Evening Land Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills "Mad Hatter" 09

Review:

2009 Wine Spectator - 91 points - Taut, tangy, minerally and distinctive for its lemon blossom, grapefruit peel and green pear flavors, persisting easily on the sleek, racy finish. Drink now through 2015. - H.S. New this vintage, 200 cases made and exclusive to Oregon. The name "Mad Hatter" is another reference to Alice in Wonderland (they also make a Red Queen, White Queen, etc.). Seven Springs Vineyard Estate fruit and 20% nearby Roserock Vineyard. Talk to Evening Land owner Mark Tarlov about wine and he'll reference ideas from quantum mechanics to Greek mythology to the nature of infinity. He uses the tension of opposites and the idea that there is no finality in complexity to describe the experience of tasting good Pinots. He compares them to Cabernet, which he dismisses as a black and white, on and off kind of wine that is easily understood. In Alice in Wonderland Mark finds the tension of opposites - big and small Alice, White and Red Queens, Tweedledee and Tweedledum - the book is full of unresolved opposites. Mark relates the mysterious quality of uncertainty in Alice in Wonderland and in science and mythology to the indefinable complexity of great wines, especially Pinot noir.