Tan Fruit 'White Walnut Vineyard' Chardonnay

Jim Maresh has emerged as one of the great champions of Willamette Valley Chardonnay, and his Tan Fruit project is where he explores the upper limits of what the variety can achieve in Oregon. White Walnut Vineyard sits in the Dundee Hills, just a stone’s throw from Jim’s home estate, and it is a very special site planted to ten different heritage Chardonnay clones. The diversity of plant material, combined with the volcanic soils and cool climate of the Dundee Hills, gives this wine a singular sense of place and remarkable complexity.

White Walnut is a Chardonnay of precision and power, but it is not showy. Intensely mineral and tightly wound in its youth, it opens slowly to reveal layers of lemon oil, underripe pear, savory herbs, crushed rock, and saline notes. There is a seriousness and energy here that calls to mind top-tier Chablis, with vibrant acidity and a long, stony finish suggesting a very long life ahead.

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 96 points: "Last year's debut of Tan Fruit's 2021 White Walnut Chardonnay was extraordinarily singular and expressive, and this 2022 Chardonnay White Walnut Vineyard is just as arresting. Matured for 12 months in barrel, plus six months in stainless steel, it explodes from the glass with a kaleidoscopic perfume of lychee and peach preserves streaked with accents of honey, hazelnut and green herbs. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and mouth coating and echoes the exoticism of the nose as it unfolds layer after layer of honeyed, spicy, floral fruit. Its focused spine of acidity expertly balances its natural opulence, and it has a hauntingly long finish. Drink 2025 - 2035."