2009 Chardonnay Clos Marco

10% of sales from the WillaKenzie Estate Clos Marco Chardonnay will be donated to the Oregon Humane Society in memory of our late best friend Marco

TASTING PANEL COMMENTS

This clear, bright wine has a lovely pale straw color. It bears fresh aromatics reminiscent of crisp pears, Meyer lemon, white peach and honeycomb. The entry is round and soft yet rich and racy with a touch of minerality, accented by notes of apricot, ripe pear, peach and orange blossom.  Serve moderately chilled.  Drink now for up to five years.

Enjoy this wine chilled as an aperitif or pair with cured salmon, corn soufflé, baked lobster or braised pork.

 

VINTAGE
The 2009 vintage started with a slightly delayed budbreak in the third week of April. After swift canopy growth from mid-May to June, full bloom ensued by June 18th, resulting in a healthy fruit set. By July, summer heat spells hastened fruit development and seed hardening. By executing a strategic leaf pulling program, we were able to delay exposing the fruit, despite the potential for sunburn damage, which was minimal compared to other sites in the valley where pulling was heavy and early. The growing season provided ample vegetative growth with a focus on maintaining a contained canopy, guiding the plant from green growth to fruit growth. Our clusters were abundant in number and plump with the start of veraison, from August 5th, onward. With appropriate hedging and fruit thinning, we managed to keep our target yields. The fruit matured progressively with very little fruit rot and increasingly lower yield, as dehydration set in. Harvest began on September 21st with Terres Basses and ended on October 12th. The over-all quality of the fruit was exceptional with full, heavy clusters, good color, and an ideal balance of sugars and acids.

 

VINEYARDS
Like many Oregon producers, WillaKenzie Estate experimented with growing Chardonnay. Several acres were planted in 1995 to Dijon Clones 76 and 96. These clones ripen earlier than the Chardonnay material that was originally planted in Oregon and produce grapes that consistently make a fuller, richer wine. For many years, only a very small amount of wine was made in the Chablis style, primarily for Bernard’s personal cellar. With the 2009 vintage, we decided to produce a few hundred cases of the wine for sale in the tasting room. The name Clos Marco was selected to honor the late, beloved Doberman Pinscher, who used to roam the vineyards with Bernard.

Yield: 3.9 tons per acre / Brix: 24.0° / pH: 3.3 / TA: 7.0

WINEMAKING
We timed our harvest based on taste and physiological maturity. Our goal is to let the vines fully express the fruit qualities that are characteristic of the varietal. We make our Chardonnay in the Chablis style to emphasize fruit, minerality, and crisp acidity. The grapes are pressed whole clusters, and after cold settling of the juice, inoculated with yeast chosen to enhance the fruit’s aromatics. We fermented in stainless steel containers slowly and at low temperatures to optimize the freshness and subtlety of the fruit.

Alcohol: 14.0% / Residual Sugar: 0.3% / pH: 3.4 / TA: 6.5

 

To see tasting notes from previous vintages please visit our Trade Toolkit