2022 Tan Fruit Dupee Vineyard Chardonnay, McMinnville, USA (750ml)

TASTING NOTES:

From the far west of the McMinnville AVA, near Hyland Vineyard, the Dupee Vineyard is planted to the Mt Eden clone. It barely ripens, according to winemaker Jim Maresh. The soils are as red as any soils Maresh has seen in Oregon. The wine’s personality comes from the soil. Jim brings the grapes in al dente (an early pick). I don’t get too cute with fermentation. To get the cleanest or purest fermentations. Maresh wants to get them bone dry, and Chardonnay likes to quit at 3g/L. I just can’t have that, he says.The dryness gives the wine a real tension and freshness. Maresh uses between 10-30% new oak and leaves it in barrel for a year. Transfer to stainless steel drums, 3-6 mos in steel. Bright lemon drop candy aromatics, oyster shells, savoury herbs. I want to be refreshed, says Maresh, we made a mistake letting beer have “ice cold and refreshing.” This is what wine should be. The palate is compelling, with a linear throughline of flinty minerality, smoky lemon peel and white pepper.

– Decanter, 96 pts.

Aromatic and inviting nose of blanched almonds, lemons, caramel, herbs and hints of crushed stones. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity. A lively, succulent core of lemons brings energy to the center palate. Juicy and full of freshness, with a flavorful, mouthwatering finish. Persistent and quite compact. Drink or hold.

– James Suckling, 94 pts.

The 2022 Chardonnay Dupee Vineyard comes from Mount Eden clone vines planted in volcanic soils at 700 feet of elevation in western McMinnville. I just go wherever the Chardonnays at, second-generation winegrower Jim Maresh quipsexploring Oregons Chardonnay vineyards is what gave rise to his new Tan Fruit project. Im intrigued with going west, he continues. I was traumatized by 2020. Now I factor in smoke every year. The further I am from those dry Cascade Mountains the better. The Dupee Chardonnay was barrel fermented and matured for 10 months in 25% new French oak. It opens with youthful flinty character that gives way to alluring scents of white peach, brioche and meringue. The light-bodied palate features dynamic flavors of ripe citrus and saline, honey and nuts. Its satiny texture is structured by tense, linear acidity, and it has a long, mineral-driven finish. It will be long lived in the cellar.

– Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, 94 pts.

Green melon and mint come together with pumice stones and hints of chamomile as the 2022 Chardonnay Dupee Vineyard blossoms in the glass. This is texturally thrilling, weighty yet energetic, with ripe orchard fruits perfectly offset by a striking core of tantalizing acidity. This leaves a caking of minerality that slowly crackles, fading to a lemony concentration that puckers the cheeks. The Chardonnay Dupee is a wine of contrasts that keeps me coming back to the glass.

– Vinous, 93 pts.

Dynamic and fresh, with sleek lemon and apple flavors accented by orange peel an cinnamon tones as this sails on the lovely finish. Drink now.

– Wine Spectator, 93 pts.