VGW stands for “Very Good White,” and it’s 00 Wines calling card. Comprising four vineyards and three Dijon Chardonnay clones (plus the Mendoza clone), it’s wonderfully balanced—rich yet bright, lush yet tense, showing both structure and texture. Winemaker employ the “black Chardonnay method” which involves foot crushing, overnight skin contact, and a long press cycle. The juice goes into the barrel immediately and fermentation occurs spontaneously.

00 (“Double Zero”) Wines is a bridge between the cool-climate prestige of Burgundy and one of its New World mirror images - Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Inspired by his father’s European roots and passion for Oregon terroir, first-generation American Chris Hermann and his wife Kathryn craft Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays from vineyards on both sides of the Atlantic under the 00 Wines label.

From the moment Dr. Richard Hermann immigrated to the Willamette Valley in the 1950s, the region’s beauty and ecological diversity captivated him. He settled in Corvallis, where he taught botany and forestry at Oregon State University, cementing his status as a world-leading expert in Douglas Fir genetics. Richard’s obsession with the Willamette Valley’s coniferous giants was matched only by his fascination with the region’s rapidly growing wine industry. A connoisseur of fine Old World wines, he loved that he could find equally compelling bottles in his new home. Richard and Chris studied the wines of local Pinot Noir masters like David Lett of Eyrie Vineyards and John Thomas of the Thomas Vineyard, growing increasingly convinced that the gently sloping hillsides could match France’s iconic appellations in producing incredible Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Each zero in the 00 label represents the cyclical nature of winemaking, the renewal of the land and the Hermanns’ never-ending pursuit of winemaking excellence. Two infinite circles, reflections of each other, just like the winery’s endeavors in both the US and France. The wines are produced from biodynamically and sustainably farmed vineyards in the Willamette Valley, plus small-lot projects from Grand Cru sites in Burgundy and Champagne. In just a few short vintages, they’ve established themselves as a benchmark among sommeliers, collectors, and winemakers alike.