Devona 2018 Chardonnay

The goal with our Washington State Chardonnay is to find that beautiful balance of fruit, acid, wood, and
malo-lactic, marrying all of those characters together in harmony without one component overpowering the
others. Peter, in the cellar, describes our Chardonnay as “one that has weight, yet seems weightless”. We
accomplish this style through the combination of vineyard sources, barrel fermentation in all French
oak—only 25% of which are new barrels—lees stirring, and a partial malo-lactic fermentation.
As in 2017, the 2018 vintage brought us more typical picking dates in late September and early October. The
crop at Celilo was again light, and sadly, after working with this fruit for more than twenty years, we aren’t
able to continue with it after this vintage. The cool climate, and resulting clean, crisp acidity that is characteristic of fruit from The Gorge, is extremely important to the style of Chardonnay that we make, and so we
have been fortunate to source some new fruit from White Salmon Vineyard in the same area. We then
blend the Gorge fruit with fruit from Gamache Vineyard. Gamache Vineyard contributes an important
richness and minerality to this wine and the typical, large diurnal fluctuations preserve the acid. Three years
into farming this established old site, the talented Sagemoor crew and these old vines are getting along quite
well. Fruit from Gamache continues to be beautifully balanced, elegant, and a perfect companion to the
crisp, bright components coming from The Gorge area.
This wine is at once both fresh and rich, classic pears and apples, white peach, and star fruit combine with
vanilla and floral notes that are wrapped in a creamy, waxy mouth feel. All of these elements are balanced
with nice acidity. The finish is long and old-world, reminiscent of lemon meringue. I feel it is the best
Washington State Chardonnay we have made to date.
This harvest we were lucky to work with a true “Parrothead”. If you are unfamiliar with the term, Google it!
Anyway, Benny, our resident Parrothead, who is technically a Parakeet, is a great person, a true friend, and
believes in the mantra of Jimmy Buffett—kick back with good friends, food and drink, and watch the world go by.
I asked for Ben’s three most favorite Buffett songs to pair with the Chardonnay. He quickly picked Tin Cup
Chalice, A Pirate Looks at Forty, and Boat Drinks. He did also recommend a classic, but the song title talks about
over imbibing, which the Surgeon General doesn’t recommend. Enjoy!