2015 Lemelson Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Willamette Valley

A Top 100 Favorite’s Chardonnay Steal

Oregon’s Willamette Valley is emerging as one of the West Coast’s top sites for Chardonnay. We are proud to offer the 92-point 2015 Lemelson Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve Willamette Valley, our first-ever Chardonnay from one of our top Oregon Pinot performers.

Lemelson sources grapes for their reserve Chardonnay from the Johnson and Chestnut Hill Vineyards, estate sites located in the Yamhill-Carlton and Chehalem Hills AVAs that contribute beautiful ripeness and impressive energy: Apple, pear, and stone fruit notes are lifted by vibrant acidity, and accented by a touch of vanillin from 15 months in 30 percent new oak. Hailing from a vintage that Wine Spectator predicted “could be the state’s most extraordinary,” the Reserve earned 92 points from James Suckling, who called it “fresh and vibrant.” It is primed for early drinking and will hold up a few years in the cellar. Lemelson’s Pinot Noir has already landed them in the Wine Spectator Top 100, and their deft touch does wonders with Chardonnay. 

The 2014 Willamette Valley vintage not only propelled one of Lemelson’s wines into the Wine Spectator Top 100, but it roared into the history books as a once-in-a-lifetime season that many assumed would linger in the minds of ecstatic winemakers and drinkers. The buzz didn’t last:  The ‘14s had barely been bottled when a stellar 2015 season swooped in and stole the show.

Whereas most Willamette producers either source from their own estate or make a blend from different terroirs around the Valley, Lemelson can do both—since their estate vineyards are located in multiple AVAs, they can utilize diverse fruit while maintaining their strict standards: Lemelson’s vineyards have been organically farmed from day one, certified since 2004, and represent 12 percent of Oregon’s certified organic grapes.

Lemelson called upon two of their vineyards to supply the Reserve: Chardonnay from the Johnson Vineyard in Yamhill-Carlton brings the ripeness to the table, while the higher-elevation Chestnut Hill Vineyard in Chehalem Hills provides minerality and a nice acid backbone. The result will thrill any white wine drinker eager to sample the wares of one of our top Oregon producers. Willamette Valley is a Chardonnay region on the rise. Let Lemelson show you why.

• Fruit Intensity
• Oak Intensity
• Body
• Sweetness
• Acidity

• ABV 13.00%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Chardonnay
• Serving temperature – 55°
• Cork