Aubaine, Eola-Amity Hills (Oregon) Chardonnay 2019

 I always appreciate the courage it takes for a winemaker to pick Chardonnay at a lower ripeness level in today’s domestic marketplace, and I’m always impressed when that decision leads to a wine that shows richness, brightness and length and doesn’t lean too heavily on barrel influence to accomplish it.  That’s what we’ve got here — pure lemon, apple, pear and soft herb and spice notes surround a stony core and finish very long.  A serious food paring partner that’s almost in the fine Riesling camp, meaning it will go with just about anything.