May 2001 Column

The Best Bets in
Oregon Chardonnay

by Cole Danehower

Last month we gave you the lowdown on why Oregon is starting to make some of its best Chardonnay ever. We talked about why the plantings of so-called “Dijon Clones” has revolutionized the quality of Oregon’s Chardonnay wines. Now we get to taste the wines themselves!

For the Oregon Wine Report, I recently blindly tasted through 76 different Oregon Chardonnays from the past few vintages. What I saw were some distinct trends that will be useful to savvy consumers-and some distinctive wines we heartily recommend!

A LOT of Good Wines

First, there are a goodly number of goodly Chards! We named 13 different wines either Oregon Wine Report “Top Choice” or “Premier Selection”-which means they had outstanding characteristics that made them wines well worth making that extra effort to find. We also singled out an additional 18 wines of note, whose qualities were distinctly above the average.

We definitely found that the Dijon Clones, when well made, produced lively, fruity, well balanced wines that displayed zesty flavors. We also found that there were a relatively consistent stylistic difference between Chardonnays produced in the Willamette Valley and Southern Oregon. The wines from the south generally showed greater weight, riper fruit flavors, and a rounder, softer character than the Willamette Valley Chards. That being said, many of the wines from the north were heavily acidic, with overly strong fruit flavors and tart characters that made them hard to drink. One region is neither better nor worse than the other, just a bit different in the kinds of wines they produce.

Our Two Best Oregon Chardonnays

The Oregon Wine Report found two wines to be the “Overall Best.” These are the two Oregon Chardonnays, chosen in blind tastings of 76 wines, that we felt offered the most superb flavor sensations, regardless of price.

Argyle Chardonnay 98 Nuthouse Vineyard
$28.99 -----
Oregon Wine Report's
Overall Best Chardonnay!
Argyle’s 1998 Nuthouse release was simply fantastic! A creamy texture delivers a tasty blend of pear, peach, and nectarine flavors with a hint of crisp green apple. This delicious, nuanced, and complex wine was exceptionally well balanced, and had a character that kept me coming back for more. In fact, all three of Argyle’s premier bottlings were excellent, but we found the Nuthouse release to have just that little edge of balance that made it truly superb.

Adelsheim Stoller Vineyard Clone 76 99
available midsummer - call to reserve wine 541-752-7418
Adelsheim’s 1999 Stoller Vineyard, Clone 76 is a vibrant Chardonnay that invited sustained sipping. It manages to combine fresh acidity with a subtle creamy character that delivers full fruit flavors of peach, melon, and honey that are clear and complex. A wonderfully fresh character is maintained from start to finish, making it an exciting glassful. As of now, however, this wine is not yet released to the market-but when it is, it is sure to generate excitement (I’d start trying to put my order in right now!).

The Rest of the Best

A number of other Chardonnays were outstanding. While you can read our full reviews in Oregon Wine Report #7, here is a thumbnail list of what we consider to be the best recent Oregon Chards.

Shea Wine Cellars, 1999 Shea Vineyard.
Fruit salad mixture of lemon peel, peach, apple, and a hint of fresh grass. Fruity, clean, and delicious!

Argyle, 1998 Spirithouse.
sold out at winery
Phenomenally smooth and lush, with warm and complex flavors of orange, peach, coconut, and vanilla, all wrapped in a soft oaky blanket. Overall a soft wine lacking crispness, nevertheless tremendously elegant and tasty.

Domaine Drouhin 1998.
$39.99 -----
The theme here is lime . . . brightly flavorful lemon/lime character complemented by honey and melon notes with an appealing freshly-cut apple finish.

Westry, 1998 Reserve.
$19.99 -----
Earthy, grassy, spicy aromas combine with flavors of pears, lemons, and grapefruits to produce a sprightly spicy glassful.

Carabella, 1999 Dijon 76 Clone.
Sold out at winery
Deeply colored wine with rich sweet fruit and toast. Tangerine, nectarine, and pear flavors in a superb cloak of well balanced acidity and sweet fruitiness.

St. Innocent, 1998 Seven Springs Vineyard.
was $16.99 SALE $12.00 -----
The best value by far! This is a glittering tangerine, pear, and oak tinged wine with a lively and tasty character-all at a phenomenal price. Find it, buy it, and savor it!

Domaine Serene, 1998 Cote Sud Vineyard.
$39.95 -----
Elegance in a glass! Velvety apple, pineapple, and white peach flavors are nicely complemented by crisp and well managed acidity-a great example of what the Burgundian clones can deliver.

Foris Vineyards, 1996.
$10.25 -----
A big, rich, and ripe Southern Oregon wine that has an intriguing earthy and flower nose with warm flavors of peach, fig, and nectarine. A slightly older wine, it can still be found on the shelves, and usually at a price that makes it more than a bargain-a real steal!

Chehalem, 1998 Ian’s Reserve.
$32.99 -----
Another sophisticated winner. Smoothly textured and complex, fruitiness that can’t be beat hangs upon a firm structure of balanced acidity and wood. This is a graceful Chardonnay worthy of gracing any fine dinner table.

Willamette Valley Vineyards, 1998 Elton Vineyard.
Another so-called Dijon clone favorite. Soft and lush with a great bright snappiness, this wine offers vanilla cream, peach, pear, lemon, and toast flavors. A lively finish with citrus notes completes a wonderful mouthful.

Argyle, 1998 Reserve.
$22.99 -----
Yet another Argyle winner. Almost the perfect combination of their Nuthouse and Spirithouse releases. Spicy lemon and pear is combined with sweet mandarin orange notes, plus soft butternut and vanilla, make this a finely crafted wine for finely planned foods.

So, more and more, Oregon is producing fine Chardonnays that are worthy of any wine drinker’s attention. Don’t write Oregon off as a great white wine state-instead, find ‘em, buy ‘em, and drink ‘em!