Winemaker’s Palette
Chardonnay probably provides a winemaker with the broadest possible palette in terms of the wine that can be made from this vine.
If you consider the breadth of wines that can be made in Burgundy from the richly concentrated of the exquisite whites from the vineyards around Beaune; to the precise, steely, bone dry and focused wines from Chablis; to the almost tropically fruit flavoured wines from the Mâconnais; there is an array of styles from just one region in Eastern France.
As you look around the world, you can find a massively broad array of styles, not least from Oregon, on the West Coast of the United States.
In terms of latitude, Oregon’s vineyards sit between Mâcon and the Mediterranean. About 50 miles inland, protected from the cooling waters of the Pacific by a range of mountains, the north-south sites provide long daylight hours during the summer and autumn. A very favourable climate for grapes to ripen.
The rolling landscape is of mixed farming with vineyards nestling amongst cereal crops, livestock and forestry. Hay and milk are the mainstay for the state each generating around four times the income of viticulture.
Pinot Noir dominates Oregon with around 60% of all plantings and Chardonnay coming third with just under 7%.
Willamette Valley is the main American Viticultural Area (AVA) with around 27,000 acres of vines and 11 sub-region AVAs within that larger designation, the latest - Mount Pisgah, Polk County - being added to this area in July.
2020 was a problematic vintage. With lower fruit set leading to lower yields, and September wildfire smoke impacting harvest decisions, yield per harvested acre decreased by 24% and harvested acreage declined by 6.4% resulting in a 29% reduction in grape production.
I was visiting Oregon during the annual International Pinot Noir Celebration event in 2019 and had the opportunity to visit the Walter Scott Winery, run by husband and wife team Erica Landon and Ken Pahlow.
My visit to Walter Scott coincided with a visit from a Swedish wine buyer, and we had tasted ten wines during our visit. As we headed back to our cars after the tasting, we both commented that very rarely do you visit a winery and find every wine tasted to be outstanding. This was one such visit.
Given the problems that faced them during 2020, it was decided not to produce single vineyard Chardonnay wines, but to produce a blend from several plots, and hence “Bon Mois” was created for 2020.
Walter Scott, Bois Moi, Chardonnay 2020
Justerinis - £26.18
Subtle nose of with hints of lemon and stone fruits. Rich palate with beautifully balanced acidity alongside ripe fruit. The richness on the finish is generous with plenty of texture. Ready to drink but will improve over the next 5 years. As the Justerinis tasting note states, “It invigorates the palate but also screams “Drink me!” 94 from Parker. You would be very pushed to find a wine at this price and quality from Burgundy.