Tom Fitzpatrick’s work in the cellar with owner/grower Tom Nemarnik’s fruit prompted The Seattle Times to select the Alloro Vineyard 2017 Estate Pinot Noir as its No. 1 wine from Oregon in 2020, and this Chardonnay from the Chehalem Mountains producer also ranks among the Northwest’s best examples on the market. The Illinois native who got his winemaking spark while living in the Puget Sound creates an even blend of Dijon 76 and 96 berries picked on Oct. 3 and used an 11-month barrel program of 18% new French oak to build a nose of white peach, starfruit and cotton candy with hints of toast and dried coconut. The fluid is remarkably balanced, creamy yet bright, with flavors of pear butter and lemon meringue pie. An endless finish will allow it to serve double-duty as both a cocktail wine with apps and at the dinner table alongside scallops on a bed of pasta.
Rating: Outstanding!
Production: 275 cases
Alcohol: 13.9%
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