Chardonnay Gaining Ground in Oregon

The following article appears in the September 2022 issue of Oregon Wine Press.

Photo by Zan on Unsplash

“We are Pinot Noir.”

These words are rightfully found superimposed over leafy drone footage on the Willamette Valley Wineries Association’s website. Without a doubt, Pinot reigns supreme here. The best bottles are often mentioned in the same breath as those from Burgundy, its French ancestral home. But what about white wine? In Burgundy, the answer is Chardonnay. Could the same soon be true in the Willamette Valley?

Wine lovers often link Chardonnay with Pinot Noir because both can produce wines reflective of the places they are grown. Around the world, Chardonnay ranges from the crisp elegance of Chablis and Champagne to more opulent versions from California and Australia. British wine expert Jancis Robinson has written that “at its best, Chardonnay, like Pinot Noir, is merely a vehicle for the character of the vineyard in which it is grown.” Across America, Chardonnay is the best-selling variety of wine. And yet Pinot Gris production has edged it out here in the Willamette Valley.

That may be changing.

“Prior to a recent planting of Gris, I had not planted any Gris since ’08,” said Evan Bellingar, Director of Vineyard Operations at Results Partners, a vineyard management service active in Oregon and Washington. “If you’re not planting Pinot Noir, you’re planting Chardonnay.”

Chardonnay has been grown in the Willamette Valley since at least the 1960s. But the variety is now enjoying what is described as a “golden age” due to the presence of a wider variety of clones from which to blend, greater attention to where it is planted, harvest timing and even the warming climate. “The number one reason for the uptick in interest in Oregon Chardonnay is that it is very good,” said Marcus Goodfellow of Goodfellow Family Cellars. “There’s a really authentic push behind the wine that comes from the wine-producing community being really excited about Chardonnay.”

Higher prices for grapes and for bottles of finished wine also make Chardonnay more attractive economically for growers and producers. Currently, Chardonnay’s portion of the valley’s producing acreage stands at seven percent. But as new plantings come into production that number may as much as double, according to Bree Stock, Director of Education for Oregon Wine Board, speaking at a webinar during Oregon Wine Month. But Chardonnay’s potential for world-class quality is driving the current excitement.

“Chardonnay tastes good,” says vineyard manager Evan Bellingar. “The best Chardonnay is memorable and it's delicious and it’s like ‘I want more of that.’”

The Willamette Valley is renowned for its Pinot Noir. And the New York Times's Eric Asimov recently called Oregon “the source of some of the best American Chardonnays being made today.” Perhaps consumers will soon regard these two varieties together as representing the best of our region.