Nose

A stand-out Chenin Blanc! With pronounced aromatics which range from citrus peel to fresh stone fruit, laced with white floral flourishes, it is vibrant and energetic.

Palate

In the mouth, flavors burst forward with tropical kiwi and guava, completed by a snappy quince note. An exceedingly interesting and tasty wine, its complexity persists to a vibrant finish.

Growing Conditions

Vineyards:
Willard Farms, Yakima Valley, planted 1979
Upland Vineyard, Snipes Mountain, Yakima Valley, planted 1979
Phil Church, Yakima Valley, planted in 1979

Harvest

An easy, mild growing season combined with low yields and a prolonged harvest resulted in wines with wonderful balance, color, and vibrant fruit.
A normal but quick mid-April bud break was followed by warm spring weather. Freeze events in late 2019 lowered bud fertility, combined with rain and wind during June bloom, which resulted in unusually low yields.
Heat accumulation tracked the long-term average with veraison on-time in early August.
Harvest had just started when smoke from CA/OR wildfires first blew west into the Pacific Ocean then swept eastward into the Columbia River basin, and was present from the second week of September for eight days. The stage of fruit maturity, exposure timing, and the nature of this (older) smoke resulted in a minor, negligible impact. However, diffused sunlight and cooler temperatures stalled fruit maturation, extending harvest timing into October.
The long growing season combined with low yields resulted in wonderful balance, length, and aromatics in the whites, and concentrated flavor, color, texture and structure in the reds.

Bottling

Bottling Date: March 15-16, 2021

Winemaking

The grapes were harvested early morning to keep the fruit cool until gentle pressing with minimal oxygen exposure, which enhanced and retained beautiful aromatics.
The must settled overnight, after which the clean juice was fermented in stainless steel, finishing with a bright acidity (9.2 g/l).
We allowed a partial malolactic fermentation to round out acidity and soften the mouthfeel.
The wine kept sur lie in stainless steel, and was heat and cold stabilized before gentle cross flow filtration and bottling.