2015 Lemelson Vineyards Chardonnay Willamette Valley

Where World Class Chardonnay and Value Collide

The quest for great American Chardonnay often ends up in Oregon. And in its most respected region, the Willamette Valley, Lemelson is a phenomenal and wildly affordable example of the best there is, a blend of two unique microclimates that, when combined, achieve incredible heights.

The Lemelson 2015 Chardonnay is a wine of complexity and purpose that shows more than enough bright fruit and subtle spice to be brilliant right now, but also the structure to age gracefully for another four years. This effusive 2015 release—with its golden apple, stone fruit, and bright Meyer lemon notes—offers complexity and energy at a price that’s made for weekday enjoyment.

It makes sense: Lemelson has been a leader in the Willamette Valley for years—since before Chardonnay was even really on the region’s radar in a serious way. “The result, as I see it,” winemaker Matt Wengel told us, “is the purest expression of our wonderful vineyard sites.”

Almost 25 years after Lemelson planted their original vines, their focus has remained true to its roots: Lemelson’s releases regularly merit high praise from major critics, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocateeven singled them out, noting that, “Lemelson is one to keep your eye on over the next few years,” for their “complexity and nuanced style.”

The sense of detail Parker finds across the Lemelson wines is, as is often the case with the best vineyards in the world, a result of the confident willingness to take a light-handed approach. “On the winemaking side, the approach is very minimalistic,” Wengel pointed out. “In other words, I do not want the wines to show winemaking interference.”

What makes this Chardonnay even more remarkable is how Matt and his team have managed to craft a wine with deep (figurative and literal) roots in its terroir, but at a price far lower than is usually required to accomplish it.

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

• ABV 13.00%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Chardonnay
• Serving temperature – 48°
• Cork