Description
Bow & Arrow, “Fool’s Gold” Chardonnay Blend
After seven years of fanatical campaigning on behalf of Bow & Arrow, we can no longer refer to this Oregon producer’s “underground” status. This cutting-edge micro-label has since evolved into one of America’s hottest and most consistent names; their wines populating top wine bars/shops/bistros from LA to NY. Historically, SommSelect has focused on B & A’s flagship Pinot, Gamay, and Cabernet-driven reds. But after tasting today’s mesmerizing and extremely limited-production wine, we’re asking ourselves if Bow & Arrow’s whites are the real goldmine!
A dual homage to the barrel-aged intensity of Cotat/Vattan Sancerre crossed with top rustic white Burgundy of yesteryear, “Fool’s Gold” is a magical fusion of Willamette Valley Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Yes, you read that correctly. It’s a delicious, dangerously addictive wine, and for $32, few whites—from any corner of the globe—are packed with more precision, layered exoticism, and outrageously delicious refreshment. In fact, I’m inclined to say this is the finest white they’ve ever released. SommSelect’s loyal Bow & Arrow contingent tends to pounce on every red we offer from this small cellar, and the same must now be said for this uniquely special and limited white. I encourage everyone to grab some before it disappears!
Scott and Dana Frank live in Portland, Oregon. By day, Scott is a wholesale wine distributor, and by night he is a stay-at-home father. Scott’s wife, Dana, trades off daytime parenting duties for a nighttime career as one of Portland’s most respected sommeliers and restaurateurs. On top of all this, the young family still finds a way to oversee a treasure trove of organically farmed vineyards with which they hand-produce small amounts of exceptional wine under the label Bow & Arrow. Their single-vineyard Pinot Noirs are reliably outstanding; their Gamay is routinely included in lists dedicated to promoting the top wine value; and their deft hand with Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc have generated some mind-bending red-blend results. Today, however, we’re looking at the other end of the spectrum—to their small white wine lineup—which includes Melon de Bourgogne, Chenin Blanc, and this wildly luxurious bottling of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
What makes Bow & Arrow truly special is that the wines are in no way reminiscent of the typical, best-in-class “West Coast” style. Scott and Dana are working in homage to the fresh, angular, and crunchy whites and reds of Loire Valley, the silky pedigree of Burgundy, and the high-spirited energy of Cru Beaujolais. There is no oak spice or overripe fruit on the nose, alcohol levels are moderate across the board, and the end result is a collection of wines that are as delicious as they are thought-provoking.
“Fool’s Gold” is Scott’s interpretation of combining two classic French wine styles: (a) the deep, soulful, barrel-fermented Sancerre whites of Vattan and Cotat and (b) the rustic Cote de Beaune white Burgundies upon which Scott cut his teeth when he first began drinking high-quality French whites. This wine is a result of Scott’s premium grower partnerships for Sauvignon Blanc in the southern Willamette Valley and Chardonnay in the northern Eola-Amity Hills AVA. But Scott’s confident, skilled hand in the cellar plays no small role! The Sauvignon Blanc is vinified in steam-bent, neutral oak puncheons imported from a cooperage in the Loire valley. Chardonnay is given the classic treatment: fermented in one- and two-year-old barriques from a top cooperage in Burgundy. No filtration, no glycol temperature control—just top-quality raw materials and a skilled winemaker! If only it were that easy, right? But of course, there’s something magical happening in the Bow & Arrow cellar that lifts these wines to another, altogether more ethereal level.
Poured into an all-purpose stem, this gorgeous white immediately flaunts the exotic aromas of Sauvignon Blanc—gooseberry, fleshy green mango, green peppercorn, grapefruit pith—and Chardonnay’s ripe orchard fruit notes of yellow apple and pear. The palate is incredibly mouthwatering and spring-loaded with broad textures of lush yellows and greens that meld into a soft, churning core of wet rock and smashed herbs. I’m not at all embarrassed to say that when I tasted this at 10:30 in the morning, the spittoon was not fully utilized. It’s that delicious. Enjoy now and over the next 1-2 years.
