On July 23, on the eve of the International Pinot noir Celebration in McMinnville this year, The Eyrie Vineyards presented a Chardonnay tasting of “epoch” proportions.

38 Eyrie vintages were poured, from Eyrie’s (and the Willamette Valley’s) first vintage in 1970, to our most recent release, the 2007 Reserve. Members of the international wine media, Eyrie staff and crew, and a group of friends and supporters gathered to celebrate the Chardonnays of Eyrie’s founder, David Lett, and his son Jason Lett, who took the helm at Eyrie in 2005.

The Retrospective was, above all, an introductory occasion to raise funds to benefit the young family of our cellarmaster, Julio Hernandez. Julio’s wife Lupe is suffering from renal failure, and needs a kidney transplant. Despite having insurance, the costs are monumental. Proceeds from the sale of Eyrie Reserve Chardonnay will go to help cover Lupe’s uninsured medical expenses. We hope you will join our efforts, and enjoy some beautiful Chardonnays at the same time.

——————

TO ORDER FROM THE EYRIE CHARDONNAY COLLECTION:
Since this is such a unique offering. we cannot process your order through the online store. INSTEAD, PLEASE CLICK HERE to download a list of the available wines, and a faxable, phoneable order form. A real person at the winery will be happy to help you with your order.

——————-
“I urge anyone interested in fully mature, subtle Chardonnay to consider investing. You can buy single bottles at the prices cited below, and there is one complete vertical available (or at least there was last Thursday…) at $7,500. I wonder whether they haven’t underpriced these rarities.” - Jancis Robinson, M. W.

JANCIS ROBINSON, M.W., noted British wine authority, attended the Eyrie Chardonnay tasting, and posted the following comments on her online wine blog, combining her tasting impressions with David’s extensive vintage notes (shown in italics):

Eyrie Chardonnays back to 1970
30 Jul 2009 by Jancis Robinson

I described in “The Letts Look and Give Back” the background to this extraordinary vertical tasting of every vintage made of The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay, of which sometimes fewer than 50 cases were made.

There are many unusual aspects to the tasting, not least the fact that the Letts have been able to provide such detailed background notes on each vintage. Although the wines are far from mass-market items, I have great pleasure in presenting my tasting notes with all the background in italics below so that it might, just, be possible to draw some conclusions about the factors that go into determining character and quality.

Note, for example, how well the 1970, the only wine not to be fermented in barrel, has lasted. Indeed these wines showed practically no obvious oak notes whatsoever – and were much lighter, drier, and longer- lived, than most North American Chardonnays. The relatively few vintages containing bought- in fruit tasted really quite different. One major ingredient, surely, in how distinctive the Eyrie Chardonnay grapes are is the source of the planting material. David Lett’s explanation below of the background to his Chardonnay explains why these wines are so similar in structure and flavour to the distinctive Chardonnays of Stony Hill in Napa Valley. We were lucky enough to taste the 1991 and 1993 Stony Hill Chardonnays at the Rhodes tribute dinner in Napa Valley recently (see Wine and dogs).

I had to go back and alter my suggested drinking dates for the younger vintages on the basis of how well the older wines had lasted. And by the time we had got back to the 1980s and 1970s, I started wondering just how many Burgundian domaines could present an array of white wines that has lasted as consistently well. Of course random oxidation is the elephant in the room as far as ageing white wine is concerned. In “The Letts look and give back” Jason Lett explains just how prevalent both random oxidation and TCA taint were in these wines. As he doggedly tasted his way through 1,800 bottles of Eyrie Chardonnay he encountered a full 53 oxidised bottles of the 1986 vintage and 40 of the 1987 vintage, which is pretty shocking.

I wondered on Twitter whether any Burgundian grower could have put on a similarly successful performance and was answered by someone who asked, would any Burgundian have to?

It was an apposite question. One of the reasons the Letts were showing these bottles was to encourage the sale of their remaining stocks in aid of Lupe, wife of their cellarmaster Julio Hernandez, who needs to raise funds for a kidney transplant. I urge anyone interested in fully mature, subtle Chardonnay to consider investing .You can buy single bottles at the prices cited below, and there is one complete vertical available (or at least there was last Thursday…) at $7,500. I wonder whether they haven’t underpriced these rarities.

David Lett’s widow Diana, who followed him to Oregon the year after he arrived in 1965, told me, ‘he really loved making Chardonnay even though all the fuss was about Pinot Noir, and Pinot Gris to a certain extent. He always liked that there was no [clone] 108 in the wines at all, except for a couple of the purchased vintages.’

David Lett on the story of his Chardonnay: ‘In late 1964, I followed Joe Torres, long- time vineyard manager for the Draper Ranch in St Helena, through the vineyard as he pruned the Chardonnay. Joe, for the previous 20 years, had selected certain blocks and vines from the vineyard, which were favorites for quality wine production. A lot of these selected vines’ fruit went to Lee Stewart’s Souverain Cellars across the valley on Howell Mountain. Lee made some incredible Chardonnay wines from these grapes. The cuttings I took from the Draper Ranch and Torres’ selection became the basic vines of The Eyrie Vineyards.
‘Jerry Draper, Lee Stewart and Fred McCrea (of Stony Hill) all planted their vineyards on the hillsides of Napa Valley in 1943. The original source for much of their Chardonnay cuttings came from Louis Martini’s Stanley Ranch in Carneros, which was planted from a diversity of European vines in the mid-30s. It was a remarkable collection of clones of Chardonnay. The Chardonnays of Lee Stewart’s Souverain are legend. The Chardonnays of Stony Hill continue to be some of the most unique in the United States [now replanted]. So, too, the Chardonnays of The Eyrie Vineyards. Our unique source of Chardonnay propagation clones from the Draper Ranch makes them so. In 1967, UC Davis isolated a clone of Chardonnay (Clone 108) and decided that it was the best clone for California conditions - high yield and low acid were foremost in this decision. About the same year Americans began drinking more table wine than American sherry and port and thus this began the “wine boom”. Almost every vineyard planted to Chardonnay in California since 1967 (which was probably 95% of them) was planted to Clone 108. As the wine boom extended to other states, clone 108 became ubiquitous. Well, fine, but Clone 108 has a very distinct flavour and aroma profile, which can get kind of boring. All of the wines made from Clone 108 throughout the world are just variations of that profile. Our Chardonnay, made from a diversity of clones, yields a wine much more subtle in expression - also much more elegant.
‘In the winery we treat these grapes with great respect. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and pressed - all very gently. The juice is settled overnight to separate it from the heavy solids, which can lead to off flavours in the final wine. The juice is then transferred to seasoned French oak barrels where it is inoculated with a variety of pure yeast strains. Cellar temperatures are low in Oregon in October when we harvest and thus we employ no temperature control. The wines ferment at their own pace and go through a complete, spontaneous (not induced) malolactic fermentation through the winter and spring. The barrels are topped frequently and the wine rests undisturbed “sur lie” (on the yeast sediment) until time for bottling 11 months after crush. The wine is not fined for protein stability, nor is it tartrate stabilized [until 2004]. It is given only one moderate filtration and then bottled. When you have grapes this good, don’t mess around with the wine!’

Jason Lett explains here the difference between Reserve and Estate: ‘
Very simply, it [Reserve] is and always has been the best barrels from the old plantings of Chardonnay at our original vineyard. There has never been any purchased fruit blended into the Reserve. The first year of Reserve designation was 1987.
Because each barrel is its own environment, and each has a unique fingerprint, the Reserves were a barrel selection from the best estate- grown barrels. What I learned from Dad was to go through the barrels pre- racking (and rackings are often late, just pre- bottling in September) and pick the best portion for the Reserve.
Dad loved to give wines extended barrel age. We drank a 1979 Lafon a few years ago and he told me that he loved Lafon père’s practice of aging his Chardonnays up to 3 years in barrel.
Up to 1999 vintage, the Reserves were bottled at the same time as other wines, in the autumn following the previous vintage. 1999, 2000, & 2001 were aged 2 years in barrel. 2003 1 year in barrel.

There was no Reserve declared in 1988, 2002 or 2004. I didn’t release an Eyrie Chardonnay, Reserve or Estate, in 2005. 2006 and 2007 were one year in barrel, but the 2005 BlackCap was 16 months in barrel.
The statistics gives in italics for each wine are, in order: picking date, Brix, pH of the wine currently, total production, current offer price per bottle, and the amount currently available.

The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2007 Dundee Hills 16.5+ + Drink 2010-26
Rich, almost butterscotch nose – without as much bracing acidity as some Oregon 2007 Chardonnays. A hint of nectarines. Still quite chewy on the finish. It grew in the glass and became really very subtle.
Oct 12-13 21° 3.60 209 cases $33 42 cases available
The 2007 growing season began with slightly warmer temperatures, providing ideal conditions for fruit set. Moderate weather throughout the summer, which was a bit cooler than previous years, brought us back to classic Oregon growing conditions. Inman ways harvest 2007 was the opposite of 2006. The trick in ’06 was to ignore the sugars and wait for the flavours to develop – then pick like mad to preserve balance. In 2007 patience was key, as we waited for sugars to complement physiological ripeness. The 2007 vintage resulted in wines with opulent flavour at modest sugar levels and healthy acidities.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2006 Dundee Hills 16.5 Drink 2009-22
Broad, floral, medium weight and lovely delicacy. Again, this rather confounds the 2006 Oregon (warm vintage) stereotype, as it seems more precise than the 2007. Long and crisp.
Oct 11 23° 3.62 125 cases $45 42 bottles available
A challenging, hot year, similar to 2003. Thanks to favorable weather at bloom and a warm growing season we were blessed with average crop loads, balanced at 2.2 tons per acre. Vine and cluster health were flawless throughout the season. However, hot weather and a mid- September shot of rain had everything ripening at once…and rapidly. Our range of elevations gave us the ability to maintain acidity in a vintage that might otherwise have been a bit flabby, but that meant picking quickly.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay BlackCap 2005 Dundee Hills 16.5 Drink 2009-20
Jason’s own label, BlackCap, but from Eyrie fruit. Quite savoury and really dancing. Sleek and with a very dry finish. This was made with great care. Appley acidity. Very fresh.
Oct 18 22.8° 3.50 46 cases $86 Vertical only
This was Jason’s first vintage at Eyrie, and he was unable to produce a Chardonnay that met his expectations for an Eyrie wine. Instead, we substitute BlackCap Chardonnay produced by Jason from Eyrie Chardonnay plantings. After four years of unusually warm growing seasons, 2005 was a return to more temperate climate. It began with one of the driest winters and wettest springs on record. While the cool, rainy spring was a relief for drought- stricken parts of the state, the grape set was uneven and we experienced modest yields. The summer was mild, with only a few days that reached the 90s. By late September, cool temperatures and showers began to settle in and we used the opportunity to give the grapes some extra ripening time to promote better flavours.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 2004 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 2010-23
Slightly smoky nose, very tight and yet very concentrated. Tastes as though it will open out but hasn’t yet. Tastes like the juice you find in a good, deep apple tart.
Sep 30 21.2° 3.36 190 cases $45 29 bottles available
In 2004, extreme weather patterns kept us guessing. The growing season started with unusually cool and dry weather in late winter and early spring, which reduced crop levels. Sporadic late spring rains affected fruit set as well, limiting tonnage even more with irregular cluster and berry size. July and August were hot. Fortunately, cool, wet weather in late August and again in mid- September helped postpone an early harvest. The cooler autumn weather also maintained acidity and balance in the grapes. 2004 was David’s last vintage as winegrower.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2003 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 2009-19
Lively and round. Jewelly- textured with very bright fruit and precision. Long – admirably long.
Oct 8 21.75° 3.61 152 cases $48 26 bottles available
The 2003 vintage was one of Oregon’s most unusual and challenging vintages. With more 100- degree-days than ever before, this was arguably the hottest vintage we have ever seen. Combined with excessive dryness, hot winds funneling out of the Columbia Gorge accelerated sugar accumulation. While the heat was trying on the grapes and on the pickers, fruit was disease free, crop set was high enough to allow some judicious thinning, and sub- surface soil moisture was adequate due to good pre- season winter rains. Our deep- rooted vines pulled through a demanding year with aplomb.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 2002 Willamette Valley 16.5 Drink 2008-20
Tight, very dry and still tightly furled. Very serious – dry, i.e. non juicy, in character but a little hot on the finish.
Oct 21-22 22.6° 3.41 761 cases $76 29 bottles available
We were blessed with a perfect growing season in ‘02. Winter started warmer than average and moved into a cool early spring with perfect weather at flowering. The moderate temps and abundant sunshine of summer continued into fall, which was dry with warm days and cool nights. These conditions allowed the fruit to ripen slowly, resulting in great physiological ripeness. The 2002 vintage has fast become famous as the type of vintage that produces wines appealing in their youth with great potential for aging.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2001 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 2007-18
Very dense and savoury. Long and Burgundian. Very persistent. Admirable.
Oct 14 21.2° 3.41 235 cases $81 34 bottles available
The 2001 growing season started out with good flowering and a productive fruit set. A dry and moderate summer followed, with a few short days of extremely hot weather in early August. Rain showers (less than one inch) came at the end of September. Cool weather, combined with larger berries and clusters than 2000, meant that the 2001 vintage was more suited to wines of finesse. It is aging exceptionally well.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 2000 Willamette Valley 15 Drink 2005-09
A bit maderised. Drying out. The oldest- tasting of these by far. Apparently as much as 80% of the remaining bottles of 2000 were oxidised and these ones were the best. A shameful performance by the cork industry.
Oct 13 22.4° 3.44 231 cases $33 7 bottles available
2000 growing season was almost perfect, starting early in both budbreak and bloom, setting a full crop in vineyards and thus giving us a chance to precisely select optimum yields. Day after day of mellow 70-80 degree temperatures, perfect humidity levels, refreshing breezes, and sunlight that was focused but never intense combined to create textbook- perfect conditions for. The rain stayed at bay until all of the grapes were harvested, and the fruit ripened uniformly to produce elegant, balanced and supple wines.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1999 Willamette Valley 16 Drink 2005-12
Deep straw. Firmly scented. Lightly beery on the nose. Very dry and savoury. Pretty Burgundian. At its peak, surely.
Oct 30- Nov 1 22° 3.38 238 cases $91 18 bottles available
The 1999 vintage in the Willamette Valley began very wet and cold, with cooler weather throughout the summer slowing the ripening of the fruit. A few late September rains brought the dilemma of whether to pick early. We opted to let the grapes continue to hang and were rewarded with an absolutely beautiful Indian summer that brought the grapes to perfect maturity.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1998 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 2006-19
Lively and dense and playful. Racy yet with depth of flavour. Really full and spread across the palate.
Oct 7-8 20.5° 3.46 549 cases $64 30 bottles available
In 1998, warm winter temperatures started the vines into action a bit earlier than usual, and this warmth continued into spring, leading to an early flowering. Unfortunately, flowering occurred as late spring rains fell reducing most wine grape crops in Oregon by half. The cool weather also made the bloom occur more slowly than usual. As a result, the clusters were filled with “shot berries” (very tiny berries that are mostly skin). This is great for wine quality, but not so great for winery economics.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1997 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 2004-10
Complete and broad. Fully open. More evolved than most of its counterparts but very appealing. Just finishes very slightly short.
Oct 7 19.2° 3.44 167 cases $68 37 bottles available
A third cool vintage in a row, the third with stellar flavours, and the third vintage to be overlooked. Chardonnay was picked and sorted very carefully, with botrytis- affected grapes rejected. Botrytized fruit was given to a colleague, who made a lovely wine from it as well.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1996 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 2005-15
Mealy, buttery nose – ‘Meursault’ style. Very flattering – I can imagine David Lett being slightly worried that it almost tastes Californian!
Oct 11-12 20.6° 3.54 47 cases $109 29 bottles available
A warm August was followed by a cool September, allowing even flavour development. Cool days and cold nights began in early October, trapping the flavours in the fruit. Though another rain- affected harvest, fruit was fully ripe. Yields were slightly below normal levels, but not financially threatening as with 1994 and 1998.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1995 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 2005-14
Smoky nose with great depth. Attractive chalky finish. Quite delicate. At its peak.
Oct 9 20.4° 3.58 259 cases $76 26 bottles available
A good growing season with rain at harvest that was, predictably, poorly received at first. However, the vintage played to Eyrie’s strong suit: creating wines of elegance and age- worthiness. 1995 Chardonnay and Pinot noir are aging beautifully.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1994 Willamette Valley 16.5 Drink 2004-14
Pale gold. Very dense though with rather less acidity than some vintages. Lacks a tad of refreshment.
Oct 11-13 22.4° 3.56 225 cases $123 24 bottles available
A highly regarded vintage early on with a short, dry, and warm harvest. Thinning was unnecessary, with vineyards having natural crop loads under two tons per acre by virtue of flower set. Some used the vintage as an opportunity to flex a little muscle with elevated alcohols and ripeness. We saw embraced the chance to show the elegance that can be achieved in a warm vintage.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1993 Willamette Valley 18+ Drink 2005-20
Nutty nose – real interest. Lovely subtlety. Great depth. Very complex.
Oct 24-26 21.5° 3.55 430 cases $130 19 bottles available
Bloom was in late June. A cool summer led to an extended ripening period, but the fall was temperate, sunny and dry. Conditions like 1993’s illustrate exactly why David insisted that spring and summer weather is trivial in importance when compared to conditions in the fall.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1992 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 2002-12
Deep straw. Evolved and a bit sweet – a bit more obviously New World than some vintages though it finishes nice and dry. Good grating texture – this wine has grip (because of thick skins?), though may not be one of the longest lived.
Sep 21-23 22° 3.63 330 cases $91 28 bottles available
Like 2003, 1992 was one of the hottest years in Oregon’s brief modern viticultural history. Fortunately, the heat relented somewhat at the end of picking, allowing many to make wines of outstanding quality. However, it was our earliest harvest ever and, as with many hot vintages, the challenge was to preserve the elegance of the fruit in a year with a shorter ripening span.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1991 Willamette Valley 18 Drink 2005-20
Deep straw. Intriguing vegy notes on the nose. Mellifluous and great balance. Long. Reminds me a bit of the Stony Hill Chardonnay 1991 we had last week at the Rhodes dinner.
Oct 26-27 20.2° 3.70 798 cases $97 32 bottles available
A long, cool spring pushed bloom into late June and early July (much like 2008). The rest of the season was ideal, however, with a long, warm fall. As is typical of years in which Oregon experiences a more extended ripening season, quality was excellent, especially for wines intended for cellaring.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1990 Willamette Valley 18 Drink 2000-13
Hint of coffee and the only wine with even a hint of oak. Great delicacy. Though not as firm as the 1991. I’d drink this soonish,
Oct 23-24 21.4° 3.80 143 cases $155 26 bottles available
Bloom conditions were less than optimal. It was, in fact, an outright disaster! Our average yield was 1.46 tons per acre. This low crop level of unusually small berries has, however, yielded some wines of great intensity and depth. Harvest of Pinot noir at Eyrie began on the 26th of September and was completed with Chardonnay on 24 Oct.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1989 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 1997-2012
Mid gold. Very powerfully perfumed. One of the richest examples but with excellent acidity. Note of toast. Sweet finish and very long. Molto delicioso….
Oct 11-13 20.2° 3.69 213 cases $109 19 bottles available
A warm late spring caused early bloom. About mid- June the rain came. Vines at lower elevations had mostly “set” while at higher elevations bloom was still in progress in the rain. The wines from this vintage are gorgeous, but this was a year when picking too late when the warm weather could have robbed the wines of finesse.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1988 Willamette Valley 16 Drink 1996-2007
Very slightly musty on the nose. A bit diffuse. Floral hint.
Oct 26 21.6° 3.70 552 cases $116 9 bottles available
April and May had slightly higher than normal rainfall and average temperatures. June displayed favorable temperatures, but twice- normal precipitation gave terrible bloom conditions. The first part of July was cool, but it warmed up toward the end of the month, and remained fairly warm through August. Early September was quite warm, but cooled the last two weeks.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Reserve 1987 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 1997-2012
Lightly beery nose. Toasty nose and quite sweet. Transparent. Racy with a hint of oak. Like a particularly delicious dessert – the base of a cheesecake? A bit of chew on the end. Seriously good wine.
Oct 8 22° 3.65 491 cases $123 20 bottles available
May started off warm and dry, giving the vines good growing conditions and inflorescence formation. June weather offered superb bloom conditions. July and August were cooler than normal, but satisfactory, until the last week in August when temperatures rose into the 90’s. September displayed almost perfect ripening temperatures and below average rainfall.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay 1986 Willamette Valley 16 Drink 1998-2008
Not much nose. Lively, racy. Bruised apple character. Not the juiciest.
Oct 14-16 21.6° 3.60 1,237 cases $130 Vertical only
April was our usual beautiful mix of showers and sun. May began to warm and dry up to the last week of the month. June was dry, with perfect bloom conditions, and July was a bit cooler than usual, with temperatures in the mid-70’s. August was hot, with no rainfall. September temperatures were lower than normal, and with its entire 1.68 rainfall coming in the last two weeks, caused some picking panic. The first two weeks of October were warm and dry, and perfect for the final maturation of the grapes.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay 1985 Willamette Valley 17+ Drink 2000-15
Sweet, spicy nose, then unusually tart on the palate. Interesting wine with lots still to give. Lightly apple flavoured. Some finesse.
Oct 2-5 22.5° 3.59 1,349 cases $138 16 bottles available
Less than normal April precipitation and rather cool into early May. Late May was warm and dry. It rained the first week of June, and was warm and dry thereafter, creating excellent bloom conditions. July was warmer than usual, August a little cooler and drier than usual. September and October showed the kind of temperatures preferred for post- veraison and drier than normal. All the grapes were picked at perfect maturity by Oct. 10, the day before the first rains of October.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay 1984 Willamette Valley 16 Drink 1995-2010
Dark copper. Not much nose but obviously lots of mass. A bit of a blunderbuss – not as much finesse or nuance as in most of these wines. BIG. Presumably because of the chaptalisation.
Nov 5 18.4° 3.60 1,342 cases $147 27 bottles available
April and May were very cool and wet. June showed only average flowering conditions. “Set” was not complete until well into July, which was warm and dry. August had cooler than usual temperatures. September was also cool, with below average precipitation. October was a damp month, cool and overcast. We kept waiting for the weather to clear and warm, and didn’t pick until November! The grapes had no rot, and due to heroic measures by our vineyard manager, the grapes came into the winery warm and dry. Post-chaptalisation Brix were 22°. Made with 65% Eyrie fruit, 22% Maresh and 14% Abbey Ridge.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay 1983 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 1995-2013
Mid copper. Toasty oak. Real nerve. Very much wears its heart on its sleeve. Great energy here. The finish is not as subtle as some but it sure gives pleasure! Still slightly chewy.
Oct 14, 21 22.4° 3.59 957 cases $156 33 bottles available
May was a mixed bag of temperatures and precipitation. June was perfect for bloom, July cooler than usual and August was warm and dry except for 1.6 inches of rain in the last four days. Sep. and Oct. displayed perfect maturation temperatures, not too cool nor too hot, and was well below average in precipitation. Perfect Year! David added a portion of purchased Clone 108 to his Draper clone “Just to convince people I make Chardonnay - because everyone is used to that taste”. The blend was 74% Eyrie, 13%
Abbey Ridge Clone 108, 9% Abbey Ridge Draper and 4% Adelsheim Martini Clone.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay 1982 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 1995-2010
Copper. Sweet nose – almost caramel. Chewy finish. Real evolution on the nose. Admirable.
Oct 14, 15, 20 22° 3.57 896 cases $165 20 bottles available
April was wet and cool, May was perfect and bloom conditions were ideal in June. July was warm and had average precipitation. Ditto for August. September was generally warm, but with higher than average precipitation. A blend of Eyrie, Abbey Ridge Draper and Adelsheim Martini.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1981 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 1995-2011
Lovely texture. Great smoothness. The flavours are still very lively but it’s the texture that’s the dominant feature of this wine. Very clean and bracing. Still!
Oct 9 19.1° 3.60 480 cases $265 31 bottles available
Very cool April, May and June. June had twice normal precipitation. July began and lasted warm and dry, and bloom was complete by the 17th - a bit late. August was very hot. September remained warm the first three weeks, and then cooled and became showery. October continued the same. We harvested our very small crop in the rains of early October. This wine was fermented and aged in raw, untoasted oak barrel, which had been freshly scraped.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay 1980 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 1993-2013
So open and round and rich. Hint of coconut. Long. Great balance. Good acid. Long with a bit of alcohol on the finish. 100% of the dreaded clone 108!
Oct 22 22.6° 3.73 615 cases $282 14 bottles available
May was about average for precipitation, but above average for volcanic ash from the Mount St. Helen’s eruption! June wasn’t great for bloom with twice the usual rainfall and lower than normal temperatures. Bloom did not finish until early July. July and August were warm with no rain. September was average for temperature, but October’s first 10 days were quite warm. This vintage was made with purchased fruit due to crop loss at Eyrie. The director of the Swiss Vine Research Station in Wadenswil visited Eyrie prior to the next vintage and taught David the principles of leaf pulling to prevent powdery mildew in future vintages.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay 1979 Willamette Valley 18 Drink 1990-2011
Mid copper. Toasty/vegy nose. Nervy, good richness. Really substantial savoury and confidant. Lots of acidity. So much more vibrant than most white Burgundies would be.
Oct 17, 22 22.3° 3.62 1,185 cases $299 20 bottles available
A cool April gave way to increasingly balmy temperatures in May. June was ideal for flowering. July and August were very warm, which brought veraison earlier than usual. Early Sep. gave a bit of a scare with over 3 inches of rain the first 10 days. The rest of the month was dry, however, and gave ideal ripening temperatures in the mid-70’s. Harvest was completed before we saw rain. Contains a little bought-in fruit.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay 1978 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 1998-2006
Light tawny. Almost Germanic nose somehow. Rich and sweet and toffeed. Then acidity and a little bit of heat. Falling apart slightly. From some bought-in fruit because of mildew’s predations. Perhaps this explains the very distinctive flavours – quite unlike the rest of the series.
Oct 14 22.2° 3.7 744 cases $209 24 bottles available
Warm March temperatures caused early bud break. Cooler weather in April and lots of rain slowed things again. May rain was again twice- normal; but dry, warm days at the end of May and into June created great bloom conditions. July and August were very hot. Early rains in Sep. were welcome, but rare high-70’s temperatures in late September and early Oct. brought sugar levels very high. Unfortunately, we lost our Chardonnay crop to powdery mildew. This vintage was made with purchased fruit.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1977 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 1997-2011
Mid copper. Hint of putty. Interesting, grown up wine. Really very savoury and solid.
Oct 21, 26 23.5° 3.71 198 cases $222 18 bottles available
Only one day in May made it past 70ºF, and rain was twice normal…not great for flowering! June was very nice, and the vines managed to complete set by early July. September gave us twice the normal amount of precipitation, with gradually cooling temperatures, which extended into October. This was the first vintage of Chardonnay to go through natural and spontaneous malolactic fermentation, resulting from the bacterium in the mould that grows in our cellar. Every vintage since 1977 has been allowed to go through this natural secondary fermentation process.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1976 Willamette Valley 16.5 Drink 1988-2002
Big and bold on the front palate and then with quite marked acidity. A little simple.
Oct 28 21.5° 3.63 213 cases $357 15 bottles available
April was cool, with temperatures dipping as low as 31º. May started off with some temperatures in the low 80’s and precipitation was slightly below normal. Rain was less than normal in June, and coupled with warm temperatures, the last half of June gave good set conditions. The last two weeks of July were warm and dry. August temperatures gave perfect maturation conditions for the grapes. Rain came in small doses in Sep and Oct. It was warm the first two weeks of Oct, and began to cool off in the last half of the month. Chardonnay vintages 1971-1976 did not go through malolactic fermentation.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1975 Willamette Valley 17 Drink 1985-2000
Lightly beery and a little spindly - a bit more of a relic than a wine but still pretty impressive for its age.
Oct 22-24 21.1° 3.65 257 cases $379 Vertical only
Average temperatures and precipitation in April and May. Bloom was early and June was warm for the first two weeks, creating perfect ‘set’ conditions. July was warm, and although precipitation was twice normal, it made up for June. August was perfect in terms of temperature. Rain at the end of August was a blessing since we had no rain and higher temperatures in September.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1974 Willamette Valley 16 Drink 1985-2000
Not much nose and then slightly pinched and a bit simple with much less obvious fruit and nuance than most, tasting almost as though it had been baked out.
Oct 25-26 22.8° 3.53 423 cases $266 31 bottles available
Cool, ‘normal’ April and May. A warm, dry June coupled with older vines gave us almost twice the tonnage of any previous crop. The summer remained dry and warm; September and October were dry with gradually decreasing temperatures allowing perfect maturity of this larger than usual crop. Large berries and large clusters gave a wine which in its early years lacked depth.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1973 Willamette Valley 17.5 Drink 1986-2010
Looks quite pale and youthful. Sappy and interesting and very racy. Chablis style. Has lasted magnificently! Lightly minty.
Oct 11-12, 19-20 21.8° 3.43 301 cases $427 40 bottles available
Dry and relatively cool April- June. Good bloom. Very warm July. Moderating temperatures through August. September just slightly warmer than 1972, and like ‘72 a scary three inch accumulation of rain in the third week. Temperatures gradually cooled during the last part of September and through harvest in early October.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1972 Willamette Valley 18 Drink 1985-2015
Light copper. A bit mossy on the nose but intriguing. Round and molten with real depth. Wonderful for its age. Broad. Really serious. Very complete. Is this the best 1972 I have ever tasted?!
Oct 6, 10 22° 3.44 169 cases $453 Vertical only
Good bloom conditions in June. July and August were much hotter and drier than normal. September cooled into beautiful slow ripening conditions albeit with a rather scary three inches of rain in the third week of the month. Skies cleared and stayed that way with gradual cooling through the end of October giving us ideal ripening and harvest conditions.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1971 Willamette Valley 16.5 Drink 1984-1998
Mid, fresh light gold. Great freshness on the nose. Just a little skinny and tart – without the fruit concentration of the 1972. A little dead on the finish.
Sep 16-17 20° 3.43 136 cases $481 Vertical only
“The second rainiest year in decades, coming in at 58.75 inches. Probably one of the toughest years from a viticultural standpoint. A fairly damp April and May led to delayed bloom. Rains during bloom in June reduced the already small crop. July and August were warm and dry. The first and last weeks of September were rainy but clear and warm; the middle two weeks allowed some good maturation.” From 1971 on, Eyrie Chardonnay was fermented and aged in barrel.
The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay Estate 1970 Willamette Valley 18.5 Drink 1986-2014
Toasty, rich nose. Excellent depth and race and amazing lift and length. What a marvel!
Sep 23 20.2° 3.60 99 cases $1,100 Vertical only
“Our first harvest! Four to five-year-old vines. Good bloom conditions in June. Warm, sunny and dry July and August. September began with light rain and the month continued with moderate temperatures; the monthly average was 71º. Between the 19th and the 22nd, we had almost an inch of rain, and I decided to pick, fearing more wet weather.” This vintage of Chardonnay was fermented in open bins because all the barrels David had were brand new and he was afraid he’d over- oak the wine.

I asked Jason what happened to the 1970 after it had been fermented and this was his reply: ‘In order to answer your question I went into the safe and got out Dad’s handwritten flowchart of the vintage. It looks to me like the Chardonnay was fermented in open top fermenters for 3 days. Then it went either to glass carboys or to stainless steel drums (F64 and F65.) The final blend consisted of 20 gallons in glass carboys and 59 gallons to French oak barrel number S8. Guess what - I still make wine in S8. Though the obvious oak flavors are somewhat reduced, it still makes fresh and lovely additions to the cuvee.