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April 2001 Column

Is Chardonnay Going to Become Oregon's Best White Wine?

by Cole Danehower

"We can produce in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, the best Chardonnay in the world next to Burgundy," says David Lett, Oregon winemaking pioneer and the owner of The Eyrie Vineyards. "I'm not saying second to Burgundy, I'm saying next to Burgundy."

What? Great Oregon Chardonnay? Isn't Oregon Chardonnay kind of, well, mediocre?

Yes and no. Certainly Oregon has been burdened with a reputation for producing not-so-great Chardonnay wines. But that is an unfair characterization due to a combination of circumstances, some of which are about to drastically change in Oregon's favor!

Last month we talked about Pinot gris as being perhaps Oregon's best white wine. Well, Chardonnay is about to give Pinot gris a run for its money!

The Call of the Climate

Oregon's climate is ideal for growing great Chardonnay grapes-and California's isn't! Sounds like heresy, but it's true. "I have a page from the California Grapegrower magazine back in the '60s where California was not a recommended region for growing Chardonnay," says Lett.

California is a warm climate, and Chardonnay is ideally suited to cool climates-like Oregon. Our climate is marginal to the grape's growing season, which means it ripens just as the growing season weather changes. This also means the grape, when properly ripened, produces the best varietal flavors.

In Burgundy, Chardonnay is grown right next to Pinot noir. So, when modern viticulture began in Oregon, Chardonnay was a natural grape choice.

Yet Oregon has failed to earn a reputation for growing great Chardonnay, even though the quality of our Pinot noirs is world renowned. Why is this?

The Curse of the Clone

As Chardonnay produced primarily in California began to take the market by storm in the 1970s and early 1980s, many Oregon vineyards naturally began planting Chardonnay grapes. Most often, they planted according to UC Davis recommendations, which meant they used what is called Clone 108. This clone of Chardonnay is late maturing-a help in California's warm climate.

But Clone 108 was a problem in Oregon's climate, where early ripening-not late-is a virtue. The result was that many of Oregon's Chardonnays ended up being made from underripe, or at least less-than-ideally ripe grapes. So, too often, many Oregon Chardonnay wines were highly acidic, thin on varietal flavor, and didn't succeed in the marketplace.

The Market Muddle

A key reason why Oregon Chardonnay wines didn't succeed in the marketplace was that the sheer volume of warm-climate Chardonnay wines from California set a de facto market standard-a standard that Oregon will probably never live up to because we are a cool-climate region being judged in the marketplace by warm-climate standards.

Most typically, warm-climate Chardonnay wines are high in alcohol, heavily oaked, slightly sweet, and thick with what is often described as "butteryness." The prevalence of this style has meant that the American public has come to believe these wines are the sine qua non of "Chardonnayness".

But it isn't. There's another approach to Chardonnay, typified by the cooler-climate wines of Burgundy . . . and Oregon at its best. The best Chardonnay's that Oregon produces display a different, almost more elegant character. The varietal flavors are clean and clear, distinct acidity lends a crispness, and the terroir of the vineyard is not masked by heavy wood overtones.

Send in the Clones

But things are dramatically changing for the better in the world of Oregon Chardonnay. While the market may not yet be moving in our direction, Oregon's ability to produce truly fine Chardonnay is being boosted by the introduction of new clones (commonly referred to as "Dijon Clones") that are better suited to Oregon's climate.

These new Dijon Clones ripen earlier than Clone 108, and offer additional varietal nuances. Oregon winemakers are just beginning to produce new wines from these Dijon Clones-these Chardonnays are dramatic improvements over the past, and should boost our reputation for making great Chardonnay wines (even if the bulk of the market still prefers what David Lett calls "blunderbuss" Chardonnays!)

"The future of Oregon Chardonnay is phenomenal," says Lett. And we'd have to agree.

A Few of My Favorite Oregon Chardonnay Producers

For me, a number of wineries stand out as recently delivering top-tier Chardonnays. If you want a more comprehensive set of tasting notes and recommendations, look for the soon-to-be-released Chardonnay Buyer's Guide in the next issue of the Oregon Wine Report (Issue #7).

Cameron
Winemaker John Paul makes an excellent "Clos Electrique" from a variety of Chardonnay clones (and his Abbey Ridge Chardonnay is also extremely good).

Chehalem
Harry Peterson-Nedry and Cheryl Francis make a superb Ian's Reserve Chardonnay from Dijon clones.

Domain Drouhin
In the Burgundian style, DDO's Chardonnay is a reliable winner.

Willamette Valley Vineyards
Joe Dobbes has overseen a dramatic improvement in this producer's wines, especially the single vineyard and Estate Reserve Chardonnay.

The Eyrie Vineyards
David Lett's Chardonnays (made from the Draper Selection clones . . . kind of a middle ground between Clone 108 and Dijon Clones) are reliably elegant wines that are fantastically suited for fine cuisine, with the added bonus that they seem to age into eternity.

Domaine Serene
Though primarily a Pinot noir producer, winemaker Tony Rynders is fashioning a very appealing wine in his Cote Sud Chardonnay.

St. Innocent
Mark Vlossak offers excellent values in very tasty Chardonnays.