Why it matters
The producer
Old and new vineyard sources sit alongside an estate vineyard at Fullerton Wines, an Oregon producer in the Willamette Valley. Its named range includes the Three Otters and Five Faces series, with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris across the bottles. Pinot Noir from individual vineyard sources adds named vineyard bottlings to the family operation.
Eric Fullerton's teenage exposure to viticulture in Germany sparked a lifelong dedication to winemaking. Eric, Susanne and their son Alex established Fullerton Wines in 2012. Eric and Susanne own the winery, and Alex leads the winemaking.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Willamette Valley is the broad Oregon winegrowing region around Fullerton's vineyards. Inside it, nested American Viticultural Areas mark smaller defined winegrowing areas. Fullerton makes Pinot Noir from individual vineyards in those nested areas, so those bottles carry a narrower geographic address than Willamette Valley alone.
Wines to know
The range in view
Three Otters and Five Faces are the two named series. Three Otters includes Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris, while Five Faces includes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The red and white bottles use the series names directly: Fullerton Five Faces Pinot Noir and Fullerton Five Faces Chardonnay, alongside Three Otters Pinot Noir and Three Otters Pinot Gris. Björnson Vineyard Pinot Noir is a named vineyard bottling within the Willamette Valley range.
Five Faces Chardonnay is 100% Chardonnay from volcanic, loess and sedimentary soils and spends 17 months on lees with 10% new French oak. Lees are the yeast cells left after fermentation. Time on them can broaden texture and add savoury notes, while new oak can contribute toast and spice. The nose shows honeydew melon, Japanese pear, apricot, honeysuckle, apple blossom, nutmeg, brioche and lemon curd. The palate carries melon, lemon, tangerine, toasted almonds and fennel, with integrated acidity.