The 2024 Les Cousins Chardonnay is one of the most interesting new Oregon Chardonnay buys we have tasted this year and is a great insider buy from Beaux Frères. 2024 is the first vintage of Chardonnay under the Les Cousins label, created after demand softened for the estate’s regular Beaux Frères Chardonnay and the winery chose to declassify some of that same high-quality material into this much less expensive bottling. In other words, you are essentially getting Beaux Frères Chardonnay at roughly half the usual price. We just tasted the wine, and it was excellent, showing impressive Burgundian-style mineral reduction alongside fresh citrus, orchard fruit, white flowers, and a beautifully focused, energetic palate. Even more impressive, the bottle had been open for three days and was still showing remarkably well, a great sign of the wine’s structure and underlying quality. There is real tension and mineral character here, but also enough fruit and texture to keep it generous and immediately enjoyable. Beaux Frères called 2024 a “modern classic” vintage, and that balance of freshness and ripeness comes through clearly in this wine. Les Cousins is a genuine insider buy and one of those rare opportunities where the pedigree is considerably higher than the price suggests. We have some of the only bottles of this new release currently available, and for anyone who enjoys serious Oregon Chardonnay with a more Burgundian profile, we highly recommend it!