Winemaker Notes
Summum Chardonnay is the unofficial tête de cuvée of our lineup at Evening Land Vineyards. Fruit for Summum comes from just 14 vine rows that form the backbone of the Seven Springs Estate. Here, soils were formed by ancient volcanic eruptions that sent blazing lava down the current vineyard’s slopes – and today, we’re lucky enough to farm our vines in these mineral-laden soils. The 2019 Summum Chardonnay is medium-bodied and bright, marked by flavors of lemon skin, baked apple, and a touch of sweet spice that leads to a satiny, harmonious finish. For a unique taste of Oregon’s rather untapped potential for high-end Chardonnay, this bottle is it.
Professional Ratings
-
Decanter
This one of the top sites for Chardonnay in Oregon. The grapes are pressed as whole clusters and run directly into used casks for fermentation on native yeasts. The wine does full malolactic conversion, but it neither stirred nor racked during aging. The result has a lovely ripe apple and quince fruit with a suggestion of chamomile. The texture is creamy and rich, but there is no fat, and the overall impression is very Burgundian. Superb length and great aging potential make this is an imposing wine.
-
Wine Spectator
Shows dimension and presence, with elegantly multilayered flavors of Meyer lemon, apple skin, yeasty lees and crushed stone that gather richness and steely opulence on the lingering finish. Drink now
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Chardonnay Summum opens from initial notes of matchstick and iodine to reveal peach, honeycomb, jasmine and spice as it blossoms in the glass. The medium-bodied palate balances concentrated, savory flavors and focused acidity. It has a gently rounded texture and finishes with great length.
-
Wine Enthusiast
Candle wax, lemon curd, toast, sweet spice and lees aromas lead to bountiful stone-fruit flavors. Cleansing acidity ups the interest. It brings both power and sophistication, with plenty of nuance. First-class stuff with a very long life ahead of it.
Editors' Choice
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.