Winemaker Notes
This 2020 Yamhill-Carlton Chardonnay classically dances to modern beats with flare and form. It's adaptable to any situation as great Chardonnays do. Aromas of graham cracker, apple and peach crumble, daffodil & buttercup flowers. Also, petrichor after a spring rain, granny smith apples, and labneh. Flavors of stone fruit, marzipan, baking spice, Thai basil, extra virgin olive oil, crème fraiche, kiwi, starfruit and apricot. Silkiness that is light and flowing as an alpine spring. Acidity that dances and flirts around the palate, finally taking center stage on the finish. The structure picks up the pace and holds long after the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
A steely version, with pinpoint and refreshing acidity accenting the fresh lemon and kiwi flavors, this white is laced with tones of stony minerals and spiced lees. Drink now. 954 cases made.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Pouring a bright, youthful yellow hue, the 2020 Chardonnay Yamhill-Carlton takes on a pure and fresh style, with notes of quince, pear, lemon curd, and a hint of baking spice. Medium-bodied, with a wonderful soft, stony texture, an elegant mouthfeel, and a clean 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.
Yamhill-Carlton, characterized by pastoral, rolling hills composed of shallow, quick-draining, ancient marine soil, is ideal for Pinot noir and other cool-climate-loving varieties. It is in the rain shadow of the Coast Range to its west, whose highest point climbs to an altitude of 3,500 feet. Yamhill-Carlton is actually surrounded by mountains on three sides: Chehalem Mountains to the north, the Dundee Hills to the east and the western Coast Range to its west, which, when it lets Pacific air through, serves to cool the region.
Vineyards grow on the ridges surrounding the two small communities of Yamhill and Carlton and cover about 1,200 acres of this 60,000 acre region, which roughly makes a horse-shoe shape on a map.