92pts Wine Enthusiast
Smooth and toasty, with a buttery mouthfeel and a satiny finish. This is polished to a fine luster, blending apple and pear fruit with a creamy coating of, yes, butter. It's a style with wide appeal, and the acidity supports it nicely, but don't look for the sort of zippy citrus you'll find in many high-end Oregon Chardonnays.
Winemaker's Notes
The exciting Maple Grove Vineyard, near Monmouth, delivers a layered, complex and textured Chardonnay with a lovely hard mineral spine and the beautiful lifted fruit that Oregon is known for.
Hamilton Russell Oregon aims to express this variety with the restraint, minerality and classicism of great Burgundian Chardonnay and the bright purity of Willamette Valley fruit. The attractive higher elevation of the Maple Grove vineyard, south-west of Salem, delivers a layered, complex and textured Chardonnay, with a lovely hard mineral core – particularly chalky and pebbly in this vintage. The bright pure fruit lingers on the beguiling savory finish.