Evening Land Seven Springs Vineyard Summum Chardonnay 2010
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Spectator
Light, racy and aromatic, with depth, offering mineral notes of crushed wet stone before delivering beautifully restrained apple, pineapple and citrus flavors that play against a lean, sinewy frame. The finish doesn't quit. Drink now through 2020. 217 cases made.
-
Wine Enthusiast
This sets a high standard for Oregon Chardonnay. Bright and snappy, yet deep and concentrated, it’s a symphony of lemon, citrus, stone and tropical fruits, well-differentiated yet perfectly integrated. The extraordinary length and precise focus, along with the overall balance and structure, suggest that this should improve for many years to come.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Evening Land’s 2010 Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard Summum was rendered in comparable volume to its La Source counterpart and with the same roughly 25% new wood and vinificatory regimen. A gorgeous, high-toned nose of white peach, iris, verbena, and lemon oil wafts from the glass, along with intimations of crushed stone, iodine, and crustacean shell reduction that mouthwateringly mingle with pure fruit and inner-mouth perfume on a polished yet almost athletically lean palate. Invigoratingly zesty and saliva-inducingly mineral notes add to the vibrant appeal of a long finish that preserves this wine’s utmost clarity of fruit and seductive florality. I imagine it will be worth following for the better part of a decade, considering that the 2007 (also reviewed on this occasion) isn’t showing the least sign of fading. If only there were more than the roughly 220 cases that exist of this (as well as of its La Source counterpart).
Other Vintages
2021-
Suckling
James - Decanter
-
Enthusiast
Wine
- Decanter
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Suckling
James -
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine
-
Spectator
Wine -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
-
Spectator
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman stand at the vanguard of the new world wine. Together they steward the historic Seven Springs Vineyard into its fourth decade. At Evening Land Vineyards, they strive to grow and vinify fine Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Gamay from their historic Seven Springs Estate Vineyard in Oregon's Eola-Amity Hills. Totalling 85 acres under vine; their east-facing vineyard, farmed biodynamically since 2007, was first planted in 1984, and sits atop rocky, volcanic soils.
They are, first and foremost, faithful stewards of the historic Seven Springs vineyard, planted by Oregon wine pioneer Al MacDonald in 1984. On this dramatic east-facing slope, in the iron-rich and rocky, volcanic soils of the Eola-Amity Hills, Al MacDonald undertook what would become one of Oregon's most recognized vineyards. Nestled against a forest of Douglas fir with views eastward to Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson, it is immediately evident to any visitor why Al chose this site.
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.
Running north to south, adjacent to the Willamette River, the Eola-Amity Hills AVA has shallow and well-drained soils created from ancient lava flows (called Jory), marine sediments, rocks and alluvial deposits. These soils force vine roots to dig deep, producing small grapes with great concentration.
Like in the McMinnville sub-AVA, cold Pacific air streams in via the Van Duzer Corridor and assists the maintenance of higher acidity in its grapes. This great concentration, combined with marked acidity, give the Eola-Amity Hills wines—namely Pinot noir—their distinct character. While the region covers 40,000 acres, no more than 1,400 acres are covered in vine.