2015 Chehalem Mountains Chardonnay

$65.00

In 2006 we started sourcing Chardonnay grapes from a different AVA and vineyard each vintage with hopes of gaining insight into the influences of both soil and site on this classic varietal.  In recent years we have narrowed our focus to the Chehalem Mountains and specifically Chehalem Mountain Vineyard located on a lovely little hillock between a southern knuckle of the Chehalem Mountains proper and its sub-AVA Ribbon Ridge.  Here soil is marine sedimentary and slope south-facing at 450 feet.  Clonal selection is old Wente and 76 both tried and true expressions of Oregon chardonnay.  The site’s provenance is its adjacency to the spot where Dick Erath planted his first Chardonnay in 1974.

The grapes were hand harvested on September 4th, 2015 gently whole bunch pressed, settled and racked to barrels for primary fermentation.  The wine was encouraged through malolactic fermentation and kept on lees until bottling in December 2016.

Finish Chemistry: 13.6% alcohol, 6.1 g/L TA and 3.33pH

Tasting Notes: Our 2015 Chehalem Mountains Chardonnay opens with notes of honeycomb, sweet pea, lime blossom, and green baking spice.  Also present the floral-sweet summertime aroma of dry prairie grasses, waxy citrus and pear.  There is precision here and interest as the wine moves through the palate, phenolic shape contained around a nervy line of acidity.  Finish is long and harmonious, sustained by succulence and a touch of salinity.