Vineyard: 96% Willamette Valley Chardonnay, 4% Pinot noir lees

48% Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay hand-picked 10/8/22

48% Blue Heron Farm Chardonnay hand-picked 10/11/22

4% Sequitur Vineyard Pinot noir lees

Vintage: 2022 in a word: miraculous. After a chilly start, the valley experienced a continuous drenching from an atmospheric river throughout the first half of the year. As buds broke in early April, an unseasonable frost between 4/11 and 4/15 caused damage to unfurling buds and tender shoots. Inclement weather persisted through into June, further challenging an already delayed flowering. However, a turn for the better occurred in July and August; the long, warm, dry days became cool nights in both September and October. Harvest commenced in Dundee Hills the morning of 9/23 and concluded in Eola-Amity on 10/15. Yields were better than expected and the quality is especially high from the coolest sites where the impact of the frost was minimal. The vintage has a crystalline, tensile character with wines showcasing distinctiveness of site. These youthful wines are vibrant and chiseled, densely structured with high acidity and extract.

Vinification: Pink Label is a rosé d’assemblage where a small addition of pinot noir lees deepens color, enhances structure and broadens the character of chardonnay. In 2022, one puncheon each of Seven Springs Vineyard and Blue Heron Farm Chardonnay was crowned by lees from three new oak barrels of Sequitur Vineyard Pinot noir, courtesy of Mike Eztel. Both lots of chardonnay were crushed into the press, browned in steel for 24 hours before 48ppm SO2 addition. Primary fermentation started with ambient ‘pied de cuve’ in warming steel tanks, then both lots were racked with full solids to third fill 350L Damy puncheons. After primary completed, ambient malolactic engaged in late winter 2022. Malo progressed slowly in these puncheons throughout 2023, never fully completing. After twelve months in French oak, the puncheons were blended in stainless steel, then dosed with pinot noir lees. After two months in steel on pinot noir lees, the 2022 Pink Label Chardonnay was racked again to be bottled 3/19/24 under 48mm CWINE3. Unfined.  

Chemistry: 7.5g/L TA | 3.13pH | 12.82% | <.30g/L RS | .47g/L VA | 1.64 g/L Malic | ~30 ppm fSO2