2023 Estate Chardonnay les sols arénacés

TASTING NOTES
Polished and sleek in style, presenting graceful flavors of lemon tart, orange blossoms, spices and wet stone that sail on a medium-long, silky finish. This is a pure, clean expression with surprising mid-pallet weight and stunning varietal character. Offers impeccable balance that underlies the tension between the bracing acidity, while the persistent lemon and honey melded flavors almost take a backseat to the underlying mineral tones. Each sip lingers more than the previous. Enjoy now - 2029.

REVIEWS
2023 Estate Chardonnay, les sols arénacés, Chehalem Mtns             NYR
2021 Estate Chardonnay, les sols arénacés, Chehalem Mtns                         92 WE, OWEN BARGREEN  
2019 Estate Chardonnay, les sols arénacés, Chehalem Mtns                         93 WE | 91 J. SUCKLING & WA WINE REPORT

Our 2023 Estate Chardonnay began with several picks from our Estate’s 3-acre block of Chardonnay located in two lower elevation West blocks. Light yields averaged 2.5 tons/acre after Mother Nature yielded smaller cluster sizes and following our early season shoot and cluster thinning leaving one cluster/shoot. Fresh & riper fruit resulted, yet with targeted acids we desire for stylistic underlying backbone and freshness. Early morning picks yielded cool grapes which were hand sorted for immediate gentle whole cluster pressing to capture the essence and freshness of the fruit. Each lot was then cold soaked overnight in Nomblot concrete egg, stainless & Rousseau French oak puncheons, and ultimately inoculated for fermentations. Selected commercial yeast was chosen for typicity of site while also revealing fresh salinity with mineral and citrus fruits while desiring creamy mouthfeel, length and balance of the high natural acidities. We gave weekly bâtonnage early on and aged 11 months.The wine was bottled after gentle crossflow filtration.