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"Toasted
hazelnut and citrus
zest aromas.
Concentrated and lively
on the attack with
a moderately full
body and a spicy,
oak influenced finish.
Still tight and youthful...
90-95 points"
---
Marc Dornan on barrel
tasting for Tastings.com
"One
of the most impressive
Oregon Chardonnays
I have tasted...reminiscent
of a top notch premier
cru from Chassagne-Montrachet..."
---
Robert Parker's
Wine Advocate
"
Northwest Palate"
magazine (
Nov/Dec 2002 ) recommends
the 2000 Brick House
Chardonnay
" Toasty,
spiced pear and
beeswax aromas.
Clean well
balanced flavor
of spiced apple,
with a long, baked
apple finish. Try
with chicken and
hazelnut ravioli.
"
2000
Chardonnay
--
"The toast
and butter-scented
2000 Chardonnay
is ripe, thick and
rich. Medium bodied
and lush, this satin
textured wine reveals
flavors reminiscent
of buttered popcorn
and Georgia boiled
peanuts ( a distinct
taste known to
anyone who's frequented
the Peach State's
diners.) Drink it
over the next two
years. "(87
pts.)
--- Pierre
Antoine Rovani
Robert Parker's
Wine Advocate
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Spring,
1990. The barn was home to a third generation
of owls. The eaves of the old house were swarming with honey bees.
And in a field to the south, a great yellow earth mover pushed
over the last remaining trees of what was once 16 acres of filberts
(hazelnuts) to make way for the first planting of Pinot noir at
Brick House.
It was about then that we first heard that Oregon State University
had acquired some pretty exciting new plant material from vineyards
around the village of Meursault, France. These Old World plantings
are recognized as the source of some of the world's finest Chardonnay.
Word was the college, as OSU is known among farmers in the valley,
was going to sell some to growers and nurseries on a first come,
first serve basis.
By May of 1990, our first order for three of the new Dijon
Clones (see Pinot Noir for an explanation
of the phrase ) reached the college's Foundation Seed and Plant
Material department. We were among the first to obtain and plant
three clones that promise to forever change Chardonnay from Oregon.
Prior to the introduction of the Dijon clones, Chardonnay in the
Willamette Valley had been the exclusive domain of the clone 108,
a hardy, workmanlike family of vines that thrived in the warm
climes of California. But it struggled around the 45th parallel
in Oregon. Difficult to ripen, it made for outstanding wines in
only the warmest of years. The new clones hailed from a climate
similar to our own. It was as if cool Burgundian Springs and long,
mild summers were programmed into the Dijon Chardonnay clones'
DNA.
They flourished in the block
just north of the barn. The first commercial
harvest of clones 75, 78 & 96 produced a rich, intense 1995
Chardonnay. That year, we planted two more adjoining acres of
clones 76 and 96. In 1997 the clones demonstrated that even in
exceptionally short, cool Oregon vintages, they produced consistent
ripeness and outstanding quality. A third planting was completed
in 2000. Brick House currently has 3.5 acres devoted to Dijon
Chardonnay.
The wine is barrel fermented in a blend of French and Oregon oak.
Like all Brick House wines, we rely solely on indigenous yeasts.
The wine remains on its lees for 16 months, moving only after
malo-lactic fermentation is complete from new barrels to older,
neutral wood. Like the Pinot Noir, the Chardonnay is bottled unfined
and unfiltered.
 Click
Here: watch the grapes ripen!
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