Composition: 100% Chardonnay
Alcohol: 13.7%
pH: 3.16
Production: 70 six bottle cases (750 ml)

“This 2008 bottling shows striking complexity
and balance, highlighted by lovely notes
redolent of figs, Asian pears and apricots.
The rich yet focused texture lingers on the
palate with just enough acidity to keep
the wine from feeling heavy. Enjoy it’s
pairing with poached salmon, lobster,
smoked meats, cheeses, and spicy dishes.”
Dave Paige, Winemaker

Wine Background
In the beginning, Oregon pioneer winegrowers planted using clones that had been selected by California’s wine industry. With Chardonnay, the selections were very late ripening - in Oregon, two or three weeks after Pinot noir.
In 1974, David Adelsheim worked harvest in Burgundy and realized that, because their vines tend to produce fewer and smaller grape clusters than the California selections, Chardonnay ripened in tandem with Pinot noir. Planting clones with these characteristics
should be a boon for Oregon’s wine industry.
David followed through by helping create a system that dealt with all of the red tape and mandatory quaranatines to import a selection of both Pinot noir and Chardonnay clones. These so-called “Dijon” clones were eventually released for planting in 1989.

Growing Season
The 2008 growing season began slowly with a cooler than normal spring for the months of March and April. Buds began to open around April 26th, giving the growing season a bit of a delayed start.
Temperatures picked up considerably in May and the vines accelerated shoot growth, but bloom was still slightly later than normal.
The favorable conditions surrounding bloom near the end of June continued well into August. Veraison became apparent in mid-August, followed by gorgeous ripening conditions in September.
Hand-picking for this wine occurred on October 10th and 14th.

Vineyard
Planted in the 1990s, this now 176-acre vineyard is situated at the south edge of the Dundee Hills AVA, one of the most esteemed viticultural areas in the northern Willamette Valley.
Its deep, basaltic-origin, clay-loam soils have proven to be well-situated for ripening the French clones of Chardonnay (this wine is entirely from Burgundian clone 76).
Ranging in elevation from 300 to 600 feet above sea level, this vineyard’s southeast to southwest exposure and its general appearance have reminded vintners from all over the world (especially Burgundy) of the hill of Corton.

Winemaking
The techniques we use to produce this wine are, unsurprisingly, quite similar to those employed by the finest vintners in Burgundy. After picking the grapes by hand, we used a gentle bladder press to press the whole clusters, thereby separating the juice from the skins as quickly as possible. The grapes were then inoculated with a commercial yeast and punched down two or three times per day during a 6 day alcoholic fermentation.
The wine was 100% barrel fermented in small French oak barrels (28% new) and malolactic fermentation was completed on a small portion (28%). Over the next few months, winemaker Dave Paige had the lees stirred every two weeks to add complexity and enhance textural richness.
Sur lie aging for ten months allowed the Chardonnay and oak flavors to meld, and for the tannins to elongate, thereby softening and rounding the wine. The first racking came at bottling time, when the final blend was assembled.
This wine was bottled on August 7, 2009.

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