Winemaker Notes
The 2019 Willamette Valley Chardonnay is a fresh fruit and floral interpretation of this classic white wine variety. Replete with aromas of Asian pear, cantaloupe, and lime peel; this wine is sunshine in a glass. Citrus notes of key lime and lemon zest interlace with mineral and floral notes of honeysuckle on the palate. The medium-long, acid-driven finish lends itself to a variety of diverse pairings from fish and chips to pear and gorgonzola salad.
Yes, there really is a Joe! Joe Dobbes is the man behind your bottle of Wine By Joe. As the sole owner and winemaker of Wine By Joe, Dobbes is a busy guy. As he says, "Passion fuels endless energy." Joe has been making wine in Oregon for over twenty years and his passion increases with each vintage.
Driven to excellence in his art, Joe Dobbes is the consummate winemaker. Raised in a small town in the north Willamette Valley and educated in Ashland, Joe is a true Oregonian and is dedicated to Oregon wines. Yet his calling began outside Oregon, in Germany and France, where Joe spent years learning the art and science of winemaking. He apprenticed at Wiengut Erbhof Tesch, in the German Nahe region and at Domaine G. Roumier and Domaine Comtes Lafon in the Burgundy region, France, with winemasters Christophe Roumier and Dominque Lafon.
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.