2021 Composition Chardonnay Eola Amity WiIllamette Valley

Vineyard Profile

The vineyard sits on a south-facing ridge in the southern Eola-Amity Hills AVA. The terroir evokes volcanic soils, cooler temperatures, and an ideal elevation range.

Vineyards: EOLA Amity Hills; single vineyard

Viticulture: Dry farmed; biodynamic

Soil: Volcanic

Exposure: South-facing ridge

Vintage Report

2021 started with a reasonably warm spring, and Oregon’s average temperature was higher than usual during the summer. The condition was comparable to the 2015 season. The heat dome experienced in the Pacific Northwest did not affect the vines negatively. Towards harvest, September helped to slow down the maturity and harvest fruit at a precise ripeness. Overall, it was an excellent season for the region and vineyards.

Harvest Date(s): September 16; hand-harvested

Vinification

The fruit was harvested cold and pressed gently over 2 hours; the “Coeur” or heart of the press and the other press fraction were separate to be fermented. We used 40% new oak from carefully selected barrels from a small Burgundian Cooper Tonnellerie Plantagnêt premium light toast. The wine is fermented in barrels for both alcoholic and malolactic, completed naturally with no additives. The wine aged for ten months in barrels and then transferred gently to a tank in which it will stay until bottling. The 2021 Composition Chardonnay was bottled the first week of September 2022.

Fermentation: Naturally in French oak barrels - 40% new oak

Aging: 10 months in 40% new French oak barrels

Fining: No fining and lenticular filtration on loose pads

Technical Information

Alcohol: 13.5%

p H: 3.19