Evening Land (Seven Springs) Chardonnay la Source 2019 750ml

The grapes for La Source come from just down the slope in the Seven Springs vineyard from the top-of-the-line Summum bottling, but are tended with the same biodynamic methods, and the fermentation is the same. They are now using 500 litre Austrian puncheons from Stockinger with a very light toast, and the slightly reductive style still shows the influence of mentor Dominique Laron. La Source is similar to Summum but creamy and a bit softer, yet it has a charm of its own. Drinking Window 2021 – 2031.

• Country: United States
• Region: Oregon
• Appellation: Willamette Valley
• Sub Appellation: Eola – Amity Hills
• Size: 750ml
• Color: White
• Alcohol by Vol: 13.0%

Varietal

Chardonnay

Of all the white wine grape varietals, surely the one that has spread the furthest and is most widely appreciated is Chardonnay. This green-skinned grape is now grown all over the Old and New Worlds, from New Zealand to the Americas, from England to Chile, and is one of the first varietals people think of when considering white wine grapes. Perhaps this is because of its huge popularity, which reached a peak in the 1990s, thanks to new technologies combining with traditional methods to bring the very best features out of the Chardonnay grape and allow its unique qualities to shine through. Most fine Chardonnay wines use a process known as malolactic fermentation, wherein the malic acids in the grape juice are converted to lactic acids, allowing a creamier, buttery nature to come forward in the wine. No grape varietal is better suited to this process than Chardonnay, which manages to balance these silky, creamy notes with fresh white fruit flavors beautifully.