Evening Land Vineyards Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills 2021

Let us take you to Oregon where Rajat Parr has answered this question, incontestably proving that the best Chardonnay can be produced outside of Burgundy. Parr is the winemaker/proprietor for somm favorites Domaine de la Côte, Sandhi, and Evening Land Vineyards along with partner/winemaker Sashi Moorman. One of the most respected sommeliers in the country, Parr also is the James Beard award-winning author of the book "Secrets of the Sommeliers: How to Think and Drink Like the World's Top Wine Professionals"And is in part responsible for the 'In Pursuit of Balance' movement that transformed the way wines were made in California, a more elegant, restrained, and balanced style modeled after the wines of Burgundy. After perfecting this model in Santa Barbara wine country with Domaine de la Côte, Parr and Moorman headed north to Oregon to work with the already highly regarded Evening Land Vineyards in Eola-Amity Hills AVA within Willamette Valley, sitting just near the same latitude of Montrachet in Burgundy (45.07° and 46.94° respectively). On this property lies one of Oregon's most celebrated vineyards, Seven Springs, on an east-facing slope in iron-rich, rocky, volcanic soils. And the wines that Parr and Moorman have produced here unequivocally rival the very best Crus of Burgundy. 

The Seven Springs Chardonnay is the backbone to all of the white wines made at Evening Land Vineyards. Fruit for this estate wine comes from Burgundian clones rooted into a rockier section of Seven Springs’ mid-slope, which plays into the texture and final flavor profile of the wine. On the palate, flavors of yellow and green apples, white flower petals, lemon zest, cream, and hints of warm baking spice lead to a soft, palate-coating finish. For those skeptical of domestic Chardonnay, this satiny, terroir-reflective expression of the grape promises to please a variety of palates. The wine fermented and aged in French oak barrels (30% new) for 12 months followed by six months of élevage in steel tanks prior to bottling.