Ponzi Laurelwood District Reserve Chardonnay 2017
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James
Suckling -
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Winemaker Notes
The 2017 Chardonnay Reserve is a blend of Ponzi’s original 1970s historic estate chardonnay and LIVE Certified Sustainable Avellana and Aurora Vineyards blended with Paloma , Alloro and Three Cedars Vineyards all planted on Laurelwood soil in the Laurelwood AVA.
“This gorgeous floral nose holds notes of white lavender and jasmine mingled with aromas of nutmeg, clove, white pepper and key lime. The mouth is a collage of meringue, peach, D’anjou pear and citrus surrounding a silky sweetness that lingers with a salty, slate minerality on the finish.” –Winemaker Luisa Ponzi
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Spiced apples, apricot tart, lemon curd and honeysuckle on the nose with a touch of salted caramel. It’s full-bodied with excellent texture and bright acidity. Creamy and deliciously buttery, yet fresh. Drink now.
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Wine Spectator
Sleek and pretty, offering multilayered pear and toasty spice flavors that fan out on a polished finish. Drink now.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
The Chehalem Mountains is a northwest-southeast span of several distinct mountains, ridges and peaks in the northern part of the Willamette Valley. Of all of Willamette Valley's smaller AVAs, it is closest to the city of Portland. Its highest summit, Bald Peak at an elevation of 1,633 feet, serves to generate cooler air for the rest of the AVA and its hillside vineyards. The region covers 70,000 acres but only 1,600 acres are planted to vines; soils of the Chehalem Mountains are a mix of basalt, ocean sediment and loess.