Salem Wine Company, Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay Willamette Valley, Oregon 2020 (750mL)

Aficionados will recognize the name Seven Springs: It is a legendary vineyard in the iron-rich clay and basalt soils of the Eola-Amity Hills, first planted in 1980 by the MacDonald family. It’s a gently sloping, east-facing site, as in Burgundy, and its biodynamically farmed Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is some of the most sought-after fruit in the Willamette Valley.

Seven Springs is most readily associated with Evening Land Vineyards, which was acquired in 2014 by winemaking duo Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman. At one time, the pair had worked with Burgundy vigneron Dominique Lafon to craft the Evening Land wines, but now they have the reins. Salem Wine Company is a second label for Evening Land, ultilizing younger-vine fruit from Seven Springs.

The Chardonnay for this 2020 comes mostly from a single block of the Seven Springs Vineyard. Hand-harvested grapes are gently pressed into 500-liter French oak puncheons, where the wine undergoes a native yeast fermentation. Aged for 12 months in neutral oak barrels, it is then transferred to stainless steel tank for six months to naturally clarify before bottling.

The wine is a glistening yellow-gold, with aromas and flavors of yellow apple, pear, salted lemon, white flowers, fresh cream, almond skin, wet stones, and bread dough. It is medium-bodied but broadens nicely in the glass, with a textured, concentrated mouthfeel well-balanced by citrusy acidity. Pair with roast chicken and you might think you’re in a wine bar in Burgundy!