Chehalem Chardonnay INOX 2011

Review:

The Inox is fermented in 100% Stainless steel, making it the perfect white for those who don't like oakey Chardonnays. This wine is zippy and fresh. Recommended.

2005 Vintage Tasting Notes

Lush, "Juicy Fruit" nose (a marker for Dijon clones), showing white and yellow fruit, including peach and pear. Aromatic white blossoms of jasmine or gardenia, all richly formed, with balance, great acidity, and ripeness. There's firmness for aging from the acidity and hints of grapefruit, Caribbean ginger ale, and mineral flavors that will expand to greater complexity with time in the bottle. This is what great Chardonnay fruit actually tastes like, without the overlay of oak.

INOX takes its name from the abbreviation of the French word for stainless steel, inoxidable. The wine was created differently from most Chardonnay you've had. We think we've succeeded in expressing the crisp, steely and fruit-rich side that we love about some old world chardonnays. What makes this possible is the use of exclusively Dijon clones, exceptionally well-suited to Oregon's cool climate and exhibiting a richness that does not depend on oak. Entirely tank fermented, without malolactic fermentation or lees contact, INOX screams of the hallmarks of a cool climate-brightness, pinpoint fruit, and explosive aromas and flavors.

The Vineyards

Fruit comes only from our Estate Vineyards, predominantly Stoller, with a measure of Corral Creek, and, beginning in 2004 from Ridgecrest. Dijon clones 76, 95, and 96 are fermented together for a fully complemented wine. The estate vineyards are planted on three different soil types: Ridgecrest on Willakenzie, Stoller on Jory, and Corral Creek on Laurelwood.

2004 Vintage Tasting Notes

What a difference some rain makes! Vintage 2004 was destined to be equally hot and ripe as 2003, until we had a quenching rain in late August and then a month later. Young and early vineyards that were almost ready to harvest the first week of September could have done without the rain, but the rest (like Chehalem's) thought it a blessed relief. A short cropload, plus growing season heat make 2004 properly plump, but with restraint. An interesting vintage-almost an average of 2001, 2002, and 2003, with perhaps a little more variability in reds and more structured, brighter whites similar to 2002.