2018 Walter Scott - Chardonnay Cuvee Anne

Brilliant straw-gold. Displays aromas of fresh citrus and orchard fruits that are complicated by building mineral, quinine and chamolime accents. Weighty but lively as well, offering vibrant Angou pear, orange pith and nectarine flavors that slowly unfold through the mid-palate. Shows fine definition and mineral lift on the persistent finish, which features lingering honeysuckle and salty brine notes. There's 40% new oak but you'd never know it.

A barrel selection from their best Chardonnay sites X Novo, Sojeau, Seven Springs, Justice Vineyard and Sunset View. According to the producers, Erica Landon and Ken Pahlow, ‘It is a blend that represents our vision of Willamette Valley Chardonnay through the lens of the Eola-Amity Hills.’ Fermented with ambient yeast and aged in 500- and 350-litre barrels (40% new) for 12 months and finished for 3 months in stainless-steel tank. Minimal lees stirring. pH c 3.15 post malolactic conversion. The wine is named after Erica’s mother Anne Hills, who ‘supported their dream’ to make their own wine. Complex aroma that starts with a clarion call of lemon/lime and grapefruit, lightly smoky, but opens quickly to a surprisingly deep floral scent as well as creamy spice from the lees and oak, and a definite but not dominant hint of flinty reduction, not full-on struck match but in that direction. That piercing citrus purity and intensity on the palate too, tightly wound, but with a slight peachy richness added to it. The oak is present but it’s well judged, adding depth, texture and structure without too much oak flavour. Exceptionally moreish and has good persistence. May well age longer than I have suggested. In its North American context, GV . Tasting it several days after opening, the flinty reductive character seems more marked, suggesting this really does need more time, and will benefit from decanting if you drink it young. (JH)