Winemaker Notes
The 2021 vintage gave Bethel Heights a bit of everything, from explosive heat events in the Summer to a quick transition to cool, dry Fall weather arriving at the end of September. They typically pick Chardonnay in a fairly compressed window, but in 2021 nearly two weeks separated their early picks from the last, and with the added hang time, they had a very broad color palette to choose from at the blending table. The result is a wine brimming with citrus and tree fruits while maintaining freshness and vibrancy throughout the palate.
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
Notes of quince and peaches with honeysuckle and hints of pie crust. Medium-bodied, compact and polished on the palate, with a textural, lightly phenolic mouthfeel and savory aftertaste.
-
Wine Enthusiast
You will be hard-pressed to find a better Willamette Valley Chardonnay in this price range. The 2021 vintage of the estate Chardonnay is filled with tropical aromas of an icy lemon granita, lime sorbet and a touch of pineapple. A lithe palate and gentle acidity float flavors of mango, green tea and lemon icing.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
A bright yellow hue, the 2021 Chardonnay Estate spent 12 months in barrel and is expressive of ripe honeyed citrus, white flowers, and the golden fruit of white peach. Medium to full-bodied, it has a lovely pithy texture, balanced ripeness, and a long finish. It’s a great value, and although it has ripeness, it’s well-balanced and retains a lot of freshness.
-
Wine Spectator
A handsome white, with refined apple and citrus flavors accented by notes of lemon verbena and zesty spices. Drink now. 712 cases made.
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.
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.