Chardonnay Yamhill Valley Vineyard 2021 96WA
Martin Woods

$46.99 6+ (code: 6saves3)
$49.99 SALE

This is among the top 10 most highly rated McMinnville wines (based on critic scores).  This was a ringer for a Chassagne-Montrachet marrying stony minerality and beautiful white orchard fruits. Our favorite white of the wines tasted last time and this time it was ahead of the other by a hair. Interestingly, we learned that the grapes here come in with the darkest chardonnay skins, a suntan they joked, but retain the highest acidity of the chardonnays they make as they always retain a low pH the way they farm.

96 pts Wine Advocate
The 2021 Chardonnay Yamhill Valley Vineyard is deep and expressive. Matured in French and Oregon oak for 11 months, it has intense aromas of grilled peaches, honeycomb, ginger, mushroom and candle smoke. The medium-bodied palate is youthfully tangy and tense with a coiled core of fruit and saline character that gives it a shimmery feel. It has a luxurious texture that extends the finish, and it's a pleasure to drink straight from the bottle despite its potential for graceful aging
 
92 pts Vinous Media
The 2021 Chardonnay Yamhill Valley Vineyard lifts up with an invigorating freshness, like crisp mountain air infused with chamomile and cardamom, before giving way to green apples. It's seductively silky and round, yet quickly builds with savory tension as a salty sensation takes hold, contrasting its white pit fruits. Perfumed throughout, the 2021 tapers off slowly, leaving a saline tinge and hints of nectarine.  - By Eric Guido on January 2024

Our tasting notes: Lemon yellow/light gold color. Rich, but fresh apple, melon, and white/yellow plum, plenty of mineral saline, with beautiful white florals. Med+ acids, med body, med+/intense flavors and a long, resonating finish that carries the flavors on for quite some time.

AVA: McMinnville
elevation / aspect: 340 - 450 ft, south-facing 20% slope
soils series: Dixonville, Gellatly, Witzel (volcanic basalt)
planted: 2003—Intermixed clones Dijon 76 and 95
Press regime: whole cluster, oxidative juice handling (without sulfur)
elevage: 9 months in 228L & 400L Oregon & French cooperage (neutral)
bottled: July 28, 2022, Unfined, 13.0% Alc.