besadien CHARDONNAY 2018
OREGON
APPELLATION: Walla Walla
VINEYARDS: Oregon part of the Walla Walla AVA
VARIETALS: Chardonnay 100%
FARMING: Certified Sustainable
PLOUGHING: Planted cover crop with every other row being tilled in annually; in row cultivation for weed control.
SOILS: Ancient seabed
WEATHER: Continental
VINES: 12 year old vines. Traditional “VSP” (vertical shoot positioning) trellising.
HARVEST: Entirely picked by hand in ¼ ton bins on September 23rd.
FERMENTATION: Fermented 100% in French oak barrels and aged on lees for 9 months with monthly lees stirring. Only 20% of the oak barrels are new.
MALOLACTIC: Spontaneous and complete. LEES: 9 months lees contact OAK
FINING/ FILTRATION: The wine is allowed to settle naturally by gravity and is only lightly filtered.
CHEMISTRY: Alc. 14.1%. 5.8 g/L Total Acidity 3.45 ph
SULFUR: Minimum
WINEMAKER: John Grochau
PHILOSOPHY: If you have a good vineyard site that is managed well, winemaking is simply guiding the grapes to wine in a safe manner.
TASTING NOTES: A balanced, textured example of Willamette Valley Chardonnay that is expressive of place. Elegant, smooth, and refreshing, with aromas of citrus, white peach, and orange blossom that linger on the palate.