A $12.99 Chardonnay from Willamette Valley that actually overdelivers? We pop the cork on Willa Creek 2023 and trace the bigger story behind Oregon’s quiet Chardonnay comeback. For years the region leaned on California clones that struggled to ripen in cooler sites, yielding lean, austere wines. The switch to Dijon clones—and a clearer read on site and style—has unlocked balance, lift, and flavor, and this stainless-steel, unoaked bottling shows how far things have come.
We break down the tasting profile in plain terms: a clean mix of orchard fruit and citrus framed by crisp acidity, no oak, and a texture that starts soft and expands across the palate. If you avoid buttery Chardonnay, this is your lane. We also decode the label: “produced and bottled by,” the fresh Willa Creek trademark, and Precept Wine’s role crafting store brands for Trader Joe’s and beyond. The paperwork might be new, but the winemaking knows what it’s doing, and the result punches above its price.
Planning the holiday table? This is a smart pour for turkey and rich sides. The acidity cuts through creamy dishes, the fruit stays friendly, and the finish stays clean. Beyond Thanksgiving, it’s a weeknight match for roast chicken, lemony pastas, and sushi. More importantly, it signals where Oregon Chardonnay is heading: focused, bright, and increasingly reliable at value prices. Give it a try, see how it blooms in the glass, and tell us what you taste.
If you enjoy the show, follow, rate, and share it with a friend who loves finding great bottles under $15. Your rec keeps the reviews coming—what value Chardonnay should we open next?
Check us out at http://www.cheapwinefinder.com
or email us at [email protected]
Welcome And Wine Overview
SPEAKER_00
0:02
It's
Domain
Dave,
cheapwinefinder.com
again
with
another
wine
review,
like
we
always
do.
Uh
value
price
wines
uh
that
are
um
easy
to
find.
This
one's
from
Trader
Joe's.
It's
a
new
one,
brand
new
one.
So
Willia
Creek,
W
I
L
L
I
A
Creek,
Willamette
Valley
Chardonnay
2023.
It's
$12.99.
For
Willamette
Valley,
that's
a
good
price.
Oregon Chardonnay Backstory
SPEAKER_00
0:28
Uh
there's
a
story
about
Willamette
Valley.
I'll
tell
that
right
away
while
I'm
thinking
of
it.
Normally,
if
an
area
is
very
good
at
growing
Pinot
Noir,
those
conditions
are
also
optimal
for
Chardonnay.
It's
that
way
in
Burgundy,
it's
that
way
in
Santa
Barbara,
California,
it's
that
way
in
Monterey,
it's
that
way
in
um
Sonoma
Coast,
it's
not
it's
that
way
in
Carneros,
it's
that
way
in
uh
every
single
area,
Russian
River.
There's
they
go
hand
in
hand,
but
in
Oregon,
the
white
wine
was
always
Pinot
Gris.
Pinot
Gris
is
Pinot
Grigio,
but
made
in
the
French
style,
not
the
Italian
style.
And
in
uh
Chardonnay
just
didn't
work
up
there.
And
it
turns
out
that
they
had
been
planting
the
California
clone,
and
that's
probably
the
Wente
clone,
but
there
could
be
other
ones
involved,
and
they
just
didn't
work
for
that
climate,
they
weren't
getting
ripe
enough,
they
were
too
acidic,
they
weren't
fun
to
drink,
and
they
finally
figured
out
that
you
need
the
Dijon
clone,
which
is
from
Burgundy,
and
that
for
some
reason
Willamette
Tasting Profile And Texture
SPEAKER_00
1:46
Valley
and
Burgundy
have
more
in
common
than
they
thought,
even
though
I
think
they
thought
they
had
something
in
common,
because
both
are
world
famous
for
making
uh
Pinot
Noir
and
Chardonnay
now,
and
now
so
this
is
something
relatively
new.
You
know,
they're
kind
of
they're
still
making
Pinot
Griege,
not
Grigio
Gris,
uh,
but
Chardonnay
is
coming
online
and
they're
starting
to
get
the
hang
of
Chardonnay
too.
I
mean,
it
takes
a
while
to
figure
out
what
the
grapes
in
the
vineyard
are
telling
the
winemaker.
There
is
a
learning
period,
but
it
it
shouldn't
be
that
hard
for
them
to
start
getting
on
with
the
thing.
So
there
you
go.
This
is
a
good
Chardonnay.
It
is
a
um
unoaked
Chardonnay.
It's
uh
d
uh
it's
fermented
and
aged
in
stainless
steel.
So
they're
not
introducing
any
oak
flavors
into
it.
Uh
which,
you
know,
people
who
do
not
like
buttery
Chardonnay
are
gonna
like
this.
And
it's
a
nice
mix
of
flavors.
It
there
are
good
fruit
flavors
and
nice
citrus
flavors.
So
you're
getting
that
kind
of
fruity
type
of
thing,
and
then
you're
getting
that
tart
thing
going
on,
and
it
kind
of
is
a
nice
touch.
Oops,
I
almost
knocked
my
glass
over.
Let
me
take
a
sip.
Yeah.
The
flavors
kind
of
bloom
in
your
mouth.
It
starts
off
slow
and
they
build.
It's
kind
of
a
nice
thing.
Certain
some
wines
don't
do
that.
Some
wines
you
know
either
taste
good
or
bad
from
the
get-go.
And
other
wines
kind
of
evolve,
and
this
one
kind
of
grows.
This
one
uh
flavors
start
off
soft
and
then
become
bigger
as
as
it
hits
all
the
parts
of
your
palate,
which
is
one
of
those
signs
of
a
really
good
wine.
You
know,
you
kind
of
want
that.
So
that's
uh
that's
something
good
about
a
$12.99.
Who Makes Willa Creek
SPEAKER_00
3:44
Now,
uh
Willa
Creek.
Willa
Creek
is
from
Precept.
Precept
wines.
Precept
wines
owns
Grovet
Champagne
or
Sparkling
Wine
and
a
bunch
of
other
brands.
And
they
make
a
lot
of
wines
for
Trader
Joe's
and
Aldi's
and
all
those,
so
they
they
they
do
a
nice
job
of
these
uh
of
these
uh
store
brands
uh
making
brands
for
somebody.
And
this
Willia
Creek,
this
is
a
2023
vintage,
and
the
back
bottle
said
produced
in
bottled
by
on
the
label.
Produced
in
bottled
by
means
that
they
didn't
necessarily
grow
the
grapes,
but
they
crushed
the
grapes,
they
fermented
the
grapes,
they
aged
the
wine,
they
bottled
the
wine.
But
Willia
Creek
is
a
trademark
of
precept,
and
it
wasn't
trademarked
until
like
December
10th,
or
not
December,
October
10th.
So,
how
does
a
2023
vintage
wine
come
from
a
somebody
who
wasn't
only
in
business
for
the
last
two
weeks?
So
that's
kind
of
uh
I
don't
know
what
that
means.
Wine
labeling
is
so
weird
nowadays.
You
just
don't
know
what's
I
mean,
it's
still
precept.
Precept
did
something
with
it.
They
have
a
lot
of
good
wines,
they
know
what
they're
doing.
They
actually
have
a
uh
they
have
an
actual
um
they
have
their
own
vineyard
in
Oregon,
though
I
don't
know
if
it's
well,
this
one
doesn't
say
where
in
Oregon
it's
from.
So,
I
mean
it
could
be
from
their
own
vineyards
there.
I
don't
know.
But
the
Willia
Creek,
who
knows
what
they
are?
I'm
gonna
tell
you
they're
sipping.
We'll
lock
this
one
up.
Thanksgiving Pairing And Sign-Off
SPEAKER_00
5:25
In
the
um
written
review,
we
always
write
a
review
on
cheapwinefinder.com.
We
have
been
doing
that
for
I
think
like
18
years
now.
17,
18.
And
um,
I
mentioned
on
that
that
this
is
a
wine
you
might
want
to
keep
your
eye
out
for
the
Thanksgiving
meal.
It's
really
kind
of
light,
so
it's
not
gonna
if
you
actually
have
turkey.
Turkey
is
all
doesn't
have
a
ton
of
flavor.
So
if
you're
having
turkey,
uh
a
lighter
wine,
but
has
good
crisp
acidity
and
good
flavor,
and
would
kind
of
they
say
it
will
cut
through,
you
know.
Sometimes
you
get
some
kind
of
gooey,
really,
well,
delicious
eye
dishes
that
go
along
with
the
turkey
and
the
dressing
and
all
that.
And
this
will
do
a
good
job
there
because
it
tastes
great
and
it's
$12.99
and
it's
from
Willamette
Valley,
so
it'll
impress
your
friends
and
neighbors.
So
Adios,
keep
it
cheap.
This
is
the
William
Creek
Willamette
Valley
Chardonnay
2023,
Trader
Joe's
$12.99.
And
this
is
Domain
Dave
Like
Us,
we
like
your
podcasts.
We
got
more
wines
coming
up,
and
I
will
talk
to
everybody
in
the
next
couple
of
days.
So
keep
it
cheap,
adios,
and
bye-bye.
