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Knudsen Vineyards 2013 Chardonnay, Dundee Hills, $45

By on June 16, 2015

Knudsen vineyards-2013-Chardonnay BottleThe late Cal Knudsen was a visionary in the Oregon wine industry, particularly in the Dundee Hills, where he established Knudsen Vineyard in 1971. For years, this property, which continues to serve as the tasting room for Erath Winery, was the largest planting in the region, and in 1993 it was among the first large-scale plantings of Dijon clone 76 in Oregon. Knudsen’s children recently have created this eponymous brand in memory of their father and mother, Julia Lee, and here’s their remarkable debut with Chardonnay, which they’ve placed in the skillful hands of Argyle winemaker Nate Klostermann. His program of 35% new French oak for six months creates lovely aromas of lemon oil, Bosc pear, banana, brioche and Spanish almond. There’s a match on the fruity palate that hits on all levels, picking up long flavors of ripe banana, light butterscotch and lemon chiffon. It’s a second-generation project that’s 40 years in the making, and Klostermann has it off to a beautiful start.

Rating: Outstanding!

Production: 100 cases

Alcohol: 13.5%

Winery website

About Great Northwest Wine

Articles credited to Great Northwest Wine are authored by Eric Degerman and other contributors. In most cases, these are wine reviews that are judged blind by the Great Northwest Wine tasting panel.

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