93pts Jeb Dunnuck
“From a blend of sites, including Bishop Creek, Spirit Hill, Von Oehsen, Pearlstad, and L’Angolo, the 2023 Chardonnay Affinites presents a bright yellow color and is a lovely blended wine with very subtle light reduction, featuring notes of wet stones, salted pineapple, and candied lemon. Aged in 26% new French oak for 13 months, it’s full-bodied and light on its feet, with an elegant and delicate chalky texture and a refreshing feel that’s also approachable now.”

From the Vineyard:
The Wine [uh-fin-i-tee] the relationship and connection between different elements. Each vintage our Affinités Chardonnay showcases the brilliance individual sites can produce when masterfully tempered and blended, with the ultimate objective of encapsulating the true spirit of the vintage. Not an individual expression of one site, but rather a composition of shared connections from a special place captured in a moment in time. The chosen vineyards (Spirit Hill, Von Oehsen and Bishop Creek) are interwoven to reveal the delicate flavors and sheer beauty of the Willamette Valley.

Tasting Notes A graceful elegance to this wine visually as it as it moves elegantly around the glass. Immediately there's freshness and vibrancy on the nose with a burst of Pomelo grapefruit followed by granny-smith apples and chalky tangerine essence. As the wine unwinds further a sweet cinnamon and apricot pulp begin to emerge intertwined with lemon powder, raw honey and crisp green apple. This 2022 version shows more gentle acidity than the 2021 vintage with a soft, free flowing texture of orange blossom liqueur, jasmine tea and stone fruit flavors that twist around a core of white orchard flowers. A beautiful wine on the palate, but not without restraint at this early age and one that will bring further joy with patient cellaring.

Harvested: September 30-October 14
Harvest Brix: 22 Cépage: 100% Chardonnay
Cultivation: Organic AVA: Eola-Amity, Yamhill-Carlton
Vine Age: Up to 25 years
Vendange: Hand-picked, 1/8 ton cherry bins, field and winery sorting
Vinification: Spontaneous native yeast in barrel, unfiltered, lightly fined
Élevage: 13 Months, 25% new French oak
TA: 6.1 g/l p H: 3.22
Date Bottled: April 16, 2024
Cases Produced: 458