The Past, Present, and Exciting Future of Willamette Valley Chardonnay. Presented by Sam Schmitt, CS, CWE.
Willamette Valley Chardonnay has had a sordid history. From the beginning of Oregon's modern wine industry in the mid 1960’s, Chardonnay was envisioned along side Pinot noir as one of the reigning grapes of Willamette Valley. However, producing world class Chardonnay proved to be more challenging in the formative years of the region and it faded into obscurity as a disappointing footnote.
In the 1990’s, Chardonnay made a triumphant comeback with the import of new clonal selections from France and today, Willamette Valley Chardonnay is showing it’s true potential as a world class wine of distinct character.
In this tasting session, we will discuss the early history and challenges to producing high quality chardonnay in the Willamette Valley, the relationship between Burgundy and the Willamette Valley and its contrast to California with representative wines, and the revolutionary changes that have taken place to make Willamette Valley Chardonnay a contemporary benchmark for new world Chardonnay.
Complimentary for Club Adelsheim members; $25/person for non-members.
