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Around The Vineyard
“We have both volcanic and sedimentary soils the flavor is in the fruit, but with Chardonnay, if
here, and we’re continually experimenting with the grapes are tasty and flavorful, you should have
which clones do better in which regions.” picked a few days ago to get the style we’re looking
for. We have to keep a close eye on the grapes.
Fullerton strives for diversity in the vineyard, They ripen very quickly.”
planting some one-acre blocks with as many as 10
different clones in each block. “This broadens the In the winery, Oregon winemakers are generally
expression of each individual site. If you plant only striving for a leaner, crisper style of Chardonnay.
one clone on one site and vinify that separately, Like many others in the valley, Fullerton is moving
you will get an expression of terroir through the toward fermentation in larger barrels and away
lens of only one clone. If you’re interested in see- from oak. These include barrels as large as 350-,
ing what a site does, you’re really better off seeing 500- and 600-liters, which allow for ingestion of
multiple clones planted together because you can less oxygen than smaller barrels as the wine ages.
find which sites are best and express the ultimate Wineries also use malolactic fermentation for
complexity of that site.” white wines and aging sur lees by letting the gross
lees settle, then reincorporating the desired sol-
When it comes to harvesting, a growing trend in ids back into the juice for fermentation and aging.
the Willamette Valley is to pick early. Early harvest Malolactic fermentation reduces harsh acids in the
helps retain acid and keep alcohol and sugar levels juice, and aging sur lees helps extract aromatics
low. Fullerton, for example, picks Chardonnay a full and adds texture to the wine.
one-to-two weeks ahead of full flavor development
on the vine. “With Pinot Noir, you don’t pick until While Pinot Noir remains the signature grape
of the Willamette Valley
– as of 2018, there were
20,000 acres of Pinot Noir
compared to 2,400 acres
of Chardonnay – more and
more winemakers through-
out the valley see the poten-
tial of Oregon Chardonnay
as an exciting alternative
to the oaky, buttery styles
that earned popularity in
California. Still, it is a work
in progress. For one thing,
Chardonnay is very site-spe-
cific.
“Today, we can identify
which Pinots come from
which appellation,” Fullerton
said, “but we are not there
yet with Chardonnay. With
more experience and knowl-
edge of soils and microcli-
mates, eventually, we’ll be
able to blindly pick out the
appellation.”
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