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2003 Chardonnay
Freedom Hill Vineyard, Dijon clone
Release Date: 3/1/2005
Retail Price $: 18.00
Availability: 293 cases
Production Notes
Freedom Hill Vineyard is located in the foothills of the coast range 10 miles southwest of Salem, Oregon. The Chardonnay block has a southeast exposure at an elevation of 350' and benefits from heat rising off the valley floor. Hills to the east protect the vines from strong coastal winds. Planted in 1982 on well drained silty clay loam, the Chardonnay vines were grafted to Dijon clone 76 in 1998. Dijon clones of Chardonnay ripen fully in Oregon's cool climate and are picked at the same time as Pinot noir.
The grapes were whole cluster pressed. After settling, the juice was barrel fermented using three yeasts. The wine finished malolactic fermentation and was aged sur lees for twelve months entirely in used French oak barrels.
Crop Level 2.3 tons/acre
This Dijon clone Chardonnay's flavors and texture will complement foods with rich flavors. It will benefit from up to 5 years of bottle age.
Mark Vlossak, winemaker
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Winemaker Notes
Eight years ago, we began replanting the 108 clone of Chardonnay originally planted in Oregon with French 'Dijon' clones. Experimental wines had been made in Oregon from these clones in the 1980's. I believed they would produce wines with fully ripened fruit and also have the rich textures found in white Burgundies. Since 1999. all of St. Innocent's Chardonnay vines are producing fruit exclusively from the Dijon clones. I am now convinced that the results were worth the huge effort it required.
The Freedom Hill Dijon clone Chardonnays are Mersault-like: darker fruit with a stoney minerality and rich textures in the mouth. The Seven Springs Dijon clone Chardonnays have a Puligny-like charactor: sweet fruit and spice with great length. They are both a huge qualitative improvement over the old clones.
I struggled with the specific style for Freedom Hill Chardonnay until my visit to Burgundy and Chablis in 2003. There I tasted a grand cru Chablis fermented entirely in used barrels. The ripe fruit and intense minerality balanced perfectly with the lees component and textural enhancement derived from barrel fermentation. The lack of sweet, toasty components from the new wood meant that the minerality was able to show clearly in the wine. I finally feel that I have captured the terroir of Freedom Hill.
Tasting Notes
2003 was a great Chardonnay vintage. Late in the final ripening phase, a hot, dry wind began blowing from the Washington state desert. This had the effect of concentrating flavors, acid and sugars in the berries. The result was a wine with more flavor and alcohol, along with an extra hit of acid to balance the equation.
Freedom Hill Chardonnay has mineral aromas remind me of granite and marble. Intermixed are aromas of ripe citrus, pineapple, and pear. Soft, graceful, and very pretty in the mouth, it reminds me of well made Maconais Chardonnays. Match this wine with shellfish, roasted birds, and cheeses.
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