The EGW, or Extremely Good White, occupies the tier immediately above the VGW in the 00 Wines hierarchy, a more structured and mineral-intense Chardonnay produced from sites and barrels that demonstrate the greatest site specificity and ageing potential in any given vintage. Where the VGW is conceived as an introduction to the 00 Wines Chardonnay style, the EGW is designed for the collector who wants to experience the full depth of what these Willamette Valley terroirs are capable of producing. The two wines share a philosophical approach but differ substantially in concentration and tension.

The 2022 EGW was produced in a vintage of Oregon widely celebrated as a recovery miracle: spring frosts destroyed primary shoots across the valley before the secondary buds responded and delivered a smaller but intensely concentrated crop. In this context, the EGW represents some of the finest barrels from the vintage, selected for their exceptional mineral depth and structural completeness. Vinous’s Eric Guido described the 2022 as a “model of elegance and form, silken and round with ripe orchard fruits offsetting tactile mineral tones,” noting that it had “Premier Cru white Burgundy written all over it.”

The EGW’s critical record across recent vintages confirms its status as one of the most serious Chardonnay benchmarks produced outside Burgundy. Vinous awarded the 2022 EGW 94 points, placing it among the highest-scoring Oregon Chardonnays of the vintage. The magnum format represents the ideal presentation for a wine of this structure and ageing intention: magnums of the EGW are produced in extremely small quantities and rarely reach the secondary market, making bottles available through specialist merchants of particular interest to collectors.

A model of elegance, the 2022 EGW opens with nuances of sweet sage, mint, Asian pear and stone dust, evolving in the glass as a silken texture of orchard fruit offsets tactile mineral tones and sour citrus. The finish is long and flinty, with a lemony concentration and savory herbal resonance that persists well beyond the final sip. Best from 2025 through 2034.

Slowly evolves in the glass as nuances of sweet sage and mint come together with Asian pear and stone dust. A model of elegance and form, silken and round with ripe orchard fruits offsetting tactile mineral tones and a tinge of sour citrus. Premier Cru white Burgundy written all over it.  — Vinous