2018 Suzor Sunflower Chardonnay Willamette Valley

• Taste like 1er Cru Bourgogne Blanc
• 1st Comercial Release
• Up & Coming Willamette Valley Producer
• Ponzi & Trisaetum Protoge
• BHW has the Lowest Price Anywhere!
• Free Shipping on 12 or More Bottles

About the Wine

The 2018 'Sunflower' Chardonnay from the up-and-coming Suzor wines is the 1st commercial release from this relatively unknown estate. Nestled in the beloved Willamette valley, Suzor produces wines with minimal intervention that show the true essence of terroir. The 2018 Sunflower Chardonnay will immediately remind you of elite Bourgogne blanc from the moment it graces your nose. This wine is a spectacle indicative of elite-level winemaking that's arguably the best Chardonnay we've ever tasted from the Willamette Valley. It won't be long before Suzor wines becomes a household in the world of wine. Will you be along for the ride?

Suzor works with quality-conscious growers committed to sustainability. The vineyards they source from do not incorporate the use of synthetic herbicides nor pesticides in their farming practices. Combined with their minimal winemaking approach and native yeast fermentations, Suzor believes that each wine showcases each vintage's singular expression and results in evocative, layered, and vibrant wines.

Owner and winemaker, Greg McClellan grew up in Northern California to a French mother and Francophile father. Under the tutelage of Luisa and Dick Ponzi, he learned that great wine comes from great grapes; gentle handling and respect for the growing season yields superior wines. Other Oregon opportunities included roles as the assistant winemaker for Hamacher wines and co-winemaker for Trisaetum. Wine adventures in New Zealand to coupled with a Viticulture and Enology degree in Beaune, France, have gifted Greg with a better understanding of the different interpretations of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Greg and his wife Mélissa are focused on making wines that convey their story, with a nod to French tradition.

The 2018 Sunflower Chardonnay comes from a very small allocation of 1.5 tons, comprised of three clones to ensure diversity of flavors and textures. Once pressed, the juice is racked into one-quarter of new French barriques, where fermentation occurs naturally. The wine ages for 12 months with occasional stirring of the lees. The oak barrels build a tightly structured framework that holds the richness and brightness together, with a long finish.

Élevage: 12 months in 20% new French oak