Winemaker Notes
The Cuvée Lunatique is a fresh and clean Chardonnay that is made in a style similar to the white wines of the Mâcon in Burgundy. To preserve its bright fruit and crisp structure, it is produced mostly in stainless steel, with no malolactic fermentation. A part of this cuvée was matured in a large, neutral oak cask to give it a bit more mid-palate texture, but still does not impart any oak taste to the wine.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
This is a divinely lean white from a winery owned by renowned Mosel producer Ernst Loosen. Just-ripened pineapple and a salty mineral tension deliver a subtle zing on the palate before it finishes with a crisp lemon twist.
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James Suckling
This has a pretty nose of sliced pears, honeysuckle, lemon curd and peaches. So fresh clear and creamy, with a medium body and delicious peachy layers backed up by bright acidity.
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Wine Enthusiast
Always one of the Willamette Valley's best values, the Lunatique does not disappoint in 2020. The wine's fresh aromas combine lime-scented laundry powder with tart lime and earthy hay. Brisk flavors like an arugula salad dressed with a lime vinaigrette and juniper berries go on forever, along with wee bits of mineral water and thyme.
Located in Oregon’s Northern Willamette Valley, J. Christopher Wines is a boutique winery that specializes in Pinot Noir made in the traditional style of Burgundy, and in Sauvignon Blanc modeled after the superlative wines of Sancerre. The winery is owned by world renowned Ernst Loosen, of Weingut Dr. Loosen in Germany. Erni’s lifetime passion for the wines of Burgundy has led to a philosophy to produce elegant, nuanced wines in a distinctly Old World style with an emphasis on lower alcohol and a modest amount of oak. The wines have garnered an international reputation for their purity, balance and food-friendly drinkability.
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.