Willamette Valley Chardonnays reviewed

Clean, focused aromatics. Light flavours on the palate. Nice sense of balance, weight, and delivery. Well-integrated use of oak gives a sense of flesh to the mid palate. Delicious length and focus. Notes of makrut lime, grapefruit, and white pepper. Well executed. Will age and develop beautifully. (ECB)

Notes of key lime, white pepper with kisses of baking spice and a hint of smoke. Mouthwatering acidity and length. Nicely executed. Good balance of flavour, focus, flesh, spice, and length. Good drive and distance. A bit tight on the palate right now with a lot of promise to the future. Will integrate further with a touch of time in the bottle. Should age and develop nicely. (ECB)

Fuller, more giving aromatics and pleasantly relaxed palate (versus the lean taut character of the 2011) with more developed flavour though still moderate weight. Flavours of Mexican lime, a kiss of spice, and mixed citrus with a pleasingly fleshy mid palate. Nice integration of oak and fruit through a long spiced finish. Nice confidence. Delicious and beautiful. (ECB)

Chardonnay. Nice power and density on the aromatics with a hint of wildness. Palate shows good power, density, energy and life. Delicious. Lots of length. Good concentration through intense finish. Rising finish. Notes of mixed citrus, accents of white pepper. Energising. Delicious and intriguing. A standout. (ECB)

Distinctive aromatics – nice complexity. Notes of white pepper, mixed citrus, hints of nut, hints of bark, mixed rocks. Energising. Great acidity, drive, focus, and length. Delicious. Will age. (ECB)

Pleasantly generous and giving aromatics and palate without any heaviness. Nice concentration, depth, and flavour. Good sense of balance and length with pleasing acidity and length. Notes of mixed citrus – candied lime, touches of tangerine, hints of grapefruit – accents of white pepper and faint smoke accents. Nice integration of oak throughout. Sense of purity. Nicely done. Delicious. (ECB)

Pleasant whilst subdued aromatics and palate. Notes of pear and hints of fresh pineapple without sweetness with integrated baking spice and a stony, quartz and rock-salt mineral character. Pleasing texture with a delicate phenolic frame. A mild wine with understated power and a sense of persistence. Nicely done. (ECB)

Bright, fresh fruit aromatics. Focused palate. Notes of flint, white peach, and jasmine with lime accents. Balance of leanness with flesh, texturally pleasant, good length, genuinely mouthwatering acidity and drive. Well focused. Seamless. Well executed. Delicious. GV (ECB)

Rich while focused aromatics. Impressive execution on a rich palate with fleshiness without feeling overripe and still with a good sense of focus. Delicious. Notes of toast, integrated baking spice, and ripe pear. Rich but still has movement. A good example of its style. (ECB)

Nice nuance in both the aromatics and palate. Notes of white peach, with citrus aromatics, and fully integrated baking spice. Pleasing texture and movement. Seamless. Mouthwashing acidity and length. Lifting finish. Restrained and elegant. (ECB)

Nice consistency of approach in the Aurata 2011 to 2013 winemaking with clear vintage character through each. Here notes of key lime, kisses of creamy baking spice and toast. Persistent finish. Lifted palate and aromatics. More tightly focused than the 2012. Give it a bit of time in bottle. (ECB)

Mild, pleasant fresh, peppery spice aromatics. Notes of yellow peach, and apricot with a touch of creamy lemon and almond accents. Sense of balance between roundness and acidity on the palate. Focused, driving palate. Delicious. Fleshy, flavourful, giving, and focused with still-driving acidity. Nicely executed. (ECB)

Fresh, lifting, energetic aromatics. Well-integrated oak and fruit. Palate with a sense of richness and spice alongside toasted lemon with makrut-lime accents. Nicely made with rich mid palate. A little light through the finish. Mouth-watering length. (ECB)

A bit more muted than the La Source. Juicy, giving mid palate. Citrus mélange – lemon, grapefruit and kisses of clementine. Persistent finish. Nicely mouthwatering. Generous and well balanced. White-pepper finish. (ECB)

Notes of fresh citrus blossom and citrus aromatics with nut accents. Taut palate upon opening. Allow some air to open up the flavours, or drink over several days. Good acidity and focus. GV (ECB)

Fresh aromatics. Mixed citrus notes of fresh blossom and curd. Taut with a little more focus on freshness than the 2012. Complete and clean. Well executed with good length and finish. Would benefit from a little time in bottle. Remarkably similar to 2012 though fresher. Easy concentration and mouthwatering acidity. (ECB)

Nicely focused aromatics and palate with a sense of density. Taut, focused palate – impressively young still. Will benefit from time in bottle. Notes of mixed citrus, white pepper, and natural spice with crunchy rocky and saline minerality. Has nice density, and balance of seriousness with ease at the same time. Totally clean. Well executed. (ECB)

Sense of toast and breadth through the aromatics shift into leaner, bright palate. Tighter and cleaner palate than the X Novo. Pretty, with a sense of delicacy. Understated and well executed. Flavours of lemon and hints of white stone fruit with accents of white pepper. Nicely done. (ECB)

Reductive nutty aromatics upon opening. Creamy lemon and drying grapefruit pith. Ample mid-palate flavour. Persistent mouthwatering creamy finish with drying element throughout. White-pepper accents. A touch of heat through the finish. (ECB)

Reductive aromatics that open up and show freshness with air. Notes of orange and satsuma and white pepper. Opens into an almost creamy mid palate. Mouth-washing acidity. Persistent finish. Well executed with a sense of life and freshness. (ECB)

Lemon and grapefruit curd and accents of white pepper with notes of beeswax through a long finish. Persistent, mouth-watering acidity, and flavour. Lots of length. Refreshing, and focused with a fleshy mid palate and finish. Delicious. (ECB)

Muted aromatics. Notes of satsuma, and mixed citrus peel with accents of wax and apple brandy. Surprising palate. Moderate acidity. Sense of intensity and length. (ECB)

Fresh, vibrant, lifted aromatics. Clean, focused, well executed. Notes of lemon, and apple with light grapefruit accents and a kiss of wax. Mouth-washing acidity. Persistent finish. Lots of flavour though not a lot of density. Focus on acid. Well executed. Good everyday Chardonnay. GV (ECB)

Nice nose. More sophisticated aromatics. Bright palate. Notes of navel orange with white-pepper accents and well-integrated spice throughout. Well-executed use of oak – integrated with fruit to give it flesh. Touch of bitterness through the finish. (ECB)

Integrated oak and fruit character – the two knit together. Notes of toast, spice, dried citrus. Taut focus with textural interest and a pleasant edginess. Moderate long finish. A bit lean. Ultra-cold vintage. Nice confidence and working with what’s given from a difficult vintage. (ECB)

A bit pert on the palate through to the finish. Notes of nutty, mixed white flower, and white stone fruit. Difficult vintage shows a bit on the palate through pert notes and leanness but still delicious. Good acid, long finish. (ECB)

Lean focus with still lots of flavour. River rock and quartz character with a mix of both pith and citrus fruit and kiss of baking spice. Mouthwatering acidity and length. A bit disjointed – will integrate with a bit more time in bottle. (ECB)

Beautiful floral aromatics and lifted palate of mixed rose and lily, with lots of complexity. Persistent palate and length with lovely complexity. A bit pert through the finish. (ECB)

Under screw cap. Riper aromatics and flavour but with lighter body. Leaner focused palate, and better focus than the 2005 or 2007. Focused, fresh, precise. Nice completeness. Simple but nicely executed. Good everyday Chardonnay. Long, mouth-watering finish. Notes of melon, white pepper, and hints of citrus. VGV (ECB)

Rich aromatics of baking spice. More apparent baking-spice oak on palate. A little less fruit balance. Meyer lemon through the finish. And white pepper. Persistent finish. Vibrant acidity. (ECB)

Reductive upon opening, opens with air. Muted aromatics. Lemon and grapefruit pith with baking-spice accents and a ripe pear finish with crisp apple accents. Textural oak-tannin length. Lightly drying finish. More sense of delicacy than the Summum 2012 but also not as focused. (ECB)

Nutty, matchstick nose. Clementine, Meyer lemon with a drying baking-spice finish. Sense of creamy oak accent to a persistent drying finish. Not quite as well integrated as the other two. Tactile tannin. (ECB)

Subtle aromatics. Bright palate acidity with enough fleshiness to balance. Good length. Notes of grapefruit, satsuma, and pear accents. Slightly strange floral-wax notes through the finish. Dynamic. (ECB)

Notes of flint, makrut lime, toasted lemon and rock salt with a creamy wax finish. Persistent finish. Mouth-washing acidity. Delicious and dynamic. (ECB)

Muted aromatics. A little disjointed on the palate. Meyer-lemon cream, green apple and accents of pear. Short finish. Give it a bit of time in the bottle. (ECB)

Light aromatics, though more present than the straight Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Bright palate. Notes of makrut lime with green and yellow apple beside accents of toast and baking spice. Clean, focused, pleasant. Sense of restraint. Good fruit purity. A little simplistic but nice purity and delicious. (ECB)

Nice aroma and flavour but a bit cloying through finish. Apparent lees-stirring richness. Solid execution of its style but a bit soft through the finish. I would prefer a little more freshness. (ECB)

31% new oak, 26% one-year-old oak. Corral Creek and Stoller Vineyard.
Oak aromatics more integrated though still apparent compared with the 2012. Fresher but also less mouth-watering than the 2012. Fresh melon and toasted citrus palate. A bit simple in its focus. Very clean winemaking but oak feels mismatched to the fruit. (ECB)

34% new oak, 33% one-year-old oak. 11 months in barrel. All Stoller Vineyard. Under screw cap.
Oak dominant in the nose and drying on the palate, remaining distinct from the fruit rather than integrated. Notes of toasted citrus and nut. Dusty and drying palate though with plenty of acidity and a long finish. (ECB)

Under screw cap. Fresh, lifted and expressive aromatics. Floral with hints of nut. Bright lean palate. Includes what feels like green, underripe notes, almost like Riesling blended into the Chardonnay – a little disjointed. Spicy, sweet stone fruit with kisses of ginger and a kiss of sweetness. (ECB)

Under screw cap. Secondary notes on the palate. Pert mid palate. Less fleshy than the 2005. Shows what seems to be less malolactic influence than the 2005. Lightly bitter mid palate through to the finish. Some primary fruit still holding on but a bitter note through the mid palate overwhelms it. Not a big Chardonnay but lacking some of the pleasure and generosity that could balance it. (ECB)

All stainless steel. Under screw cap. 
Muted aromatics and palate. Shows a mix of fresh and aged characteristics. Moderate acid. Ripe flavours. Mid-palate richness with some melon character. White-pepper accents through the mid palate to finish. Bit hot on the finish and a bit short with a slightly bitter finish. (ECB)

Notes of pear, green apple. Lots of mid-palate acid that then finishes soft. A bit cloying and strange through the finish. Even so, quite GV. (ECB)

Light aromatics. Almost pert mid palate into a short finish. Notes of mixed citrus with floral accents with metallic apple through the finish. Persistent finish with a kiss of wax. Not a lot of density on the palate though still plenty of flavour and purity. Sense of restraint. (ECB)