Wine Specs
Vintage
2019
Varietal
Chardonnay
Appellation
Willamette Valley
Harvest Date
September 23, 2019
Alcohol %
13
2019 Bunker Hill Chardonnay
2021 Vintage Releasing Soon!
Wine Profile
Tasting Notes
Bunker Hill is noted for its precision, tension and finesse, displaying fresh citrus, savory and white smoke elements. On the palate, lemon, pear and mineral flavors slowly unfold with a silky finish that lingers. It is floral and slightly salty on the nose, complex, and has layers of flavor on the palate - bright acidity and perfect ripeness - that allow its exceptional vineyard flavors to unfold. There is a wet stone or saline quality that comes through the wine and makes it one of the more highly sought cuvées we produce.
Vineyard Notes
After an absence of one vintage, Bunker Hill is back in 2019, much to the satisfaction of its devotees. Bunker Hill has exclusively shallow volcanic soils, predominantly Nekia type with only 2-4 feet of topsoil, so that the vine roots delve into basaltic bedrock, making for low yields. Located at 650+ feet of elevation, it faces west and gets cooling winds from the Van Duzer Gap all summer long. Bunker Hill was planted in 1995 to Dijon CH76, counting among the earliest plantings in the Willamette Valley of this type.
Production Notes
The grapes were picked to maximize freshness and tension in the finished wine. Whole cluster pressed, settled in tank for 24 hours, barrel fermented and left to age for 11 months in a combination of 24% new, 600-liter puncheons, 16% used 600-liter puncheons, and 60% old French oak barriques from diverse coopers. Full malolactic fermentation completed in each vessel and then the wines were put back in tank with their lees for five months prior to bottling.
Food Pairing Notes
Bunker Hill is an elegant, yet focused wine, one that does best with some subtlety and structure in the food. Classic seafood such as halibut, turbot, sole, flounder, cod with a beurre blanc or simply poached in butter and seasoned with herbs or fennel pollen, with a squeeze of lemon juice are perfect and easy to make. Or take any of the fish mentioned and make a mild blend of mayo, lemon and Dijon mustard to match with the Bunker Hill Chardonnay.
