We’ve encountered Bryn Mawr‘s wines just a few instances up to now. This Willamette Valley-based operation gives a prodigious assortment of wines, together with the standard Oregon suspects and some ringers, one in all which we take a look at under. Let’s dig in.
NV Bryn Mawr Brut Rosé (2026) – This Willamette sparkler has maybe developed a bit since our final have a look at it in 2024. Made with out secondary fermentation — in different phrases, it’s carbonated wine — the dry rose includes a modest berry profile, heavy on the strawberries, and finds itself infused considerably with floral notes of hibiscus and rose petals. Its effervescence is restrained however not unapproachable, giving the wine a little bit of a soda-like high quality — and a brief end that sees a fleeting contact of orange peel and grapefruit. Issues flip a bit bitter on the fade-out, although the ample acidity left my enamel feeling like they’d been freshly scrubbed on the dentist. B+ / $35
2023 Bryn Mawr Chardonnay Property – Surprisingly crisp and citrus-forward, this lemony chardonnay eschews typical vanilla for a nuttier character, discovering its solution to notes of nougat and coconut cream because it develops in glass. Regardless of the looks of a silkier physique, the wine stays vigorous with its sharp fruit character clinging to the expertise. The end is nearly tropical, with a pineapple kick and a few lime leaf evident. Bracing and vigorous all through. A- / $50
2023 Bryn Mawr Chardonnay Willamette Valley – A clear and fairly citrusy chardonnay, massive on lemon, its sharpness venturing into curd territory. From there, the wine retains issues surprisingly crisp and clear, although a mild creaminess builds to a degree of nuttiness, almond-adjacent. The wine turns into creamier because the end builds, virtually milky ultimately, tempering the brilliant Lemonhead sweet notes from the assault. A surprisingly totally different wine than the Property, however simply as partaking in its personal particular approach. A- / $30
2023 Bryn Mawr Chardonnay Reserve Willamette Valley – This wine is sort of a bit extra aggressive than the above two chardonnays, with a daring assault that options Meyer lemon and tangerine, then honeysuckle and baking spice. Sharp and steely up high, it builds to point out some salinity earlier than the citrus comes dashing again into focus, the end setting issues up for a tropical experience, that includes mango and guava notes — all dusted with a pinch of salt. A- / $75
2023 Bryn Mawr Pinot Noir Willamette Valley – Clear and basic, with recent notes of marionberry and raspberry popping straight away. This wine is ripe and prepared, lush with fruit and bounded by light notes of graphite, clove, and anise. The lightest contact of balsamic character rings the end, including some acidity that retains the fruit in test. Balanced and vibrant, this can be a textbook Oregon pinot that feels prefer it has years of life forward of it — even perhaps enhancing over time as flavors coalesce. A- / $x
2023 Bryn Mawr Pinot Noir Property – Considerably underripe, with rhubarb and early season blackberry dominant, changing into slightly Christmassy with notes of ginger, rosemary, and cloves rising with time in glass. Aromatic incense notes give the again finish a buzzy brightness that comes off as a bit surprising, with darkish cherry fruit and a few cloves percolating on the end. Finally it’s a bit extra brooding than I’d count on for Willamette Valley fruit, however slightly definitely worth the journey. B+ / $50
2023 Bryn Mawr Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Reserve – A number of similarity right here with the Property pinot, although much more hearty with a daring earthiness and a considerable, still-grippy tannin. Morello cherry supplies a really tart, barely bitter core, giving the wine a brambly high quality when thought-about with its forest ground components. Graphite and a few anise give the end much more brooding savoriness, and whereas the wine presents as we speak as a bit underripe, it does really feel filled with promise, its charms lingering underneath the floor. B+ / $75
2021 Bryn Mawr Tempranillo Eola-Amity Hills – Oregon tempranillo isn’t a method that one usually encounters. Right here it showcases the grape’s extra natural aspect, that includes anise and a few gritty, dried thyme, comparatively laden with tannin and fibrous rhubarb notes. A pop of blueberry livens issues up because the end approaches, however though this wine is now 5 years from harvest, it nonetheless comes throughout as slightly youthful. How far it is going to mature is an open query. B / $60
2023 Bryn Mawr Pinot Noir Property
USD50
