Winery Reflections: 2020 "Athas" Chardonnay

Thank you to Winery Reflections for their wonderful review of our exclusive 2020 “Athas” Chardonnay.

“Immaculately pure and elegant undulations of Asian pear, lemon confit, white peach, and orange zest lead an excitingly energetic and intriguing display pleasantly brimming with pronounced earthy tones of crushed rock and saline minerality. Notes of freshly-baked bread and salted brioche softly contribute delicious leesy complexity that playfully intersects with clean floral notes of apple blossom, chamomile, and daffodil. A faint impression of crushed straw gently provides subtle organic character while hints of nutmeg and clove reveal perfectly integrated oak spice. Impressively precise and focused on the palate while coming across as tense and minerally textured yet still charmingly pretty and polished; exhibiting admirable restraint within its multidimensional and finesse-driven presentation that interestingly resembles what one would expect from the Côte de Beaune more so than a new world locale. Merely medium bodied and packed with bright acidity. This 2020 "Athas" Anahata Vineyard Chardonnay by Aubaine Wine is a classically-styled and incredibly nuanced white from Willamette Valley's Eola-Amity Hills. 

While Chardonnay from new world regions has long been known for possessing ripe tropical fruit notes framed with generous buttery and oaky qualities, many producers today are embracing more balanced and Burgundian expressions of this grape and are finding tremendous success in doing so. This bottling, crafted by Aubaine Wine using Chardonnay sourced from the Anahata Vineyard in the Eola-Amity Hills, is an incredible example of the merits of pursuing balance and complexity over sheer boldness or brawn. This beams with bright and tense streaks of citrus, stone, and orchard fruits that come across as decidedly edgy and energetic, and it backs them with gorgeous mineral notes, delightful bready qualities, gentle floral tones, and just a pinch of barrel influence. Although delicious today this is a white built to cellar, and would benefit from at least 3-5 years of additional bottle age to promote further tertiary development. Outstanding.”

Our 2020 “Athas” Chardonnay is available exclusively to Wine Club members and Carlton Winemakers Studio tasting room attendees.

To sign up for our Wine Club, click HERE.

To book a tasting at Carlton Winemakers Studio, click HERE.

To see Winery Reflections’ post, click HERE.