He Ain’t Heavy, Mister, He’s My Bottle!

Reviews: Love & Squalor, LucidWild, Raptor Ridge, White Rose & Wines of the Week

When I taste a wine packaged in heavy glass with a deep punt, I am instantly curious. Why is this wine in this fancy-ass bottle? What is the message it is meant to convey? Because packaging is image-making; when a winery has chosen to invest in a heavy, expensive bottle, it’s no accident. And it carries a certain amount of risk, because there are growing pressures on wineries to package wine in eco-friendly materials – lightweight bottles, or something other than glass. There are economic reasons also – transporting bottles, before and after they are filled with wine, is more expensive than alternative packaging.

Certainly the wine industry is doing its best to ‘sell’ consumers on the myriad examples of earth-friendly winegrowing. More and more bottles are decorated with a blitzkrieg of symbols and icons indicating that the vineyard is organic, the packaging recyclable, the winery construction is ‘green’, the business is B-certified and on and on. But I have never, not once, in any wine shop or supermarket, seen anyone scrutinizing a wine bottle to see if it was acceptably respectful of the land, the air, the water, the environment, the community and the planet.

But about those massively heavy bottles? In some instances – sparkling wines – they are necessary in order to keep the bottle from exploding. But when a still wine appears in one of these door-stoppers, it’s not a necessity, it’s a statement. “I’m special” is the obvious message, and just to make sure the message is received, there’s most likely a seriously high price tag attached to the wine.

Of course it takes more than a heavy bottle and an eyebrow-raising price to make a wine go viral. But it’s part of the overall effort to convey a sense of presumed quality.

When empty a 750ml wine bottle weighs as little as 300 grams, most often around 450 grams, and can reach as much as 1000 grams for ultra-heavy ‘luxury’ bottles. When filled a lightweight bottle will weigh close to 2 ½ pounds. An average bottle close to three pounds. And one of the big boys – as much as four pounds! That’s 50 pounds a case!

Costs go up across the board. The very cheapest bottles come in around 40 cents but more often wineries pay closer to a buck a bottle just for the glass. Get into the luxury sizes and you can double or even quadruple that.

There are many non-glass alternatives – Bag in Box, aluminum cans, PET plastic, paper bottles – all less expensive. All with some genuine advantages. Among them – reduce packaging costs by as much as 80% (no corks!, no labels!), cut shipping costs by up to 70%, reduce breakage and maximize warehouse storage.

But good old glass remains the package of choice for many reasons. It looks better, it’s traditional and it preserves wine long term. So I’m not proposing that wineries dump glass. It’s perfectly reasonable to use a variety of packaging to suit a variety of purposes. But back to my opening question. Why use the heaviest bottles?

I queried a number of winemakers on their packaging preferences. Here are a few representative responses.

Marcus Miller (Airport Ranch) – We use 400g feather weight on all sub-$20 bottles, and are at low 500g on all of our cork-finished $35+ bottles. We chose 400g because of environment concerns, shipping costs, and market opportunities in Canada and Sweden that bottles that weight would open up.

Brian Carter (Brian Carter Cellars) – Quality is always key so that is an absolute requirement. I send out bids once a year to suppliers I know who have good quality. Price is a big deal as the bids often vary by over $10,000 for my annual needs.

Brett Isenhower (Isenhower Cellars) – My goals for glass… consistency in quality, price, produced as close as possible to decrease shipping costs, Goldilocks weight (not too heavy but not too light). Too light and the glass is very hard to bottle with and consistent size and color is challenging. Too heavy is a waste of material. Also important is the amount of recycled material in the bottle and analysis of heavy metals in the glass.

JJ Williams (Kiona) – We have a pithy little ideology that we implemented about five years ago: “World Class in Lighter Glass”. The idea is that wine producers, regardless of price/tier of the wine, should use a standardized lightweight bottle across their lineup. The only argument for heavy glass is that it conveys ‘quality’. As producers we are responsible for guiding/building customer sentiment; we have built that expectation over years of putting high-tier wine is heavy-ass bottles. I was a speaker at the US Sustainable Winegrowing summit a couple of weeks ago, and I ran through a hypothetical winery wine club release using a heavy bottle vs. a lighter bottle. The difference in cost (CO2 emissions aside) was ~$11,000.

PG: I didn’t hear from anyone using and/or defending a massive glass bottle. But it’s a choice that some wineries continue to make, despite the extra cost and implicit eco-negativity. If the wine in the bottle is honestly exceptional, then I suppose the bottle has been in some sense verified. But honestly – wouldn’t that wine be just as exceptional in a normal bottle?

Portland Wine Company

The back story on Love & Squalor, the principal brand, is worth a re-cap. As told by Matt Berson on the website:

“Love & Squalor launched in 2006 after a few years of voluntary enslavement to some of the greatest practitioners of winemaking in Oregon and beyond. It started with a bit of Pinot Boir and a splash of Riesling – two barrels of each. Then came the naming. Three months of scribbles in traffic and on the bedside notepad resulted in exactly no big ideas. A quick trip to the Goodwill thrift store led to the rediscovery of J.D. Salinger’s book Nine Stories (in a pristine 50’s paperback version, no less!) and the lead story: ‘For Esme, with Love and Squalor’.

There it was, in one short phrase – winemaking as I know it. I don’t mind if people think I’m smart because I put a literary reference on the label. I don’t think it’s smart, I think it’s basic – passion and poverty are two of the building blocks for any worthy endeavor.”

Matt’s command of low abv, high flavor white wines, coupled with his consumer-friendly pricing, makes these wines you’re sure to love, no matter how squalid your finances.

Love & Squalor 2017 Reserve Dry Riesling – Almost eight years post-bottling this beautiful reserve speaks to the ageworthy excellence of the Riesling grape. Bright gold, rich and tangy with still sharp tones and flavors of satsuma orange, pink grapefruit, it is nowhere near its peak. 60 cases; 11.5%; $28 (Willamette Valley) 92/100

Love & Squalor 2022 Dry Riesling – A riot of tart citrus fruits, this soaks the palate in flavor. Juicy and rich, it’s the sort of wine that all but demands a second glass. That explosion of fruit carries the bright and vibrant flavors through a lingering finish. 45 cases; 11%; $21 (Willamette Valley) 93/100

Love & Squalor 2018 Sunnyside Vineyard Dry Riesling – Bone dry, succulent and penetrating, this is a classic example of this style. Early dry Rieslings (especially from Germany) were simply dull, DOA. To make that style in a way that resonates so brilliantly is no easy challenge. This wine echoes down the palate with nuanced notes of citrus flesh and rind, especially grapefruit and lemon. Match it with fresh oysters, clean white fish, trout or even halibut. 25 cases; 12%; $38 (Willamette Valley) 94/100

Love & Squalor 2024 ‘A Frayed Knot’ Skin Contact Gewürztraminer – This orange wine is so intensely aromatic it fills the room the instant the cork is pulled. If you love the perfumed style of Gewürztraminer, here further accented with skin flavors and a wild yeast ferment, you’re in heaven tasting this wine. A tough match for food, I thought. Matt suggests pairing it with paella (“discovered this by happy accident”). 68 cases; 12.4%; $25 (Willamette Valley) 92/100

Love & Squalor 2024 ‘Walks on Gilded Splinters’ Skin Contact Pinot Gris – Sourced from the outstanding Dion vineyard, this orange wine is a deep sunset hue, dry and delicate, with flavors of herbal tea. Subtle hints of orange pekoe, dried tobacco and dried mushrooms compound through a lingering finish. 84 cases; 12.4%; $25 (Willamette Valley) 93/100

Garageland 2024 Pinot Noir – Sourced from nine different vineyards covering six different Willamette Valley AVAs, this affordable Pinot is a gift and an homage, as winemaker Matt Berson puts it, “to all of the artisans… who toil away behind nondescript roll-up garage doors in warehouse districts across the world.” Tart flavors mix cranberry, raspberry and red currant, with medium concentration and savory accents. 1750 cases; 13%; $22 (Willamette Valley) 91/100

LucidWild

Coming up on just one year since their grand opening, Blair and L.J. Nicholas continue to impress with their wines, their creativity and their vision for a state-of-the-art winery and tasting room.

LucidWild 2024 Hidden Chardonnay – Orange blossom and tangerine scents lead into a luscious mid-palate with orange Dreamsickle flavors, and a creamy mouthfeel enlivened with bright acids. Nectarine, apricot and melon fruit flavors are here in abundance, with a streak of caramel and light touches of cinnamon spice. Lovely weight and balance throughout, with aging potential over a decade. 210 cases; 13.5%, $95 (Dundee Hills) 95/100

LucidWild 2024 Renegade Pinot Noir – Among the LucidWild Pinots only the Renegade is whole cluster fermented, brightening the fruit and putting penetrating flavors of berries out in front. It’s framed in spices, and opens into a rich mid-palate with abundant cranberry and cherry fruit. It’s contained and delicious, young and tight but ample and deep. Tannins are full and ripe but not at all intrusive; it’s the fruit that carries it all through the long finish. 800 cases; 13.5%; $95 (Dundee Hills) 94/100

LucidWild 2024 Fusion Pinot Noir – A blend of multiple Dijon clones, this intensely aromatic wine explodes with a mix of raspberries and Rainier cherries, full throttle. The lush fruit is accented with touches of sandalwood and toasted almonds, baking spices and coffee grounds. It’s all done with exceptional grace and sensitivity, keeping every detail in place through a really long and captivating finish. As it trails out more nuanced notes bring graphite, dark chocolate and black tea, subtle but present. 560 cases; 13.5%; $95 (Dundee Hills) 95/100

LucidWild 2024 Beast Pinot Noir – With a strong emphasis on dark blackberry and black cherry fruits, loamy earth, and accents of iron filings and espresso the Beast stands as the winery’s strongest, blackest, most powerful Pinot Noir. That said, what is most surprising and admirable about all these wines is their focus on pure fruit, their restraint as far as the usual tricks – high alcohol, intrusive new oak – that disguise rather than amplify the quality of the fruit. Wine is about fruit – grapes – and everything else is an add-on. Wines such as this prove that with fruit as your focus it’s possible to produce world class Pinot Noir. 800 cases; 13.5%; $155 (Dundee Hills) 96/100

LucidWild 2024 Chosen Pinot Noir – A block and barrel selection, this comes with high expectations given the outstanding wines which occupy lower price rungs on the LucidWild ladder. And let’s not forget that this is just barely out of barrel and into bottle. If I saw anything at all wrong I wouldn’t review it. I see no bottle shock, no need for more bottle age, nothing that would stop me from drinking this wine immediately. It’s big and bold and a bit blocky, so compact and dense that even after 24 hours it remains… compact and dense. A wine to cellar, if that’s an option. 780 cases; 13.5%; $310 (Dundee Hills) 97/100

Raptor Ridge

These are my first tastings of Raptor Ridge since the 2018 and 2019 vintages. There have been some important changes as Winegrower/Owner Scott Schull explained in a recent email.

SS: “The ’24 and ‘25 wines onward have a different winemaking approach to our historical methods. Ben DiCristina joined our winemaking team in 2024, leading us with some new approaches and new varietals. Ben has extensive experience in both Oregon and California as both a viticulturalist and enologist with storied brands such as Sine Qua Non, Evening Land, Argyle, J.K. Carriere, and Keeler Estate.

“In order to focus on purity and transparency we’ve stopped adding sulfites at the crush pad, instead employing Metschnikowia non-saccharomyces yeast to protect fresh fruit from spoilage. This promotes our indigenous yeast and M/L cultures for primary and secondary fermentation. We are not positioned as natural winemakers, but are focusing on simplicity and purity.”

Raptor Ridge 2025 Sauvignon Blanc – Tight, herbal, a bit green, with tight flavors of herb and citrus. The acids show lemon rind, lime and a touch of bitter grapefruit. Overall this is clean, fresh and well-balanced. The first SB ever from Raptor Ridge. 150 cases; 12.5%; $35 (Willamette Valley) 90/100

Raptor Ridge 2025 Vineyard Select Pinot Gris – A bright straw with a hint of blush, this is Dion vineyards fruit, crisp and refreshing, with a nice mix of skin and flesh flavors. Apple and pear fruit dominates, with touches of white peach and a firm, compact, lightly tannic finish. 840 cases; 12.5%; $20 (Chehalem Mountains) 92/100

Raptor Ridge 2025 Estate Grüner Veltliner – A dry, fruity style, loaded with tart flavors of apple and peach. Native yeast fermentation brings some feral wildness into the mix, adding texture and expressive flower, pollen and herb highlights. This is a big, exotic version of GV, very flavorful and full-bodied, with a long trailing finish. 420 cases; 12.5%; $29 (Chehalem Mountains) 92/100

Raptor Ridge 2025 Gamay Noir – Lots of skin flavors, very tart cranberry and currant fruit, firm and tannic with an earthy finish. This is well-suited to mealtime, relatively low abv, not too fruity and a good complement to game bird entrees. 250 cases; 13%; $35 (Chehalem Mountains) 91/100

Raptor Ridge 2024 Barrel Select Pinot Noir – Labels can be confusing, and the term barrel select doesn’t really tell you much. What does matter here is that it’s the winery’s big production, lowest-priced Pinot Noir. It blends 78% estate fruit with splashes from six other sites; it saw no new oak. The flavors show lightly-ripened cranberry/strawberry fruit, accented with tannins and herbs. Citrus skin flavors frame the finish. 2115 cases; 13.8%; $29 (Willamette Valley) 90/100

Raptor Ridge 2023 Temperance Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir – This is all Dijon 115 from a single block, with purple berries and plums, along with tart acids that add notes of green apple and lime. It’s tight and tannic, with a quick finish that trails out showing astringent herbs and green tea tannins. 125 cases; 13%; $60 (Eola-Amity Hills) 90/100

Raptor Ridge 2023 Estate Whole Cluster Pinot Noir – This puts the accent on stems and skins, along with pretty cherry fruit somewhat in the background. As noted above there was a change of winemaker between 2023 and 2024 and the wines from those two vintages clearly reflect two different styles. Me being a fruit lover I’d like to see more fruit and less stem here. 370 cases; 13.5%; $60 (Laurelwood District) 91/100

Raptor Ridge 2024 Pinot Noir – Principally Atticus vineyard grapes, this was fermented in native yeasts and aged in 20% new French oak. 2024 is looking more and more like a great vintage year in the Willamette Valley, which means that these more widely-available, less expensive Pinots are better than average. This is on point, tight, spicy, focused and firm. It has the stuffing to age and improve over the rest of the decade and beyond. 450 cases; 13.8%; $35 (Willamette Valley) 92/100

Raptor Ridge 2023 Gran Moraine Vineyard Pinot Noir – An interesting weave of tart berries, astringent tannins and green herbs, all underscored with whole cluster skin flavors. Although new oak is listed at 30% it doesn’t really show, at least in terms of flavor, but may well have impacted texture and overall smoothness. Peanut skin flavors accent currant and boysenberry fruit, leading into a medium-weight, hard candy mid-palate. The flavors fade gracefully with a grape candy trail. 125 cases; 13.25%; $60 (Yamhill-Carlton) 93/100

Scroll down to the end for more Raptor Ridge wines.

White Rose Estate

These reviews provide just a glimpse into the vast range of offerings shown on the winery’s website, and are a preview of upcoming releases. I reviewed the previous vintages in my Substack post in May of ’25.

White Rose 2024 Convivialists Chardonnay – Not sure why the ‘American’ AVA is used when this is all top quality Willamette Valley fruit from three different sites. It’s balanced and accessible, with a mix of apples, pears and peaches. Aged just under a year in 23% new oak barrels, it shows a lick of buttery caramel along with hints of toasted hazelnuts through a nice long finish. 305 cases; 13.1%; $85 (American) 93/100

White Rose NV 25th Anniversary Pinot Noir – This is a mix of 2023 and 2024 Pommard fruit, much in the style of the vintage wines – 100% whole cluster, all Pommard, 10% new French oak, low abv. Open and forward with a mix of red berries, red currant and a touch of rhubarb, it is a wine to enjoy and celebrate the occasion along with the winery. 13.1%; $100 (American) 92/100

White Rose 2024 Convivialists Pinot Noir – This seven vineyard blend includes 62% Dundee Hills fruit and is 75% Pommard clone Pinot. Juicy and loaded with bright berries, raspberries and ripe strawberries in particular, it’s a charming lighter style of Pinot Noir with a nod in the direction of Gamay. Fruity, forward and palate pleasing. 655 cases; 13.5%; $85 (American) 92/100

White Rose 2024 Convivialists Syrah – This is Rocks District Syrah, though on the lighter side of such wines. It brings a lush mix of strawberries, sour pie cherries, peppery herbs and a hint of the umami/funky character of fruit from this unique AVA. It retains the overall elegance of all the White Rose wines, but does not sacrifice length or fail to express the terroir. For anyone who knows Rocks District Syrah this fills in a missing gap. 186 cases; 12.7%; $85 (American) 93/100

White Rose 2023 Object of Beauty Pinot Noir – Still battened down, tight and compact, not due for release until December. All Pommard, all neutral oak barrels and all whole cluster, it shows both precision and polish at this low abv. Flavors of red currant, pomegranate and white raspberries are set against tart acids. A delicate, elegant wine that should be decanted to help open it fully. 87 cases; 12.3%; $215 (American) 92+/100

White Rose 2023 Confluence of Nature Pinot Noir – I get a scent and light flavor of roasted peanuts and compact flavors of red currant fruit. There are only a few wineries that push lightness and elegance to such a degree, and it turns these Pinots squarely in the direction of Burgundy. The winemaking is consistent and the wines are balanced and expressive despite the low alcohol and overall lightness. This tilts in the direction of a lesser Volnay, which ain’t bad. 93 cases; 12.7%; $215 (American) 93/100

White Rose 2023 Collectors Classic Pinot Noir – An earlier release was labeled Collectors Contemporary and my review called it ‘classic’ so I’ll call this one contemporary. It’s 100% whole cluster, 55% Pommard/45% Dijon 115, and given 16 months in 18% new French oak. Raspberries and blood orange, brambly boysenberries and lightly peppery herbs are knit together in a medium-weight palate. The finish leaves a floral impression - crushed roses - and lingers gracefully. A most enjoyable and elegant bottle of wine. 261 cases; 13.3%; $120 (American) 94/100

Wine of the Week – This is a paid subscriber bonus. The goal is to spotlight the most interesting wine or wines I’ve tasted during the week.