Willamette Valley Chardonnay
A true expression of small-lot, cool-climate Chardonnay.
Oregon’s Willamette Valley is the gold standard for more that cool-climate Pinot Noir. New World Chardonnay take attention, there’s a new kid in town.
What makes this wine so special is that it’s a true expression of small-lot Chardonnay in the Willamette Valley. It’s not mass-produced, it’s something that we make less than 200 cases of to really focus on bringing the best possible blend we can make.
We’re fortunate to have this sweet spot for Chardonnay in the Pacific Northwest that is a bridge between the rich, opulent wines of California and the racy, acidic wines of Burgundy that need to be heavily oaked and sit for years before they’re drinkable.
With our Kudos Chardonnay, we make a sensible, partially oaked wine and intertwine it with stainless steel during fermentation to bring a balanced, cool-climate wine with body and structure as well as some of the tasty butterscotch and vanilla notes that we love in Chardonnay.
“Chardonnay from the Willamette Valley has this uncanny ability to combine the sweet opulence akin to California’s Napa Valley and the racy minerality of Burgundy-fame. I love the possibilities!”
-Laurent Montalieu | Owner & Vigneron
Our Winemaking with Chardonnay
The ultimate goal in our winemaking is to get out of the way of our vineyards and the fruit that they produce. This means to trust the work that we put into the vineyard during the growing season. In the winery, we treat each vineyard and block differently. We want to build depth and breath while still representing the terroir of our vineyards.
We’re working off a wide range of soils (basalt, sedimentary, alluvial), elevations ranging from sea level all the way up to 750 ft above and vineyard sites across the valley. We age our wine in dozens of barrels, mixing Stainless steel with New French Oak, Neutral barrels, and everything in between. This brings balance and exposes opulence and bright acidity.
We’ve got a dozen different Heritage and Dijon clones to choose from, a mixture of whole cluster and machine-picked fruit, and four talented winemakers that bring a plethora of knowledge and unique experience into their work daily. The combination? Brilliance, in a sleek, fun package sold to you at an incredible value. But in a sea of choices, with each and every bottle designed with sexy color combinations, different fonts and clever, beckoning names, you reached out and grabbed this particular one. Kudos to you.
Our Farming
We farm over 500 acres across Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Our goal every day is to make our land better than the day before. We believe that for wines to truly shine, your vineyards must be in balance. All of our vineyards are dry-farmed and herbicide- free.