Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesBrilliant straw-yellow. Fresh and energetic on the incisive nose, displaying fresh pear, nectarine and Meyer lemon scents accompanied by suave floral, saffron and chalky mineral flourishes. Silky and open-knit, offering densely packed yet shockingly lively citrus and orchard fruit, honeysuckle, oyster shell and saffron flavors that show superb tension and back-end lift. Finely delineated and lithe in character, finishing extremely long and seamless, with vibrant mineral cut and lingering floral and orchard fruit notes. Drinking window: 2022 - 2030
Concentrated nose of toasted lemons, gunflint, sea urchins, pineapples and roasted thyme. Medium- to full-bodied, wonderfully textured and weighty yet fresh at the same time, with a saline minerality throughout. Lengthy. Drink or hold.
The 2017 Chardonnay Summum opens with touches of gunflint and candle smoke, very slowly giving up Red Delicious apple peel, crushed almonds, saline and stone with notes of honey, white blossom and a savory undercurrent. The palate is light to medium-bodied, precise and minerally, framed by tangy acidity and finishing with tons of energy. Rating: 92+
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.
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.
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.