Winemaker Notes
In the Willamette Valley, whispers of the Pacific Ocean dance through the Chardonnay vines. Upon the first encounter, you are greeted with a vibrant bouquet with white peaches and grapefruit peels. Freshly cut pineapple leads a cascade of zest and zeal. Key lime cuts through with an invigorating invitation. Smooth and comforting, vanilla bean sets the stage for a decadent slice of yellow cake layered with passion fruit jam. Murmurs of green apple add a refreshing applause.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Apisoir, a word used to describe the terroir of honey, suggests The Wild Bee has been buzzing around carnations, tangerines and tart green melons. Those aromas and flavors are joined by traces of honey butter and cashews. The wine’s elevated acidity and clean, brisk mouthfeel will revive the most jaded of palates.
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Wine Spectator
This lovely white is fresh and supple, offering pear and lemon flavors, with a hint of spiced nuts on the lingering finish. Drink now. 1,222 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.
One of Pinot Noir's most successful New World outposts, the Willamette Valley is the largest and most important AVA in Oregon. With a continental climate moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean, it is perfect for cool-climate viticulture and the production of elegant wines.
Mountain ranges bordering three sides of the valley, particularly the Chehalem Mountains, provide the option for higher-elevation vineyard sites.
The valley's three prominent soil types (volcanic, sedimentary and silty, loess) make it unique and create significant differences in wine styles among its vineyards and sub-AVAs. The iron-rich, basalt-based, Jory volcanic soils found commonly in the Dundee Hills are rich in clay and hold water well; the chalky, sedimentary soils of Ribbon Ridge, Yamhill-Carlton and McMinnville encourage complex root systems as vines struggle to search for water and minerals. In the most southern stretch of the Willamette, the Eola-Amity Hills sub-AVA soils are mixed, shallow and well-drained. The Hills' close proximity to the Van Duzer Corridor (which became its own appellation as of 2019) also creates grapes with great concentration and firm acidity, leading to wines that perfectly express both power and grace.
Though Pinot noir enjoys the limelight here, Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Chardonnay also thrive in the Willamette. Increasing curiosity has risen recently in the potential of others like Grüner Veltliner, Chenin Blanc and Gamay.