2020 Ysabella Bjork Chardonnay- 93pts
2020 Ysabella Bjork Chardonnay- 93pts
This is a concentrated chardonnay that shows notes of yellow stone fruit, mangoes, buttercream, chamomile and salted nuts. Rich and full of flavor with full body, a gently oily texture and a long finish. James Suckling
The Vintage:
In 2020 we saw normal budbreak and moderate early season growing conditions and overall was a warm to hot vintage. The season was marred by wildfires and potential smoke taint issues depending on the location of your vineyard sources in relation to the fires. Despite the fires the overall conditions brought phenomenal growing conditions, with some of the highest phenolic material I’ve seen in my career. The wines are plush, with enough structure to age and whites like Sauvignon Blanc are absolutely stunning. The fall unfortunately brought several freeze events during the third and fourth week of October that ended the season for the entire state.
The Wine:
"The Girls" are made with NO pressing, it takes two tons to yield one barrel, there is no inoculation on either primary and secondary fermentation with no nutrient additions, minimal use of SO2 and the use of an OXO rolling system for lees incorporation instead of stirring. As a result of this extremely reductive winemaking to protect these wines, they actually NEED air to open.
144 Cases Produced
Blend: 100% Chardonnay, 100% Clone 96
Aging: 50% new French oak, 12 months.
Oak: 100% Compiegne, France
AVA: Columbia Valley Alcohol: 14.5%