Chardonnay developed its well deserved reputation as possibly the finest white dry table wine in the world from its historical roots in the cool wine growing regions of Chablis and Burgundy in France. The Willamette Valley of Oregon with a climate very similar to these wine growing regions produces Chardonnay wines with classical cool climate characteristics. These wines are some of the most fabulous wines in the world to accompany fine cuisine. The most successful wine grape in the international spread of classic wine varieties has surely been Chardonnay. Since the 1970's a Chardonnay wine boom occurred outside of France, particularly in the USA which now has 27% of the Chardonnay production in the world compared to France's 24%. Most of this new world expansion, however, has occurred in warmer wine growing regions like California. Warmer-climate Chardonnay wines have strong fruit flavors but tend to be low in acidity and high in alcohol content and are often produced with excessive oak flavors. Due to their intensity,these wines stand out as attractive apertif wines but are less attractive when paired with food because their strong flavors easily overwhelm the palate. In Oregon, Chardonnay is the second most planted wine grape variety after Pinot noir. Although the production is small compared to our southerly neighbors, Oregon Chardonnay wines particularly from the Willamette Valley are truly great cool climate wines meant to be enjoyed with food.

Chardonnay grapes for Tyee Wine Cellars are grown at Temperance Hill Vineyards in Salem and at Beaver Creek Vineyards at Tyee. The grapes are grown at moderate yields for the best quality. We typically harvest Chardonnay in late October after a long maturation and "hang time" in order to reach optimal aroma, flavor, and color. After destemming, gentle pressing, and settling, our Chardonnay is 100% barrel fermented in French and Oregon oak barrels using 15-20% new barrels each year. For the primary fermentation the juice is inoculated with Bourgoblanc 3079, a special yeast isolated from Chardonnay wines in Burgundy. After yeast fermentation, a secondary malolactic bacterial fermentation adds aroma and flavor complexity and softens the wine's acidity. Our Chardonnay is aged in the barrel on the primary yeast sediment 'sur lees' for 10-12 months to enhance the wine's body and mouth feel, as is traditionally done in Burgundy. Tyee's Willamette Valley Chardonnay has ripe citrus, apple and herbal flavors with smoky, toasty notes and a crisp, rich mouthfeel. Tyee Chardonnay wines are made in the classical cool climate tradition to compliment rather than over power food flavors. These are quintessential wines to enjoy with food!