2021 Tan Fruit ‘Cuvee Tan’ Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, USA (750ml)

WINEMAKER’S NOTES:

The Chardonnay Tank Fruit comes from the same Oak Grove fruit as that vineyard designate, but was aged a bit longer, with 12 months in oak and another 12 months in stainless steel. It is pure, ultra perfumed, intense and layered, with alluring white peaches and lilac interwoven with cashews and honeycomb on the nose. The palate derives incredible energy from the push-pull of those deeper tones with salty, energetic acidity, and it finishes with extraordinary length.

TASTING NOTES:

The 2021 Chardonnay Cuve Tan Fruit comes from Dijon vines in the Maresh Vineyard, planted on a south-facing slope in 1991, plus a number of other sources around Willamette Valley. Bottled a few months earlier than the other Tan Fruit Chardonnays, its savory aromas explode from the glass: a core of peachy fruit is streaked with touches of candle smoke, matchstick, pie crust and floral tones. Medium-bodied, seamless and satiny, it flows effortlessly through the mouth with both depth of flavor and freshness. It has a pleasing touch of grip to anchor the long finish and feels like it has more to give as it unwinds in bottle over the next several years. Around 1,000 cases were made.

– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 97 pts.