Bracken Vineyard Chardonnay 2024

VINEYARD
Geoffrey met Shelby Perkins while they were both pursuing the Master of Wine program. 2016 was the same year that Shelby first planted vines on her organic vineyard. Shelby’s commitment to soil vitality has deepened with each vintage, attracting some of the Willamette Valley’s top wineries to get in line for Bracken Vineyard fruit. Shelby’s meticulous farming, the vineyard’s complex soils and clonal diversity, and Eola-Amity’s cool micro-climate, come together to in a remarkable site to make wine from.

SUB-REGION
​​The Eola–Amity Hills AVA is one of the most distinctive winegrowing regions in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. The Van Duzer Corridor winds sweep in cool ocean air every afternoon, slowing ripening and locking in racy acidity while the volcanic soils bring a distinctive minerality.

SOIL
Here, the soils are predominantly Nekia, Ritner, Witzel and Jory — all of volcanic origin but with varying depths. What that looks like is a soil spectrum of quickly draining, thin soils like Nekia which tend to produce more citrus-driven Chardonnays, all the way to iron-rich, water-retaining soils like Jory that produce fruit-driven Chards. Having a broad mix of soil types allows for an elegant Chardonnay that has both precision and generosity.

ELEVATION
630-750 feet
​​With these western benchland elevations, the vineyard receives good sunlight in the afternoon and evening, along with exposure to Van Duzer Corridor effects. All of this contributes to elongated ripening periods, and reduced heat stress.