Dear Friends,
Today’s release is a special one – a world class Chardonnay sourced from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, home to some of the highest-scoring, critically acclaimed Chardonnays produced in America.
Having produced compelling wine for many decades now, Oregon’s Chardonnay producers are finally beginning to receive their due. For many of you, this is old news. For the uninitiated, I am confident that today’s offering, sourced from one of the most revered and highly rated producers in the state (retail $40 and up), will serve as a terrific gateway to the world of Oregon Chardonnay.
Oregon Chardonnays tend to fall a little closer to Burgundy than the ripe opulence of California, but both exist here. Similar to Burgundy, the Willamette lies in the middle of an ancient seabed uplifted by colliding continental plates. Some 18,000 years ago the Missoula floods broke loose, washing billions of tons of Montana soil onto Oregon and leaving behind deep silts. In the heart of the Willamette Valley, tectonic collisions caused the Eola-Amity Hills to rise up from the lowland valley, composed of various soil structures of marine sediment, volcanic basalt, and windblown Loess. These soil structures, combined with exposure to the Pacific through the Van Duzer Gap, are what allow today’s producers to craft some of the finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the world.
Lot 549 2015 Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay is sourced from the heart of the appellation from what has been hailed by critics as one of the greatest vineyards in the state for both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. With a year in barrel (about a quarter new French oak) and another six months élevage in tank, Lot 549 is made with incredible attention to detail and no expense spared.
A gorgeously aromatic wine, it features an immediate nose of ripe honeysuckle, crystalline minerality, sweet cream and grilled pineapple that gains complexity, adding Meyer lemon and papaya notes with a little air. Lush pineapple and sweet cream greet the palate, but are quickly upstaged by a lip-smacking mélange of citrus, tropical fruit-slathered rock, and a long, pure finish. With a vinous, electric quality and complexity comparable to Premier Cru Burgundy, Lot 549 is an incredible value at $15/bottle. And, like its Burgundian counterparts, you’ll want to make sure not to serve this wine too cold.
As a New Release special offer, go ahead and take 15% off any purchase of one case or more through Thursday night at midnight (Wine Club members get 20% off) as long as the order includes one bottle of Lot 549 (mix and match the whole store!).
As always, if you have any questions or need assistance with your order, please don’t hesitate to email info@chwine.com or call 800-805-1971.
Cheers!
CAMERON HUGHES | 800.805.1971 (MONDAY-FRIDAY, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. PST)
