
This chardonnay pours a honey-yellow and gives hues of pear and floral notes. Mouthfeel is creamy (not quite buttery) and tastes of pineapple and pear with a finish of apple. After looking at the accompanied tasting notes, it looks like I identified the majority of what WVV was hoping for. The only components I didn't pick up on were hues of coconut and citrus. Note, however, that these might start to shine through by the time this wine is publicly available.
As shown in the photo above, we also decided to pair this with an herbed pork chop with gorgonzola and walnut butter from Lorraine Turner & Linda Doeser's Barbecue cookbook. While the accompanying tasting notes suggest pairing this wine with mostly white fish, we broke the mold a bit. The chardonnay paired perfectly with this dish as it both complemented and cleansed the gorgonzola and walnut butter.
Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'm very picky when it comes to chardonnays. WVV, however, is one of those few exceptions as they have captured the essence of what a northwest chardonnay should taste like. If you have yet to venture into true northwest dijon clone chardonnays, WVV's offering is as good as it gets. At around $18 for their 2006 vintage, you can't go wrong.
A huge thank you goes out once again to both Christine and Willamette Valley Vineyards for being so gracious.
2 comments:
Well stated when you address this as a NW chardonnay and capturing the identity as such. We have always been impressed with the adventurous spirit of the WV chardonnay starting with their 1989 when they purchased their new on-site stainless.
The oak has always been their Achilles heel. However, the recent chardonnay releases of 2005/6 have given me good reason to move away from the whites of California - for good.
2006 is the best year in recent history! (Learned that from the review site you can find by clicking on my name)...
I will stay tuned to this site for more reviews - you're great!
Shayna
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