Winemaker Notes
The straw color and ever so light spritz of Seven Springs Chardonnay remain a welcome sight – the color signifying its restrained oak, while that trapped CO2 makes for a wake-up call to the palate. In between looking and tasting are Seven Springs' classic aromas: yellow tree fruits à la Meyer lemon, Asian pear, Golden Delicious; with subtle white flower and salted pie crust accents. All these elements, it should be said, meet the electricity of each sip with enough texture to be in concert with one another, opening the wine up to a bevy of foods for pairing.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A fresh, spicy, medium-boded wine made from a mix of clones from across the estate. Aromas of spiced pears, Meyer lemons, oranges and white flowers. The palate is tense and zippy, with flavors of lemon candy, limeade, lime zest and pear skin. The finish shows a little citrus oil bitterness.
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Wine Spectator
Luscious yet crisp and minerally, with detailed flavors of apple and pear laced with spices and vanilla. Finishes on a creamy accent.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Matured in used oak, the 2023 Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard has alluring scents of quince, toasted meringue, beeswax and flint. The medium-bodied palate features concentrated, honey-nut flavors balanced by bright acidity, and a touch of textural grip lengthens the finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
The Seven Springs is always a sound Chardonnay investment, and the 2023 vintage is no different. Red-apple and lemon- grass aromas collide in pleasing fashion, joined by an herbaceous burst of celery-like lovage. I enjoyed the wine’s tingly acidity and its lean, crisp mouthfeel. Every sip made me feel alive. The wine’s preserved Meyer lemon, Thai basil, and quinine flavors were no slouches, either. Great Willamette Valley Chardonnay value to be found here.
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Vinous
The 2023 Chardonnay Seven Springs is airy and fresh, with vivid notes of sliced nectarine, rosemary, tarragon and lemon sorbet. Its texture is soft, with balanced inner sweetness and a minty herbal tinge to ripe orchard fruit. A subtle mineral resonance emerges through the fresh finish.
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.