A fantastic new release at a highly reasonable price, the 2022 Big Table Farm ‘The Wild Bee’ Chardonnay was sourced from a range of vineyards that span the Willamette Valley. The nose shows toasted hazelnut tones alongside bright pear, buttered sourdough bread and green melon accents. Fresh and lively, with good tension and weight, with a lengthy finish, this is classy Oregon Chardonnay that is a serious value. Drink 2024-2032- 93

The outstanding 2022 ‘Willamette Valley’ Pinot Noir totally over-delivers for the price. This was 100% whole cluster fermented and was stored in mainly neutral oak for ten months before bottling. This is very pretty aroaticsally with red rose petals that parade with dusty soils, red currants and menthol notes. The palate is fresh and layered with a smooth texture and bright underlying sense of verve. A glorious core of red fruits greets you, with orange peel and Christmas spices on the palate. Enjoy this beauty now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2024-2032

The brilliant 2022 Big Table Farm ‘Pelos-Sandberg Vineyard’ Pinot Noir comes from this small vineyard set in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA. White truffle shavings and Mandarin orange zest combine with pomegranate seed and shades of freshly tiled loamy soils all mark the nose. The palate is silky and refined with good elegance, length, weight and verve. Seamless throughout the drinking experience, this is every bit as good as the incredible 2021 bottling. Drink 2024-2035

The winery’s version of Pinot Gris stands well apart from the Willamette Valley norm. It’s an assertively orange wine with the color of a fading sunset. Lush scents mix kumquat, candied orange peel and a whiff of white smoke. Time on the skins ups the tannins and adds textural heft, while ample aeration brings hints of orange pekoe tea through a long finish. The core fruit emulates the aromatics, suggesting that this would be a fine wine to accompany seafood or poultry sauced or grilled with fruit. A well-done orange wine, and this is surely one, has the ability to last for several days after being opened. 140 cases

Big Table Farm is consistently one of the best examples of skin-contact Pinot Gris in the Willamette Valley. The wine's aromas of prosciutto wrapped around a slice of cantaloupe join bits of saline, thyme and apple pectin. Peach-skin, anise and juniper-berry flavors are backed by sturdy tannins, with a crisp mouthfeel. — Michael Alberty

What a lovely orange wine from Big Table Farm, displaying a medium candied-orange color in the glass and giving off fantastic skin-contact aromas - think orange blossoms, honey-coated pear, freshly struck flint, dried hay, and bruised apple. With a surprising amount of tannin, it finishes with medium levels of acidity and a bitter herb finish.

The 2022 Laughing Pig Rosé sports a gorgeous medium salmon pink core with a rose-tinted rim. Crafted from 100% Pinot Noir grapes from the Willamette Valley, it boasts scrumptious notes of watermelon, white strawberries, lemony herbs, wet clay, and specs of tangerine oil. Easy drinking, but very well structured at the same time. A red-fruit essence and bitter herb aspects finish the wine. 620 cases were made.

A rosé of Pinot Noir that goes to 11. Robust, phenolic and hearty, this rosé is directly pressed and placed on top of whole berries, where it is left to soak and slowly ferment and gain colour before it is pressed and transferred to neutral barrels. Then it undergoes malolactic fermentation. The resulting wine offers plenty of spicy aromatics of white pepper, mint and wild green strawberries. The palate is a melange of savoury spice, currant and cranberry that finishes with notes of white pepper. Serve this chilled with steak, seriously. Clive Pursehouse

This starts off earthy and a touch grassy, with a hint of peppery olive oil in its scent. It’s exotic on the palate with an earthy back note. The suave pinot noir grip will take on patatas gravas and jamon Iberico. P.J.C.

This acid-driven wine screams, “Eat a peach!” It begins with a peach pastille aroma backed by an earthy blackberry tea note. Peach redux on the palate, with red raspberry, thyme, rosemary and pistachio flavors. The wine's crisp texture and lively personality suggest pairing it with the Allman Brothers “Live at Fillmore East.” — Michael Alberty

The 2021 Rosé Laughing Pig displays a deep pink color with orange hues while wafting up zesty blood orange, wild strawberry and gingery spice aromas. This smooths over the palate with silken textures and scant wild berries, all energized by zesty acidity. It tapers off grippy and full of tension, yet remarkably fresh leaving hints of licorice and wild inner florals. Fantastic. This is far from your average Rosé. 100% Pinot Noir. – Eric Guido

Some Wild Bee was produced in 2020; my most recent review is for the 2019. Both vintages were finished well under 13% alcohol, and hitting 13% seems to be a tipping point for overall quality. Seven vineyards contributed to the blend; the flavors favor green and yellow fruits, green tea and citrus, especially grapefruit. A slight chill (ten minutes in your fridge) perks up the flavors without muting the aromas. Drinking very well on the second day, this is a very young wine which will benefit greatly from additional bottle age. 1133 cases

Fragrant and brisk, with apple and lime accents that build tension toward the vibrant finish. Drink now. 1,133 cases made. -Tim Fish

The very bright and nicely textured 2021 Big Table Farm ‘The Wild Bee’ Chardonnay comes from a host of sites sprinkled throughout the Willamette Valley. Shades of cantaloupe mark the nose alongside baking spices, brioche and suggestions of white peach. The palate is very soft with bright underlying acidity and lovely nutty accents. A total home-run this vintage, enjoy this outstanding value now and over the next eight plus years. Drink 2023-2031

This has aromas of green apples, white grapefruit, flint and smoked almonds. Nicely reductive, crisp and flinty, with a medium body, vibrant acidity, and subtle toasty notes lingering at the end. Drink now.

The Wild Bee represents one of the best Willamette Valley Chardonnay values around. I’d happily pay $50-$60 for this bottle. Aromas of lemon verbena, chamomile and Meyer lemons start the show, followed by lavender lemonade and lightly buttered toast flavors. A crisp mouthfeel complements the Bee’s stinging acidity. Editors’ choice. – M.A.

The gorgeous 2021 The Wild Bee from Big Table Farm comes from some of the best vineyard sites around the Willamette Valley. A beautiful core of light lemon-gold with a silvery rim in the glass, it pops with aromas of yellow stone fruit, fresh apricot skin, toasted hazelnuts, and toasted allspice. A lovely mineral and saline aspect hits the palate and doesn’t let go. A lovely wine. 1133 cases produced.

Lean and linear with mineral-driven aromatics of wet slate and petrichor followed on by a note of roasted corn husk. There is a smoky flint note to the palate followed by cut green apple, savoury herbs, a streak of wet slate, and a kiss of seaspray to finish. Clive Pursehouse

This is round and rich up front, before it turns toward lemon-lime and crisp apple flavors. It's golden on the outside and lean with limey acidity inside, broad, then crisp. For tinned ventresca tuna. -P.J.C.

Pale greenish gold in the glass, this wine smells of lemon pith and lemon blossoms. In the mouth, wonderfully bright lemon pith and orange peel flavors are bright with fantastic acidity, while stony wet chalkboard notes emerge through the citrus haze to leave a faintly chalky sensation in the finish along with floral scents.

Pale lemon in colour. Am I being influenced by the name? The nose is like spearmint and whipped honeycomb with ripe peaches. The palate is broad and waxy with elevated acidity that carries a lengthy finish. Oak lends a vanilla-toast character and grip to the lightly phenolic finish. GV! - Samantha Cole-Johnson

The 2021 Chardonnay Wild Bee is spicy in the glass, wafting up with a blend of wild herbs, cardamon and ginger-spiked green apples. This is decidedly savory with a zesty core of brisk acidity and saline minerals, adding tension as tart orchard fruits cascade throughout. This finishes with medium length, leaving a lovely inner sweetness and lingering salty flourish. – Eric Guido

This gorgeous wine is packed with whirlwind flavors. They swirl around the palate in a glorious mélange of stone fruits, dried herbs, citrus peel, bee pollen and butterscotch. Great concentration and superior length are the cornerstones; it’s the depth, length and detail that make this a great Chardonnay. A stunning value, it should be enjoyed over the rest of the decade. 92 cases

This graceful and balanced Chardonnay leads with a combination of juniper berries and a piece of smoked whitefish drizzled in butter and lemon that is certain to spark a hunger pang. The flavors of peach sorbet and shortbread cookies served with a cup of lemon-verbena tea don't help that pang. — Michael Alberty

Just a touch of new French oak was used on the 2021 Eola-Amity Big Table Farm Chardonnay. Eola-Amity is at the top of my favorite AVAs in the Willamette Valley because they produce such elegant yet powerful wines. Sporting a light to medium lemon-gold colored core with a neon yellow rim, you are greeted with scrumptious aromas and flavors of wet white wildflowers, yellow pear, citrus zest, and shades of crush rock minerality that fall perfectly on the mid-palate. With a medium to full body and a rich texture, this one should age well for the next 8-10 years with proper cellaring. Just 92 cases were made. Highly recommended and editor’s choice.

Tasted blind. Medium lemon in colour. Rich and citrusy like a perfectly crispy lemon Danish pastry. Silky and round on the palate with elevated acidity and a minty coolness. Long finish with notes of vanilla blossom, yogurt and toast. Delicious. -Samantha Cole-Johnson

The 2021 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills is remarkably pretty, lifting from the glass with an airy blend of dusty sage and mint, complementing yellow apples and hints of spice. This shows its minerality up front, as soft textural waves usher in crisp orchard fruits, taking on a savory spiciness toward the close. This finishes squeaky clean, leaving whispers of ground ginger and a tinge of sour citrus, keeping the mouth watering for more. – Eric Guido

Firm and tart, this leads with reductive scents over winesap apples and oak. The flavors are succulent and rich, with broad pear and apple showing off a lushness along a clean line of acidity. (92 cases) —P.J.C.