About this winery

Sokol Blosser is one of the pioneering estates of the Oregon state wine industry. In 1971 when Bill Blosser and Susan Sokol Blosser began converting an old prune orchard into a vineyard they became one of five bonded wineries in the region. In the ensuing decades Oregon’s wine industry has grown (today there are over 500 wineries), changed and blossomed with Sokol Blosser at the forefront. Leading by example in their quest to produce exceptional wines while also promoting social and...

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Product notes

In the 45th growing year at Sokol Blosser they saw something very special: their earliest bloom on record. Bud break was later in 2016 than in 2015, as the warm weather in April and May progressed the vine growth enough to push up bloom. It was not an especially dry year as they got our typical dump of rain, but the summer was warm and full of heat spikes. The heat produced incredibly clean fruit that was free of mildew and rot.

Production notes

This small blend is made of grapes sourced from three different sites in the Dundee Hills. Nealy a quarter of the gallonage was fermented in 500L puncheons, and the remainder was fermented in traditional barrels. 13% new oak barrels were selected for fermentation. The juice was fermented in barrel and remained on its lees for the 10 months it was in barrel. The lees were stirred to increase weight and mouthfeel for 3 months of aging. This wine went through secondary fermentation starting immediately following primary.

Tasting notes

The 2016 Dundee Hills Chardonnay is luscious, with notes of stony minerality and a smooth finish. The winemaking team aged the Chardonnay in 100% French oak (13% new oak) using a variety of fermentation vessel sizes, oak, yeast and stirring regimes. These methods came together to form a complex multilayered blend. This wine expresses notes of cedar, apricot, nutmeg, and wild plum.