Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills AVA

The 2020 Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay honors our classic Burgundian winemaking style, where the wine spends just enough time in oak to provide structure. Our 2020 vintage underwent partial malolactic fermentation which preserved the crisp acidity, as well as provides a slight creaminess on the finish. With the addition of fruit from a neighboring vineyard for this vintage, there is a hint of minerality that is not as present in our 2019 Chardonnay. Note the incredible color and clarity in this wine. This combination results in a wine that exhibits the classic essential characteristics of great Oregon Chardonnay and echoes the balance of many great French white wines.

Farming and the 2020 Growing Season

The 2020 growing season continued a multi-year trend of producing lower than average yields. This resulted in more intense flavors. With the lower yields, we produced much less Chardonnay than we did in 2019. We also sourced fruit not only from the Orchard House vineyard, the estate of our winemaker Joe Dobbes, but also from a neighboring vineyard that has consistently produced top-tier wines. Our approach to winemaking remains to express the unique characteristics of the vineyard and the vintage, and you can taste some of the differences in our 2020 Chardonnay.