Division “Un” Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2022

FROM DIVISION

THE WINE: Our snapshot-of-the-vintage Chardonnay shows a balance of minerality and exotic spiced stone fruits.

Our Chardonnay “Un” is a cuvée of exceptional organic and biodynamic Chardonnay sites in the Willamette Valley. A mix of younger vines and long-term “estate-like” vines gives a truly cross-AVA look into Willamette Valley Chardonnay.

Chardonnay is an excellent conductor of “terroir” and notoriously amplifies winemaking decisions. The key, for us, is to find balance in ripeness and fermenting temperatures to allow the wine to truly channel the vintage and site. We like to vary the ripeness levels to coax different profiles from each of our sites, and we are very careful with the barrels we choose to let them help structure and season the wine, but not dominate the character of the Chardonnay sites.

The aromatic profile bursts out of the glass with a bit of slate and a hint of flinty reduction that carries to spiced stone fruits. The palate features saline-coated Meyer lemon curd, a touch of lemongrass, and a very long finish. This wine is excellent out of the gate and we look forward to tasting the evolution in the months and years to come.