2013 Oregon Chardonnay Symposium
Red Ridge Farms in the Dundee Hills of Oregon
Tasted Saturday, May 4, 2013 by subtlet with 800 views
Introduction
I’ve always been attracted to the stories and philosophies of Oregon’s wine makers. Everyone brings an individual take to the process, and intent for the finished product. As a local enthusiast, I regularly hear stories, or see social media updates about wine makers tasting with each other, or even holding events to taste, professionally critique each other’s wines, and discuss the vintage and vinification. Being fond of such discussions, and slow contemplative tastings, these updates always capture my imagination.
I was excited when I first heard about the Oregon Chardonnay Symposium. It was to be a panel discussion with a handful of wine makers and a tasting of one wine by each of them. The event was inspired by a comparative tasting between Chardonnay producers who wanted to share the experience with the public. While there certainly are differences between this and a tasting and discussion between peers behind closed doors, this still provided a fantastic comparative opportunity. I’m quite happy to see that the organizers are working to continue an event that creates an annual space for in depth discussion of Chardonnay. It’s also great to see that so many local producers are willing to support the experience. When I saw the line-up for this year’s panel, I couldn't resist!
During the introduction, Paul Durant, who was one of the original organizers, remarked that Chardonnay was part of his heritage with Durant Vineyards. He wanted to showcase the grape, as well as the cooperative spirit of the participating producers. Even though Pinot Noir is the star of the Willamette Valley, many wine makers are still willing to put effort into Chardonnay because they think the grape has something special to offer. The intent today was to discuss the pursuit of this, and to share this information with anyone who wanted to attend and listen.
I took a seat in the well-attended meeting room at Red Ridge Farm’s event space, and found myself impressed with the individual settings. 
In addition to the wines, crackers, and water, were a wonderful spread sheet full of information about the wines at hand, a pen, and a notebook! 
I’m always impressed when any tasting event provides space, time, and material to take notes. It’s a real invitation to engage thoughtfully with the wines, and to bring your own language and opinions to the experience.
There was a brief introductory discussion of Chardonnay’s short history in Oregon. 
Of particular note was a significant shift in plant material. The first wave of Oregon Chardonnay was primarily planted with cuttings from California’s established vineyards. In the late 90’s, some observations were made that the 108, or Wente, clones were selected to be grown in a warmer climate, and that problems with ripeness would present significant and persistent difficulty to Oregon’s Chardonnay production. To address this, cool climate Dijon clones were brought in. Today, both types of Chardonnay are producing in Oregon, and there are still differing opinions on which works best. Marcus Goodfellow, of Matello Wines, later remarked that a singular idea for Chardonnay is to be avoided at all costs, and that diversity, rather than a homogenous sea of Chardonnay is the way to keep Oregon Chardonnay interesting and improving.
Flight 1 (1 Note)
Following this introduction, we began tasting through the 8 wines set in front of us. First was the Arteberry Maresh Chardonnay from the Maresh Vineyard. While the other wines on the table were from 2010 or 2011, Jim chose to share his 2005 Chardonnay. He remarked that he is extremely partial to the original 108 clones, and thinks we need to work on getting more Burgundian plant material into Oregon. His Chardonnay vines were planted in 1983, and they sit in a high elevation area of the vineyard where the grapes often hang on the vine until November.
Flight 2 (1 Note)
This was followed by the 2011 Big Table Farm Chardonnay, which is a blend from the old vines in the Wirtz Vineyard, and the Bieze Vineyard. The latter of which inspired the beautiful drawing on the label. Brian Marcy, the wine maker, said that he likes to stir the lees to for mouth feel or to balance excessive acidity, and that this particular wine was stirred every one or two weeks.
Flight 3 (1 Note)
Next up was the 2011 Four Winds Chardonnay from Crowley. The Four Winds Vineyard is 825 ft high, and Tyson, the wine maker, remarked that it its fruit is typically racier than Dundee. He said that he uses no sulfur at pressing. This can give a little discoloration on the juice at the start. While this can make a wine maker nervous, it makes the wine much more stable resistant to oxidation later. He’s currently using a mix of yeasts during fermentation, and drifting more towards native yeasts as time goes by.
Flight 4 (1 Note)
The fourth wine was the 2011 Chardonnay from the Division Wine Company. Tom Monroe makes this wine, and he said that he likes to use aquaplex barrels, for the complexity that a deep toast can bring. He also avoids using sulfur until right before bottling.
Flight 5 (1 Note)
Next was the 2011 Durant Vineyards Chardonnay made by Isabelle Dutartre. This wine did not go through malolactic fermentation. Even though she prefers full malo, primary fermentation was so slow that it just didn’t start moving. Eventually she decided to let the wine be what it was, and remarked that wine will often do what it wants despite your intentions, and that it can be very similar to children in that sense.
Flight 6 (1 Note)
Wine number 6 was the Yates Conwill Chardonnayfrom EIEIO. The wine is made by Jay McDonald who ages it in an extra large barrel that he’s used since 2006. He said that every year is different, and that it’s important to avoid getting so obsessed with details that you lose sight of the best that the vintage at hand has to offer.
Flight 7 (1 Note)
The seventh wine was the 2010 Richard’s Cuvee from Matello Wine. Marcus said that limited selection is very important and that one of the biggest benefits of being a small independent producer is the ability to make unencumbered decisions. Instead of being bound to a standard formula, he can change his approach depending on the fruit he’s working with. He encouraged everyone to learn their site, and to do their best to get to know it as the years go by.
Flight 8 (1 Note)
The eighth and final wine was the 2011 Cuvee Anne from Walter Scott Wines. Ken Pahlow makes this, and he said that he would stir the lees from time to time to invigorate the wild yeast if it was getting too slow. This battonage provided a little texture to the wine. He also said that there was some botrytis on the Chardonnay used for this cuvee.
Closing
Following the tasting, the discussion of clones continued, with advocates for both types of vines. Interesting points made during this discussion were the importance of the site when selecting a clone, and the importance of vine age. Isabelle remarked that every vine is different, and the clone variation is less important than the vineyard itself when the vines are 80 years old.
Another great conversation broke out around the business side of Chardonnay. Ken observed that there has been an increase in demand for Chardonnay grapes, and that wine makers who buy their fruit are sometimes having a hard time finding enough. To me, this is striking. It strongly suggests that prices will rise, and that farmers and wine makers will be working hard to make high quality products. Jay said that it’s better positioned than Oregon’s other wine grapes in the market, and that it’s easier to sell quality Chardonnay at a profitable price than Pinot Gris or Riesling. Tyson said that he sees the price of the wine now at parity with the price of the fruit. Again, I see this as good news for the industry. Marcus urged everyone to keep in mind that Chardonnay often requires a bigger time investment from the wine maker than Pinot Noir, and that it’s easy to discount the value of that time when comparing prices. All of these points were very interesting to hear from people who think about it daily. As I had hoped, it was a chance to listen to some honest personal opinions about today’s production of Chardonnay in Oregon.
As the discussion wrapped up, we were all invited outside. The panelists had tables set up where they were pouring a few of their wines that were not part of the formal event, and where you could chat with them further.
I felt that the format was fantastic, and sincerely appreciate the effort put forward by the organizers and panelists to be engaging and interesting. Events like this help the community to understand the individual producers as well as the state of the industry in a few different ways. It’s information that probably won’t be available at a retail tasting or a tourism article, and it helps to educate everyone involved. I look forward to more like it!
Notes by Dan from Wine Is Serious Business
http://www.wineisseriousbusiness.com
2005 Arterberry Maresh Chardonnay Maresh Vineyard
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills
The nose brought to mind a golden apple smashed on a concrete sidewalk, and scents of popcorn added some additional complexity. I’d like to note that in this case, popcorn is not a euphemism for butter but a reference to the actual popped kernels. Full acidity shows quickly on the palate, with flavors of clean red apples. The apple flavors become more golden on the mid palate, and some aged character reveals itself. Pie crust flavors and more apples linger on the finish. This is a nice example of Oregon Chardonnay with some age.
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