Adelsheim Chardonnay 2007 Wine Review; Willamette Valley, Oregon

A Willamette Valley Oregon Chardonnay Surprise!

While the California Chardonnays might have the captured main stream Americas attention, Oregon’s Willamette Valley has a nice surprise in store for wine drinkers. With Chardonnay clones directly from Burgundy we find this to be an excitingly rich Chardonnay with next to no oak influence at all.

The History of Chardonnay in Oregon’s Willamette Valley

Adelsheim co-founder, David Adelsheim, noticed while working in Burgundy back in 1974 that the Chardonnay grapes in Burgundy ripened at the same time as Pinot Noir grapes while in the States the Chardonnay in Oregon which came from several California selections ripened 2-3 weeks later. This motivated him to assist with the difficult process of mandatory quarantine and such to bring the Chardonnay “Dijon” clones directly from Burgundy. The bonus to that move was that the Dijon Clones have fewer and smaller grape clusters, and thus are a better match for Oregon’s long, cool growing season.

The Oregon Chardonnay Grapes in Willamette Valley Create Magic

I had a last minute dinner party and was completely unprepared, but unwilling to go empty handed. Wanting to bring something to my hostess, yet pressed for time, I quickly grabbed the two closets bottles of wine that I saw, a red and white, since I was unsure of the menu. The 2007Adelsheim Chardonnay, was, obviously, the white, while a bottle of 2006 Ramey Claret was the red.   I put a lot of fate in the Wine Spectator Rating of 90and 91 points respectively and hoped for the best.

I ended up getting what I had hoped for.

Since beef was on the menu for dinner, the 2007Adelsheim was opened early pre-dinner. We had a lovely bit of Cooperstown sharp cheeses and whole wheat crackers which proved to be the perfect companion for the Adelsheim. 

This Oregon Chardonnay leads with a fresh green apple scent.  It was a lovely and surprisingly refreshing nose.  There was a definite warmth that came from a hint of vanilla like spices. The ripe apple flavors are clean and succulent, making it a very crisp and refreshing Chardonnay.  It was bright, focused, and very pretty all around.

Adelsheim is not a California Chardonnay

If one really loved a typical California Chardonnay, then this might not be the wine for you. For the buttery oaky that California Chardonnays are known for, I would recommend the Calera Chardonnay, the Adelsheim reminded me more of my surprising reaction to the Cuvaison from Napa Valley.

Bottom line; this was a delightful clarifying Chardonnay!

All the vineyards in this blend lie in the Chehalem Mountains AVA and are sited on mostly basaltic-origin, clay loam soils with a smaller percentage planted in sedimentary soils. The basaltic-origin soils are very good at holding enough water to support the grapevines through the annual summer droughts known to the Oregon regions.  Also a nice added bonus to the Adelsheim Winery  is that they practice sustainable farming.

Now listed as one of our “Top Wine Picks” and priced at 20$ a bottle, the 2007 Adelsheim Chardonnay is a refreshing and fun take on a Chardonnay. Drink now until 2011!

Tags: Adelsheim Chardonnay 2007, Oregon Chardonnay, Willamette Valley Oregon

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 9:30 am and is filed under Willamette Valley Oregon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post