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2002 Ian's Reserve Chardonnay, 100% Dijon Clone

(updated May 1, 2006)

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The Wine

Entirely Dijon clone, this is our attempt to make fine white Burgundy, complete with richness, balance and great acid structure for aging. Named for Ian Peterson-Nedry who died on the first day of harvest for Dijon clones from our vineyards in 1996, it is our best white and, with vine age, may be one of the best chardonnays you've tasted. The Wine Advocate annually calls Ian's Reserve "certainly one of the finest Oregon Chardonnays I have tasted to-date." (Each year we select one of Ian's poems to appear on the back label.)

Dijon Clones

Acquired from Burgundy's collection of clones selected at the University in Dijon as vineyard replants, Dijon clones are well suited to the cool climate of Oregon. Ripening as in Burgundy, slightly before Pinot noir rather than two weeks afterwards as was common with the original clones selected for a warmer California climate, these clones revolutionize Oregon chardonnay. Over the last couple decades strong cooperation between Burgundians and Oregonians, led by Raymond Bernard and David Adelsheim, respectively, resulted in a number of these clones being brought into Oregon State University's clonal importation program, the favorites being 75, 76, 95 and 96. They have been planted throughout the valley and constitute almost exclusively the source of serious Oregon chardonnays, including Ian's Reserve and our INOXT.

The Vineyard

Stoller Vineyards is our newest vineyard, containing state-of-the-art clones, rootstocks and planting densities, as well as full viticultural tools such as drip irrigation. Stoller has 75, 76, 95 and 96 Dijon chardonnay clones, at two high densities. A warm site at the tip of the Dundee Hills, elevations range from 200-600 feet and soils are Jory, a soil series of deep, red volcanic loam. Site and clones assure full ripeness in all vintages. Some of this bottling also comes from Corral Creek Vineyards.

The Vintage

2002 is a soft, big vintage. It saw almost ideal growing and ripening weather and less than an inch of rain during harvest. This is not a typical cool climate vintage and the Pinot noirs will be soft, fleshy and early appealing. Whites will be full and broad, and early maturing. The alcohols are restrained slightly by yields that were neither too generous nor forced extreme extraction: Pinot noirs, 2.38 tons/acre; chardonnay, 2.77; Pinot gris, 2.26; riesling, 2.77; gamay noir, 1.86; Pinot blanc, 4.27.

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested on Sept 30- Oct 13, 2002 from Stoller 83% and Corral Creek 17%, @ 23.5-25.9 brix, 5.93-7.65 g/l TA, and 3.32-3.61 pH

Fermentation:

62% Native Yeast, 21% CY3079 and 17% BRG in French oak barrels from four coopers

Cooperage/Aging:

25% new, 38% one use, 37% older barrels; on lees with batonage & no racking for 10 months

Clonal Selection:

100% Dijon clonal fruit (95—58%, 96—13% and 76—29%), pressed whole cluster

Bottling:

Bottled 9/10/2003 with cold stabilization and sterile filtration

Bottling Analyses:

14.8 % alcohol, 3.61 pH, 4.4 g/l TA and 0.29% residual sugar

Cases Produced:

1205 6-packs and 150 375ml 12-packs

Suggested Retail:

$28

Release Date:

October, 2004

Winemaker's Comments

This is a big, rich chardonnay, with plenty of structure and brightness, but emphasizing mouth feel and complex flavors. It is oily rich, has vanillin character and a viscosity that give a crème caramel impression on the palate. There is lift and brightness from alcohol and white spices. There is breadth and sweetness from an almost honeyed set of flavors that include hints of toffee and even chartreuse. A fine weight. A fine complexity.

Quotes

The Wine Advocate, October 2004, Pierre Rovani: 90. Typically one of Oregon’s finest whites. Vanilla bean, toast and spicy minerals can be found in its complex aromatics. Medium bodied, suave, and silky textured, it is a supple, sensual wine filled with buttery white fruits.

Oregon Wine Report, Issue 23, Cole Danehower: A- An uncommonly rich and tasty chardonnay that somehow manages to walk the fine line between big and broad, and focused and intense. There is a subtle butteriness behind the fruit, but the flavors are bright and forward, and the wine seems a mixture of the best Oregon freshness and the best California weight—perhaps as good a definition as any for New World Burgundian Chardonnay…

Wine Review Online.com, August 30, 2005, “Oregon’s Stylish Chardonnays,” Michael Franz: 93. With low oak by world standards (much less American ones), this is on the fresh, primary fruit side of the Chardonnay spectrum, and very successfully so, as the notes here are impeccably pure and impressively persistent. A core of ripe pear fruit is the lead attraction, with nuances and layers of flavor that seem to stem more from the multiple dimensions of the fruit than from oak trickery.

Patterson’s Beverage Journal, December 2005, Anthony Dias Blue: 89. Lovely sweet oak and luscious fruit; long, balanced and bright.

Wine News, April/May 2006: 87. Forward scents of pineapple and orange peel. Somewhat sweet with flavors of brown spice and grilled pineapple. Lasting finish.

Wine Review Online, November 2005, “Chardonnay Pilgrims, Take Heart,” Patrick Comiskey. Oregon's Chardonnays are showing character as they never did before. The difference is immediately evident in the glass. The “Dijon” Chardonnay vines are now thriving in Oregon’s cool climate, producing Chardonnay that's on a par with the region's much heralded Pinot Noirs. Like the Pinots, Oregon Chardonnays are gently perfumed, well-structured, mineral-tinged wines with high-toned fruit and relatively low alcohols. Like Meursault, the fruit is rich without being cloying, redolent of fresh apples and pears, and bears a pleasing hint of nuttiness.

Decanter, September 2005, Norm Roby. The best examples of the New Oregon Chardonnay offer brightness with pear, melon, fresh lemon with mineral and hazelnut flavors…They have a silky texture, a raciness and a lengthy finish that is not derived from alcohol or oak. Top Selection: Chehalem Ian’s Reserve.

Annapolis Capitol-Gazette, July 22, 2005, Tom Marquardt. Although different in styles, they [Oregon Dijon clone chardonnays] were united in an improved structure and balance. They had more elegance and finesse than most of the fat, buttery chardonnays from California and Australia…judicious use of oak lets the subtle fruit emerge and are actually more approximate to burgundies, such as those from Meursault… Chehalem 2002 Ian’s Reserve Chardonnay: An excellent, silky chardonnay with well-balanced acidity, spice, toasty oak and pear notes.

Los Angeles Times, August 17, 2005, Patrick Comiskey. Harry Peterson-Nedry’s Ian’s offers scents of corn-silk and melon, with a top note of sweet oak aromas. The palate offers ripe golden apple flavors; the wine has a surprising bolt of acidity that gives the finish a nice contour.

Northwest Palate, January/February 2005: Recommended. Aromas of toast, apple, citrus, and mineral. On the palate, light toast balances creamy ripe apple fruit with faint butterscotch notes in the bright-acid finish. Pair with pan-fried razor clams.

San Jose Mercury News, March 1, 2006, “Chardonnay Comes on Strong in Oregon,” Laurie Daniel. There were two wines from Chehalem, the 2002 Ian’s Reserve and the 2004 INOX. The former is fleshier, with some toasty oak surrounding a minerally core. It’s a well-balanced example of a more opulent style.

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