2021 Tan Fruit Chardonnay White Walnut Vineyard

White Walnut is a relatively new vineyard comprising eight acres planted around 2015 in the Dundee Hills. "The genetics that produced this is rare," winemaker Jim Maresh explains, noting that the diverse clonal material in this vineyard includes 10 different heritage selections. The 2021 Chardonnay White Walnut Vineyard was fermented in oak and finished in stainless steel—the opposite of the Tank Fruit cuvée, which is also made from White Walnut fruit but fermented in stainless steel and finished in oak. Exoticism is the word I come back to again and again with this wine, which is extraordinarily expressive, singular and completely addicting. It offers very pure aromas of lemon meringue, candied peach, crème brûlée and candle smoke, with intense, honeyed undertones. The palate is satiny and sensuous, like a spatula smoothing the frosting on a cake. It has a concentrated, peachy core framed by streaks of flint, and its focused acidity drives all that exotic flavor into a hauntingly long finish. I've never tasted another Chardonnay quite like this!