Nose
Pure and racy, our barrel-fermented Chardonnay displays vibrant aromas of ripe pear, apple blossoms, honeysuckle and crème brûlée.
Palate
Full-bodied and creamy, yet with a crisp assertive impression on the palate and a long stony finish.
Growing Conditions
In 1992, Hugh and Kathy Shiels planted the first vines in the heart of Yakima Valley’s Rattlesnake Hills, DuBrul Vineyard. The steep south-facing hillside yields grapes with unique flavors and structure.
This 45-acre vineyard offers an interesting combination of different soil profile and aspects. Our Chardonnay block straddles the rocky, South-facing hillside and alluvial soils on the western edge. This results in diverse growing conditions within each row, with less vigorous soils underlain by basalt and covered with ancient Columbia River deposits of granitic rock on the hillside and more fertile alluvial silt, sand, and gravel washed from the hills around the western edge.
Flags reveal the demarcation lines, showing how row by row, vine by vine they adjust micro-irrigation patterns. There’s serious rigor to where drip tubes begin and end or double upon themselves.