2023 Chardonnay

Tasting Note

Our 2023 Willamette Valley Chardonnay jumps out of the glass with a beautiful nose of ripe stone fruit, apple blossom and vanilla bean. The palate has great texture with notes of crisp tree fruit like apples, pears and apricot along with clean acidity to finish the wine on a refreshing note.

How we make our Chardonnay

Our Willamette Valley Chardonnay is sourced from three local vineyards, hand-picked, and then gently pressed. A portion of the wine is barrel fermented and aged in large French oak barrels for 8 months (10% new). The remaining is fermented in stainless steel tanks. Both portions go through malo-lactic fermentation to help soften the acidity and provide an elegant texture.

The 2023 Vintage

A whirlwind of a vintage, in 2023 September rains slowed the pace of harvest, bringing relief to our crew and vineyard partners and enhancing hang-time. Our growing season started slow with a late bud break, followed by steady ripening during a classic Oregon summer with warm days and cool nights, punctuated by one August heat spike. The welcome September rains gave our vineyard sites the hang time they needed for slower ripening and intense flavor development. Fruit arrived from our 20+ vineyard partners from September 15th through October 6th in beautiful condition with smaller-than-average yields. Expect intense, fruit-forward wines from this vintage.