Oregon’s Willamette Valley 2022: Chardonnay report and 20 wines to try

 ‘While the 2021 vintage Chardonnays showed an immediacy of brilliant character, the elegance and precision imbued in these white wines from the long, cool, and at times, tumultuous 2022 vintage should prove to be even better over time.’

The difficulties that beset the early part of the 2022 growing season had the most significant impact on Chardonnay in the Willamette Valley.

A significant freeze event occurred early on the morning of 15 April, and owing to its ripening early, the Chardonnay buds were further along and bore the brunt of the damage. The early prognostications were grim. However, things were nowhere near as dire as they were initially reported – anywhere from 50% to a total loss for the vintage.

Perhaps winemaker Kate Payne Brown put it best.

‘Chardonnay from the 2022 vintage tells a story of unexpected resilience,’ she says.

Scroll down for top-scoring Willamette Valley Chardonnays of the 2022 vintage

‘In late April, an unseasonably late frost and snowstorm hit the Dundee Hills, affecting many Chardonnay vines that had already gone through bud break. I vividly recall walking through our lower Chardonnay blocks right after the frost, where there were singed leaves and some of the buds resembled overcooked asparagus.

‘It was emotional, unlike anything I’d experienced before in the Valley. At that point, I was uncertain about what the harvest would yield.’

The great rebound

She continues: ‘My friends in Burgundy predicted that we’d only see 10-20% of our usual yields from secondary and tertiary buds but maintained that the following year would be more fruitful. I braced myself for very light yields and potentially unbalanced fruit.

‘To our surprise, the vines rebounded with much more fruit than anticipated; in fact, the clusters were big. The season shifted by about a month as the vines recovered from the frost, leading us to pick Chardonnay roughly 2.5 weeks later than usual.’

For me, the Chardonnays of the Willamette Valley continue to be, perhaps, among the most under-appreciated gems in wine; certainly among American wines.

While the 2021 vintage Chardonnays showed an immediacy of brilliant character, the elegance imbued in these white wines from the long, cool, and, at times, tumultuous vintage should prove to be even better over time.

These Chardonnays have such beautiful acids. Combined with the textures that the vintage’s thicker skins have augmented, they are real classics that Chardonnay fans from Oregon and beyond will relish.

A collector’s vintage as well, as these wines are sure to age beautifully, despite already offering a very rich drinking experience.

As the grape continues to show such a natural affinity for the Willamette Valley’s growing conditions and the volcanic soils present throughout the valley, and particularly in the Eola-Amity Hills, it may very well become the country’s go-to region for the variety.

2022 in the Willamette Valley: 5/5

A cool and wet spring, including an early April frost, made winemakers nervous that there would be adequate heat to reach phenolic ripeness. A warmer-than-average and, more importantly, completely dry October was just what the doctor ordered for Willamette Valley’s growers and winemakers.

The resulting wines show great freshness and structure at lower alcohols, with acidity that hints at outstanding ageability.

See all 280+ Willamette Valley 2022 tasting notes and scores

Defying expectations

‘The Chardonnay from the 2022 vintage really exceeded my expectations,’ says Daniel Estrin, winemaker at Cristom Estate.

‘The cool weather helped us retain acid in spades,’ he continues. ‘Being able to nail the pick is the most important decision we make in the winemaking process. The slow ascension of brix combined with the retention of acid allowed us to get the grapes off at the intersection of ripeness and freshness.

‘Once in the winery, we do everything we can to retain the potential of the grapes at the time of harvest.’

Jackson Holstein, winemaker and proprietor at Granville, adds: ‘The 2022 vintage yielded some of the most compact, textured, yet precise and age-worthy Chardonnays this valley has seen. That duality doesn’t always exist.

‘While that early April frost delayed many vines, most rebounded in a heroic manner,’ he continues.

‘The fall weather brought little relief from the heat, nor did it provide any moisture to replenish the vines. As a result, skins were thicker than usual, while mildly ripe flavours consolidated with relatively high acids (tartaric, specifically). It was somewhat of a perfect vigneron soup of flavours and freshness.’

‘If 2021 was a hot vintage masquerading as a cool one, 2022 is very much the opposite: a cool growing season that ended not just warm but hot,’ says Bethel Heights winemaker Ben Casteel. ‘The distinction is especially important for Chardonnay, where the difference between wines of tension versus wines of opulence can be decided in a couple of days.’

‘At Bethel Heights, in 2021, we were able to wait on Chardonnay as late September and early October were cool, allowing for flavour development without losing acidity or rapid sugar accumulation,’ Casteel continues.

‘In 2022, everything was compressed, given the late-season heat, so we were scrambling to pick grapes that would make wines of balance and grace. I feel great about our wines from 2022 as a testament to our vineyard and our production team. Still, one of the defining elements of 2022 is that while we needed the late-season heat for Pinot Noir, the window for taut, energetic, world-class Chardonnay was a narrow one indeed.’

See the Willamette Valley 2022 Top 100 score table

Willamette Valley 2022: top 10 Chardonnays of the vintage:

Reviews in the link

Walter Scott, X Novo Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills 98pts

Ambar Estate, Lustral Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 97pts

Arterberry Maresh, Chardonnay, Dundee Hills 97pts

Composition, Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills 97pts

Cristom, Louise Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills 97pts

Evening Land, Summum Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills 97pts

Nicolas-Jay, Bishop Creek Chardonnay, Yamhill Carlton 97pts

Bergström, Sigrid, Willamette Valley 96pts

Granville, Koosah Vineyard Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills 96pts

Hundred Suns, Marianas Chardonnay, Willamette Valley 96pts

Willamette Valley 2022 Chardonnay: a selection of 20 wines

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