Willamette Valley

Medium

Cork

White

Score Range 97-98. Winemaker Ben Casteel crafts this wine from own-rooted Wente vines planted in volcanic soils in 1977, now sadly succumbing to phylloxera. The wine represents the 'swan song' of these vines before they perish. Bethel Heights Vineyard is a multi-generational family estate established by the Casteel family in 1977 on the western side of the Eola-Amity Hills. Ben Casteel became the estate’s second-generation winemaker in 2006. The hillside site is directly impacted by Aeolian winds, and the vines are organically farmed. Gorgeously expressive aromatics burst from the glass, showing distinct red iron-like mineral notes. Beautifully precise and saline on the palate, with tremendous focus and purity, the fruit ranges from lemon and lime to apple and apricot. Notes of fresh ginger carry through the long, mineral-driven finish. The mineral tension here is remarkable, and the wine is utterly delicious and nearly impossible to put down. A limited special auction lot bottling for the 2026 Willamette Valley Wine Auction.

Chardonnay

Bethel Heights, Swan Song, Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Eola-Amity Hills, Oregon, USA, 2024

Score Range 97-98. Winemaker Ben Casteel crafts this wine from own-rooted Wente vines planted in volcanic soils in 1977, now sad

Bethel Heights, Swan Song, Chardonnay, Willamette Valley

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