Winemaker Notes
Our La Source Chardonnay vineyard is rooted into volcanic soils laden with iron-rich rocks and pebbles, located just downslope from the band of vines that create our Summum cuvée. In addition to its open-knit texture, the wine's distinct and striking minerality is evident upon first sip, though the juice's brilliant fruit flavors shine through to the finish. To us, this bottle truly pays homage to its place of origin – and a special one at that.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Chardonnay La Source comes from old vines on an east-facing slope at the bottom of the hill (Summum comes from the vines at the top of the hill). Its aromas of struck match and flint take time to open to golden apples, baklava and floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate also begins minerally, bright and fresh but broad and hinting at more to come. Give it another couple years in bottle.
Rating: 93(+) -
Wine Spectator
Sleekly structured and expressive, with Golden Delicious apple, lemon verbena and crushed rock flavors that build richness and polish on the lingering finish. Drink now.
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.