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Minimus Wines 2017 Dijon-Free Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, $35

By on March 25, 2022

UCLA-educated biochemist Meredith Bell grew up in the Willamette Valley and her fascination with Chardonnay explains why she shared in the launch of Chardonnay-only Statera Cellars in 2014. For this Craft Wine Co., project, she and Laura Cusick worked with five non-Dijon clones of Chardonnay — Calera, Wenté, Musqué, Mount Eden and Mendoza — and the lots spent 16 months in a blend of new and neutral oak. It brings a golden straw color and comes across as creamy, laden with brioche, honeyed almonds and toasted marshmallow. While there’s a generous approach with barrel, its body offers balance and structured to stand up to any fowl-friendly meal. It received a gold medal last fall at the Great Northwest Invitational in Hood River, Ore., and Craft Wine Co., operates a tasting room at 116 W. Main St. in Carlton.

Rating: Outstanding!

Production: 175 cases

Alcohol 13.2%

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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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