LOVE, OREGON CHARDONNAY

The wet, cool spring delayed bloom in the vineyard until late June, setting the stage for a welcome later harvest than the previous few. Hot, dry conditions prevailed through the summer months, which prompted a great deal of thinning. Sometimes it looked like half the crop was on the ground! We kicked off our 2017 harvest on September 27th with Chardonnay. After that, we waited. We like to make sure each vineyard has a chance to fully ripen so the flavors are as rich and complex as possible. Once we really got started though, all that fruit started coming in droves! We had to hold off picking sometimes to find places to put it. Hirschy is our warmest site and it came in with 20% more fruit than expected. Next came Daffodil Hill at 2 ½ tons per acre. On and on it went. We appreciated the cool, dry weather, which allowed us more time. It also helped keep the acidity high and the pH low, lending great structure to the wines.