Above all else, we consider Walter Scott to be a Chardonnay house, and Cuvée Anne is the perfect way to discover just how good Oregon Chard has become in recent years. A Reserve barrel selection from Ken and Erica’s best Chardonnay sites in the Eola-Amity Hills and the vineyards Justice, Koosah, Sojeau, Witness Tree and X Novo, are all dry-farmed, organic and some of the most highly considered sites for the grape in the region. The fruit from each parcel was fermented and aged separately in 500- and 350-liter barrels (45% new) for 12 months and finished in stainless steel for four more months before being painstakingly assembled to make 650 cases of sleek, stylish Chard. We were very impressed at the wine’s effortless blend of richness and bright, natural acidity—a balancing act one normally doesn’t see this side of Chassagne-Montrachet! In fact, the wine does pay more than a passing resemblance to Chassagne’s gravitas, lemon-lime complexity and stony finish.
The fact that Ken made Walter Scott for two years at Evening Land Winery under the tutelage of Dominique Lafon is not lost on us; that French connection definitely figures in this really special Chardonnay’s DNA. Lovely, lovely wine. Drink now and over the next five years … maybe longer!
