Fossil & Fawn Willamette Valley Chardonnay 2023

Vibrant acidity, balanced richness, complex brioche, lemon and honeycomb.

Despite the apparent unfashionableness of being into Chardonnay, the Fossil & Fawn team are unrepentant lovers of this grape, which is finally having its renaissance in Oregon. 

Chardonnay carries a certain amount of baggage for many people, which sucks if it means they miss out on such a beautiful variety. Fossil & Fawn works with old-vine Chardonnay that retains downright nervy acidity even through barrel aging in a combination of older French oak and newer Oregon oak. The wine is rich without being blousy, like fresh brioche topped with honeycomb spiked with slivers of preserved lemon.

The barrel fermentation, although using older wood, yielded aromas of toasted coconut and brioche that wrap around the core palate of yellow plum and beeswax. The richness provided by the extended lees contact is cut through on the finish with fresh, citrusy acidity, and savory minerality.

Fossil & Fawn started out as an idea in the summer of 2011, and quickly transformed into a much more complex and unbelievably rewarding venture. The winemakers aren't interested in bold manifestos or style declarations -- their goal is to make wines that they like. They’ve found that the kind of wines they like, and thus the wines they make, are executed with a natural approach that allows the vineyard to do the talking.