Winemaker Notes
Nuthouse Chardonnay has what we refer to as an International Palate that denotes a kinship with styles of Chardonnay that are well known in Burgundy. It is full malolactic and 100% barrel fermented, yet tastes more acid-driven like it spent time in stainless steel.
Food Pairing Notes
Argyle was the first US winery to commercially plant Dijon Clones that took to Oregon right away, due to similar climates of Oregon and Burgundy. Our First Nuthouse Chardonnay appeared in 1992 and is still alive and aging in the Argyle Library.
Vineyard Notes
The majority of the 2013 growing season was pretty normal in terms of weather, much like 2012, when La Niña faded and customary conditions returned. Bud break and bloom timing were on the mark, indicating an early October Pinot Noir harvest.
Towards the end of September just after our sparkling harvest, the forecast seemed more ominous and hardly believable. Argyle’s experience and maturity paid big dividends against such a backdrop. As the certainty of the forecast increased, we went to work at low elevations, particularly our Lone Star Vineyard. After the initial wave, we hunkered down and received 6 inches of rain in a weekend. We caught our breath and waited, almost a full week. Following the rain there was another flurry of action as we went to work dropping any compromised fruit. Yields were certainly diminished but as the end of September blew over we were blessed with a dry, sunny October. This late-game break in the weather allowed our high elevation grapes to dry out and ripen into a small, but gorgeous crop.
