2020 Kelley Fox Willamette Blanc

The Willamette Blanc 2020 is made from 70% blanc de noir old vine Weber Vineyard Pinot and 30% Chardonnay from three vineyards that in any other year would have been bottled as single vineyard wines of place. Many grower Champagnes that I have enjoyed over the years have been Pinot and Chardonnay, and while this bottling has no bubbles, it’s delicious. Andy Humphrey, my dear friend, cosmic steward, and vineyard manager of Weber, was incredibly generous and supportive during what was for me, a very difficult vintage requiring a lot of pivoting, and he picked my blocks 3 tons per day over 5 days in order to accommodate my smaller wine press and to help Stephanie and I whole cluster press a lot of Weber Pinot that would otherwise be produced as a red wine. All of the Pinot and Chardonnay in this bottling were pressed immediately after picking to avoid any skin contact.

The Willamette Blanc is a brilliantly transparent, very light rose-gold colour. One can easily see that this is a blanc de noir! It is not a rosé. The nose smells of fresh oceanic air, sweet rain and minerals. There are touches of citrus, blossoms, and strawberry, and it is a solid everyday “farmhouse” table wine.

The beautiful souls of these farms are very much alive in this wine-just not in high relief like in my single vineyard bottlings. I’m very happy about this wine, and I love the racy acidity. Sometimes it reminds me of a still blanc de noir with a classic brioche finish that I have often tasted in grower Champagnes. If I had the means, I would have made this a sparkling wine!

Appellation: Willamette Valley A.V.A.

Picking Dates: Weber Vineyard old vine Pinot Noir: 4-8 September

Durant Vineyard Lark Block Chardonnay: 24 September

Dux Vineyard Chardonnay: 23 September (Draper from Abbey Ridge cuttings)

Freedom Hill Vineyard Chardonnay 2020: 16 September 2020

Élevage: blanc de Pinot noir: six months sur lie in stainless tanks. Chardonnay: six months in neutral French oak barrels. Malolactic fermentation complete.

Bottling Dates: 16-18 March 2021

Alcohol: 12.5 %

Cases Produced: (1495) cases