Vineyard: 100% chardonnay from seven Willamette Valley vineyards planted between 1984-2019
33% Seven Springs Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills – 10-year-old Dijon clones picked 9/7/21 & 9/10/21
19% Koosah Farm, Eola-Amity Hills – 5-year-old mixed Dijon clones picked 9/15/21
17% X Omni Vineyard Block 5, Eola-Amity Hills – 5-6-year-old mixed clones (15+) picked 9/8/21
11% Fairview Vineyard, Dundee Hills – 3-year-old clone 87 picked 8/30/2
19% Temperance Hill Vineyard, Eola-Amity Hills – 3-year-old mixed Dijon clones picked 9/22/21
6% Yamhill Vineyard, Yamhill-Carlton – 37-year-old Wente/108 picked 9/11/21
5% Durant Vineyard, Dundee Hills – 23-year-old Dijon 76 picked 8/30/21
Vintage: Bud break occurred during a warm week in mid-April, and May was warm and dry. After an early start to bloom, the second week of June brought cooler, breezy, and humid weather, with 1.25 inches of rain. Flowering finished closer to average timing in the second and third weeks of June. At the end of the month, a strong high- pressure system trapped extreme heat in the valley for three days, causing daytime highs to reach 115F and causing the vines to shut down. July was seasonably warm and dry, with the heat intensifying towards the end of the month. Early August was hot and dry, reaching a peak of 105 F in the second week before cooling off towards the end of the month. September was a very pleasant month, with warm days, cool evenings, and just enough precipitation. I began picking in the Dundee Hills on August 30th and I finished in the Eola-Amity Hills on September 22nd.
Vinification: Hand-picked between 8/30/21 and 9/22/21, most lots were crushed, pressed and browned in cold steel tanks for 6-24 hours before sulfur addition, if any. Most lots were not racked off solids. Vineyard-specific pied decuves kicked off ambient yeast fermentations in warming steel tanks. Each lot was then transferred with solids to a mix of new, lightly used or old Damy puncheons or barrels, and lees were only stirred if necessary. After one year in oak, a blend was made in stainless steel from 24% new, 24% second fill and 52% old barrels of 78% Eola-Amity Hills, 16% Dundee Hills and 6% Yamhill-Carlton. After six months in steel, the 2021 Willamette Valley Chardonnay will be bottled 2/28/23 under DIAM 10 cork. No fining or filtration.