2023 St Innocent, Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Enchanted Way Vineyard (RT94) The 2023 Enchanted Way Chardonnay is a beauty revealing loads of depth, dimension and an excellent finish. Profiling the classic side of Chardonnay with layers of white melon, ripe Golden Delicious apple, Ranier cherry, lemon, biscuit and wet mineral dust. The palate is generously built with full flavored fruit, the acidity is present but much of it is neatly packed away behind the ripe wall of fruit. The finish is sustained, bringing one back to the glass for another whiff and sip. This is a wine to lay down in your cellar for at least a few years to realize it at its finest. Drink 2027-2035+ Tasted July 2025
Enchanted Way, which is a Willamette Valley AVA, is a vineyard where St Innocent has 15 acres of estate-owned plantings. This site best expresses Chardonnay, where they currently have it planted with Dijon Clones 76 and 95. They also have a significant amount of Pinot Noir planted here. This site is adjacent to the winery and was the most recently planted of their vineyards. The vines are just now coming into ideal age for producing high quality grapes. Elevation at this site varies between 360-490 feet, and Enchanted Way receives cooling winds in the afternoon and evening. This wine is crafted from whole cluster pressed and fermented in casks with native yeasts, going through complete malolactic, followed by aging in used French Oak barriques for 11 months. Yields were tiny in this vintage yielding .9 tons/acre. This wine was produced in miniscule quantity with 216-12 bottle cases produced.
