2006 Oregon Chardonnay
Unwooded
TASTING NOTES
An elegant dry white wine with subtle notes of green apple,
melon, and spice. This Burgundian style Chardonnay emphasizes
finesse and balance rather than power, with a pleasing crisp
texture and long, clean finish. The absence of oak brings out the
true flavors of quality chardonnay grapes. This delicious wine
will complement a wide range of foods, particularly poultry and
seafood.
TECHNICAL DATA
Alcohol:12.3%%
T.A.: 705g/L
pH: 3.05
Production:
1,048 cases
Our 2006 Oak Knoll Chardonnay is the third vintage we've
produced in all stainless steel barrels and no oak at all. A
carefully blended wine from the Dijon 108 and 76 clones and
different vineyards throughout the Willamette Valley. All of
the vineyards have a south to southeast orientation to maximize
the available sunlight potential and are situated off of
the valley floor between 400 to 700 feet in elevation. Laurelwood
soils predominate in this area and provide a rich and fertile
base for the vines. All grapes arrive within hours of picking
and are quickly destemmed, crushed and pressed.
THE GROWING SEASON
The 2006 growing season was the second low cropped season in
many years for Oregon, with the year starting out with a
very rainy spring. The summer once again was one of the
hottest. Growing conditions were great all summer long,
providing us with all the quality weather we needed to produce
a chardonnay with no oak and bring out and express the true
flavor of the chardonnay grape. A long hot summer gave the
energy of nutrition for vibrant flavorful fruits.
VINIFICATION
All grapes were destemmed, crushed and pressed. The juice was
allowed to settle overnight, and then half of it was racked into
small stainless steel barrels for primary fermentation in small
batches on its yeast lees. The remainder was fermented in tanks
and blended prior to bottling.
WINEMAKER NOTES
Our winemaking approach with the Chardonnay grape focuses on
careful fruit selection, minimal juice handling and minimal
sulfur dioxide use. True to our style, attention to detail
throughout the aging of our wines influence the final quality of
our products. We've produced an elegant, sophisticated style of
Chardonnay with crisp and complex fruit flavors and
Burgundian-like structure.
Suggested Retail: $10.00
