King Estate Chardonnay 2022

The wine displays a beautiful balance of fruit and floral notes, augmented by a hit of toast from the oak barrels. Tropical fruit flavors of grapefruit, lemon zest, lychee, papaya and lime mingle with the floral notes like plumeria, along with light barrel toast, coconut, caramel and ginger. From an approachable entry through a refined finish, this wine is robust and well-integrated – an excellent expression of Willamette Valley Chardonnay.

Vineyards: 30% Tall Tree, 17% Kennel, 14% Fitzpatrick, 10% Grand Oak, 11% Fern Creek, 18% Other 

Despite a heart-stopping frost on April 15, the 2022 vintage rallied to a highly successful close. Optimal conditions in late June resulted in exceptional fruit set and continued through July and August. Crop estimates in August beat expectations, giving the first indication that we had rebounded from the frost. A warm September followed by the warmest October on record accelerated ripening and boosted yields, creating a new challenge to bring in all that ripe fruit in a compressed window. Cooler fall-like conditions arrived in the last week of October when the last remaining blocks and vineyards were harvested during breaks in weather.

Fruit was whole cluster pressed and fermented in neutral oak barrels. Aged 10 months in French oak barrels, 15% new, with weekly bâtonnage, where the lees are stirred back into the wine.

King Estate is nestled in the bucolic Lorane Valley about 150 kilometers south of the better known Pinot Noir growing region around Dundee and Yamhill-Carlton in the northern Willamette Valley.  Although farther to the south, King Estate lies closer to the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean, resulting in a slightly cooler climate that renders an elegant and crisp style of wine.  The manor house-style winery atop the estate's central hill commands an Arcadian view of the 1,033 acre estate surrounded by pastures and ringed by forested mountains, and a first time visitor gets the sense of stepping back into a simpler time, when the rhythm of life was intimately connected with the turn of the seasons and the bounty of the earth.  The certified organic vineyards are planted mainly to Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris and are interspersed with fruit tree orchards, gardens of flowers, vegetables, and berries.  There is even an apiary and a charcuterie.  But while this manorial setting evokes a self contained community from yesteryear, this is at the same time a very modern place.  State of the art winemaking equipment and techniques are employed along with the latest sustainable and organic farming practices, and a world class culinary program brings it all together beautifully in the Estate's restaurant.  The pure yet sophisticated wines are natural companions to fine foods.  Wine professionals agree: King Estate Pinot Gris has been the #1 on premise domestic Pinot Gris in the U.S. for the last four years running.