J.K Carrie Lucidite Willamette Valley Chardonnay is made of 100% Chardonnay grapes. The color is bright brass. On the nose we find lemon, honey-comb and Play-doh. In the mouth it shows lemon, lime Jello, prominent acid and slight graham, plunging it headlong towards key lime pie. Very enticing bottle, 2015 vintage is perfect to drink in 2021!

The French name Lucidité is a very crystalline nod to the acid–savory spectrum in which this wine resides

The 2015 growing season was the warmest Oregon has seen thus far, with a September harvest delivering abundant yields. That said, the wines played as if they were made from an ever-so-slightly cooler vintage. In the case of Chardonnay, it required reasonably early picking to hold linear acidity without otherwise showing the warmth of alcohol in glass.

The grapes were whole-cluster pressed and barrel fermented without added yeast. Barrel aged for 12 months (11% new, 11% one year, 11% two year, 66% three year or older), then rested in stainless, before bottling unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur in March 2017.

They are one of only two buyers, and the only single-vineyard Chardonnay producer from Temperance Hill Vineyards’ old, top-of-Eola Hills, Dijon-clone Chardonnay. — Jim Prosser, owner/winemaker.

FF: One of Pinot Noir’s most successful New World outposts. The Willamette Valley is the largest and most important AVA in Oregon. With a continental climate moderated by the influence of the Pacific Ocean, it is perfect for cool-climate viticulture and the production of elegant wines.