme heat of 2021, and the hard freeze in 2022, it felt great to return to a relatively normal growing season in 2023. The resulting wines are absolutely delicious – even though they were just bottled, the wines are showing big personality and we've been enjoying them already.
The Spring Friends & Family allocation includes six bottles - 2 bottles each of 3 new release wines:
2023 Pinot Noir, The Hazelfern Vineyard (Friends & Family $60/bottle)
2023 Pinot Noir, Stardance Vineyard (Friends & Family $55/bottle)
2023 Chardonnay, Rock Block (Friends & Family $55/bottle)
Follow along on Instagram for regular updates from the farm!
Be sure to check-out Bryan’s winemaking and tasting notes below.
In addition to the wines we’ve made for Friends & Family, we’re excited to release the brand new 2024 Rosé of Pinot Noir just in time for summer. We also have the new 2023 Gamay Noir and 2023 Trousseu (chillable reds for summer!) and a couple additional Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays available – be sure to grab them for your summer gatherings while they last.
Additional wines available this month:
NEW! 2024 Rosé of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley (Friends & Family $24/bottle: Regularly $32/bottle)
2022 Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley (Friends & Family $30/bottle: Regularly $39/bottle) 93 Points (James Suckling & Jeb Dunnuck)
2022 Pinot Noir, Prime Cut, Willamette Valley (Friends & Family $75/bottle: Regularly $85/bottle) 97 points (Jeb Dunnuck)
NEW! 2023 Gamay Noir, Willamette Valley (Friends & Family $35/bottle: Regularly $45/bottle)
NEW! 2023 Trousseau, The Hazelfern Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains (Friends & Family $35/bottle: Regularly $45/bottle)
NEW! 2023 Chardonnay, Willamette Valley (Friends & Family $30/bottle: Regularly $39/bottle)
NEW! 2023 Chardonnay, Prime Cut (Friends & Family $62/bottle: Regularly $75/bottle)
UPDATE YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS, CREDIT CARD, AND/OR ORDER ADDITIONAL WINES HERE
Fresh News and Upcoming Events:
NEW HAZELFERN ACCOLADES:
JamesSuckling.com Oregon Tasting:
"We made a point of tasting with winemakers who were not well-known to us but whose wines had stood out in previous tastings, and again this year. We highly recommend relative newcomers like Hazelfern... along with stalwarts such as Ponzi, The Eyrie Vineyards, Domaine Drouhin, Cristom, Bergstrom, and Evening Land"
96 Points: 2022 La Belle Promenade Vineyard Pinot Noir
96 Points: 2022 Three Cedars Vineyard Pinot Noir
95 Points: 2022 Prime Cut Pinot Noir
93 Points: 2022 Sea Ghost Pinot Noir
93 Points: 2022 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
Jeb Dunnuck 2022 Willamette Valley Round-Up
97 Points: 2022 Prime Cut Pinot Noir
95 Points: 2022 Sea Ghost Pinot Noir
95 Points: 2022 La Belle Promenade Vineyard Pinot Noir
95 Points: 2021 Little Hells Chardonnay
93 Points: 2022 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
93 Points: 2022 Trousseau
CHARDY PARTY EXPANDS!: Our flagship event of the summer returns to The Hazelfern Barn, and is also going on the road to Bend, Oregon.
Save the Date for Thursday, July 24th and join Hazelfern, big table farm, Hundred Suns, and Walter Scott for a night of finger lickin’ good vibes and ice cold Chardonnay at the Hazelfern Barn (of course we'll have lots of great reds as well for you ABC folk).
And for the first time ever, we're taking Chardy Party on the road this year. A full weekend of Chardy Party in Bend, OR with several amazing chefs at Brasada Ranch on August 1st and 2nd... more details and special lodging rates coming soon!!
We’re extremely grateful for all your continued support and enthusiasm for Hazelfern – our family is so thankful for the opportunity to share our wines with you. Hope to see you in the barn this Spring!
Thanks!
-Laura, Bryan, Adalyn, Ava, Gus & Sadie
About the 2023 Vintage:
The 2023 growing season marked a return to more normal conditions (albeit warm) here in the Willamette Valley. After the wildfires in 2020, extreme heat spikes of 2021, and the hard freeze in 2022, it felt great to return to a relatively normal growing season in 2023.
The 2023 vintage was set-up with a cool and wet Spring which led to a slightly later than normal bud break (10-day delay). The Willamette Valley then experienced a very warm May with temperatures reaching the high 80’s and low 90’s, and this quickly accelerated vine growth and created good conditions for bloom.
Summer brought consistently warm but not overly hot temperatures with almost no precipitation through the end of August (the Willamette Valley recorded the warmest and driest August on record). Rain arrived at the beginning of September which gave the vines some much needed relief and allowed for the grape sugars to balance while flavors developed complexity.
Harvest was very quick and condensed. At Hazelfern, our Pinot Noir harvest started on September 13th, and was over by September 21st (with eight vineyards in total… that is very fast!). The resulting wines are extremely high quality, with a gregarious personality and lots of balanced complexity thanks to the September rains. These wines are sure to be crowd pleasers!
(qty. 2) 2023 Pinot Noir, The Hazelfern Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains, Willamette Valley
*$70 / $60 (Friends & Family)
I’m so excited to share our new Pinot Noir from the vines we planted here at the Hazelfern barn in 2015. Our first Pinot Noir vintage was in 2019, and it sure has been rewarding to see these vines grow up and discover the personality of this vineyard and the resulting wines. We just opened a 2019 with friends from South Carolina two nights ago, and it was tasting SO GOOD (proud Dad moment)!
Living here on the property and doing much of the farming myself, I get to interact with these vines every day throughout the growing season. Each year, I watch them grow and adjust to the weather, and I start to think about how I want to make the resulting wine starting early in the season.
The vineyard here is planted on Jory (volcanic) soil, and in the Willamette Valley, we like to say that red volcanic soils produce red fruited and elegant wines. Now that we’ve completed the 2024 harvest, and I’ve had a chance to make wines from these vines for several vintages, it’s safe to say that the consistent fruit profile is spiced red plum and the wines are showing good depth and minerality on the finish.
This wine represents our entire journey as 1st generation farmers and winemakers, and I really hope you enjoy it!
Tasting Notes:
Elegance and grace from our estate vineyard. Aromas of farm fresh Santa Rosa red plums, cherries, and wild red currants are accented by rose petals, blackberry bramble, cardamom and a rush of baking spices like cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg. On the palate, this wine is plush with a salty minerality that carries the long finish.
Delicious with: salty cheeses, mushrooms, and pork chops
100% Pinot Noir
13.1% alcohol
Geek out:
Aged 12 months in 100% French Oak (25% new oak)
Featured clones: Pommard, Wädenswil, Mt Eden, Dijon 113, 115 and 667
4-day cold soak
17-day fermentation
pH: 3.62
Unfined and Unfiltered
Vineyard Facts:
The Hazelfern Vineyard:
Located on-site in Newberg, OR at the Hazelfern Barn
Clones: Pommard, Wadenswil, Mt Eden, and Dijon clones 113, 115, and 667 planted in 2015
Dry farmed and farmed using organic practices
Soil: Jory (volcanic)
Elevation: 475 feet
Pinot Noir @ Three Cedars Vineyard planted on a beautiful north facing slope in the Laurelwood District AVA.
(qty. 2) 2023 Pinot Noir, Stardance Vineyard, Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley
*$65 / $55 (Friends & Family)
I'm so excited to welcome a brand new wine to the Hazelfern family this Spring - please help me in welcoming Stardance Vineyard Pinot Noir!
OG Hazelfern fans will remember that we used to make a Pinot Noir from Yamhill Springs Vineyard from 2015-2019, until that vineyard was put up for sale. Well, directly next door to Yamhill Springs Vineyard is a vineyard called Stardance Vineyard, and for four years I would stand at the top of Yamhill Springs Vineyard and look over at Stardance and dream of being able to work with that fruit.
In 2020 I reached out to Stardance Vineyard's owner, Shirley, via e-mail to express interest in working with her incredible fruit. It took Shirley three years to reply, but in 2023 she walked into The Hazelfern Barn to introduce herself. After thoroughly interviewing me and vetting our wines, Shirley finally gave me a shot to work with her fruit (an honor).
The vineyard is planted on extremely steep slopes with a unique soil that has high iron content and very deep cracks/fissures allowing the vine roots to get very deep into the bedrock. It's a very unique terroir for the Willamette Valley and we’re very excited to have the opportunity to work with the fruit. The 2023 wine is an instant classic that we absolutely love.
Tasting Notes:
Layered and dynamic. Aromas of Bing cherries, Mt Hood strawberries, and black plums are accented by tarragon, fresh earth, and dusty herbs to keep it real. The palate is layered, with notes of dark cherries, black peppercorn, dried tobacco leaf, and a solid frame of respectful tannins and acidity that continue to evolve with each sip.
Delicious with: comté cheese, mushrooms, and filet mignon
100% Pinot Noir
13.7% alcohol
Geek out:
Aged 14 months in 100% French Oak (24% new oak)
Featured clones: Pommard planted in 2023
5-day cold soak
16-day fermentation
pH: 3.63
Unfined and Unfiltered
Vineyard Facts:
Stardance Vineyard:
Clones: Pommard
Dry farmed using organic farming practices
Yamhill-Carlton AVA
Soil: Peavine with high iron content (marine sedimentary)
Elevation: 550 ft
High elevation and incredibly rocky basalt soils make Rock Block an incredible site for growing world-class Chardonnay.
(qty. 2) 2023 Chardonnay, Rock Block, Willamette Valley
*$65 / $55 (Friends & Family)
Those of you who know me well or follow us on Instagram, know that I love Willamette Valley Chardonnay! I love to make Chardonnay, and I love to drink Chardonnay. It's a huge focus for us in the winery, and Rock Block is our crown jewel. After not making Chardonnay in 2022 due to the frost, I am very excited to be back with our 2023 Rock Block Chardonnay.
TAKE A TOUR OF ROCK BLOCK W/ BRYAN
Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley is not your mama’s Chardonnay – no oily and flabby butter bombs out here. I love that Chardonnay can be made in so many styles, and that the decisions I make as a winemaker can really impact the outcome of the wine.
The 2023 Rock Block Chardonnay is our fifth vintage of single-vineyard Chardonnay from our Rock Block Vineyard on the eastern edge of the Willamette Valley in the hills outside a small town called Scotts Mills. This vineyard is special you guys. It’s very high elevation at almost 1000 feet and the soils are incredibly rocky which is great for growing really good Chardonnay.
This Chardonnay is 100% barrel fermented and barrel aged, but is balanced with refreshing high elevation acidity. The Rock Block Chardonnay has incredible texture and a touch of perceived floral sweetness (although it's completely dry) that balances the high elevation juicy acid structure.
Tasting Notes:
Texture for days. Ripe fruit flavors of d'anjou pear, lemon curd, and madarin zest are layered with accents of jasmine, orange blossom, cracked white pepper, allspice, and stoney minerality on the long finish.
Delicious with: bleu cheese, mushrooms, pork chops
100% Chardonnay
13.2% alcohol
Geek out:
Aged 13 months in 100% French Oak (24% new oak)
Featured clones: Dijon 76, 95, 96
35-day fermentation
Full malolactic fermentation – six months
pH: 3.35
Vineyard Facts:
Rock Block:
Dijon clones 76, 95, 96, and 809 planted in 2007
Dry farmed using LIVE Certified and Salmon-Safe practices
Eastern edge of the Willamette Valley in the Cascade Foothills
Soil: McCully Clay Loam
Elevation: 1000 ft
