Johan Vineyards Chardonnay 2021

Johan Vineyards' 2021 Chardonnay is characterized by its balance of bright acidity and rich fruit, having complex aromatics, minerality and a savory character, with notes of apricot, custard, lemon and toast. A well-structured, complex and age-worthy wine that reflects the unique characteristics of the Van Duzer Corridor terroir.

The focus of the winemakers' Chardonnay philosophy & approach lies in secondary and tertiary aromatic development of this noble grape variety. The clonal diversity of this wine brings complexity and balance to the whole. They picked the three high acid clones separately: Old Wente, l’Espiguette, and Musque – then macerated or direct pressed the grapes and brought the juice together in tank before going down to barrel. The wine was then barrel fermented with native yeasts in French oak (6% new) and aged sur lie for 19 months, allowing it to finish native malolactic fermentation. It was bottled May 15th, 2023 - unfiltered, with a small addition of fine lees, then bottle-aged for another year and a half prior to its release in Fall 2024.

Located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, within Oregon’s Van Duzer Corridor AVA, Johan Vineyards is a 175-acre Demeter-certified biodynamic estate vineyard and winery with 87 acres under vine. Their goal is to create a self-sustained holistic farm system with the energy to produce an honest expression of itself to share with others.