Statera 'Johan' Chardonnay 2017 (750 ml)

Region: Van Duzer Corridor, Willamette Valley
Grape: Chardonnay Dijon
Soil: silt, loam
Average Age of Vines: 20 years
Farming: biodynamic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: whole cluster, direct press, spontaneous fermentation in neutral oak with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 16 months in neutral oak, sur lie
Fining: none
Filtration: none

Meredith Bell and Luke Wylde are two friends who focus exclusively on Chardonnay for their joint venture Statera. Established in 2015, with the goal of expressing single vineyard Chardonnay at its most honest, their wines are made using native years, neutral barrels and no chemical adjustments. The results are impressive. Johan vineyard is Demeter-Certified Biodynamic and planted on silt loam soils. The farming approaches the entire farm as a living organism that finds health and beauty in Biodiversity. Its position in the middle of the Willamette Valley, with the direct impact of Van Duzer winds means that the site remains cool and consistent. Much like the Scar of the Sea wine, this is bottled with minimal SO2 and the effect is a wine that could’ve been pulled straight from the Jura. It smells like hominy and apples and Gruyère. There’s lemon balm and white pepper and crushed rock with lemon blossom aromatics. It’s a wine that definitely benefits from a little time being open, and served with just a slight chill as opposed to cold.