Winemaker Notes
This Chardonnay begins with delicate aromatics of pear, citrus blossom, and honeysuckle, evolving into hints of lemon curd, green tea, and popcorn drizzled with melted butter. On the palate, it is elegant and balanced: crisp acidity supports flavors of Golden Delicious apple, lemon peel, and a subtle marine salinity. A faint whisper of oak and mineral nuance lingers on the finish without overwhelming the fruit core.
Pairs well with roasted poultry (especially with herbs or light cream sauces), sea bass or halibut with lemon butter, scallops, or even lobster tail. It will also pair beautifully with creamy risottos, mildflavored shellfish, or softer cheese like Brie or Gruyère.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Some great wines were made in the Willamette Valley in a challenging 2020 vintage, and the Staking Claim is a case in point. Staking Claim's aromatic combination of green tea and popcorn drizzled with lemon butter is a winning one. Then you get flavors like lemon drop hard candies and Golden Delicious apples that are backed by juicy acidity. This screw-capped gem is ready to please.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
The Chehalem Mountains is a northwest-southeast span of several distinct mountains, ridges and peaks in the northern part of the Willamette Valley. Of all of Willamette Valley's smaller AVAs, it is closest to the city of Portland. Its highest summit, Bald Peak at an elevation of 1,633 feet, serves to generate cooler air for the rest of the AVA and its hillside vineyards. The region covers 70,000 acres but only 1,600 acres are planted to vines; soils of the Chehalem Mountains are a mix of basalt, ocean sediment and loess.