Winemaker Notes
Shimmering pale golden in color with chartreuse and silver edge, the aromas reveal mineral & floral notes of acacia, completed by fresh lemon curds and suggestions of vanilla bean and exotic spice. Lively entry of the palate with a light creamy core, the layers of pears, white peaches, orange creamsicle and honeysuckle flavors compete on the flinty and mineral finish. An elegant and long-lasting wine, with fresh layers upon layers which may demand another glass.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This full-flavored wine bursting with ripe apple, peach, melon and papaya flavors was fermented with native yeast in barrel, 20% new. A luscious seam of butterscotch runs through the palate, and plenty of natural acidity keeps the flavors fresh and lively.
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Wine Spectator
The 2015 Elton Vineyard Chardonnay opens with hints of honey toast and wet stone over a core of Meyer lemon and lush orchard fruit. It's medium to full-bodied and creamy textured with just enough creamy flavor and lots of refreshing citrus-driven acidity, finishing long.
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.