2023 Walter Scott "Sojeau Vineyard" Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay

“A stunning wine showing opulence in the warm and steady 2023 vintage. The edgy minerality that Ken Pahlow coaxes from his Chardonnays meets up with the windy site on the southwest-facing Eola-Amity Hills, where the Van Duzer Corridor blasts these organic Chardonnay vines. Smoky notes of grilled pineapple, bright green mangoes and dried white florals. The palate reveals a rounded opulence of juicy Meyer lemon pulp, which harmonises with the briny, fresh, mineral core of Pahlow's winemaking. Early-season pear skin and crushed stone pop at the finish. (CP)” (06/2025)

“A pale straw/yellow hue, the 2023 Chardonnay Sojeau Vineyard is zippy and bright on the nose with white pepper, lifted matchsticks, citrus blossoms, and fresh pear. It’s medium-bodied, though it exhibits more intensity than the Witness Tree on the palate, with a chalky texture that lends a nice structure, and it has a gently rounded feel throughout the finish. 96+ (AF)” (08/2025)

“The 2023 Chardonnay Sojeau Vineyard wafts up with an understated blend of crushed rocks, wildflowers, flint stone and fresh apricots. It washes across the palate, texturally deep, with ripe pit fruits complicated by a hint of sesame and caraway. A salty sensation and tart green apple concentration linger, tapering off youthfully tense and long. While enjoyable today, this possesses a balance that should carry it beautifully through medium-term cellaring. (EG)” (07/2025)

“The Sojeau Vineyard sits up above the Eola Springs Vineyard, in the teeth of the marine winds that sweep in each day through the Van Duzer Corridor, making this one of the coolest vineyards sites in the Walter Scott lineup. As I mentioned last year, this bottling is raised in a combination of three hundred-fifty and five hundred liter puncheons for one year and then finishes its élevage in stainless steel for a few months before bottling. The 2023 vintage here was raised in fifty percent new oak, which is up slightly from the 2022 version. The wine’s aromatic constellation is utterly refined, wafting from the glass in a mix of lemon, pear, white flowers, stony soil tones, raw almond, a touch of iodine and a gentle framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with a superb core of fruit, fine mineral undertow and grip, lovely acids and a long, well balanced and very, very promising finish. With its cooler microclimate, the Sojeau chardonnay is nicely structured out of the blocks and will need a bit of cellaring time to unfurl. I love the backend lift here!” (07/2025)

“Sojeau's aromas of baked apples, baklava and smoky roasted walnuts will top any dessert you can make. Less calories, too. The wine's gentle acidity and elegant texture frame its flavors of lemon, rosemary and mineral-laden sparkling water. This wine is light on its feet, and you can dance to it. If you do, I recommend putting something from the Fine Young Cannibals on the turntable. (MA)” (10/2025)

“The 2023 Chardonnay Sojeau Vineyard comes from Dijon clone vines planted in 2014 in volcanic soils. It fermented in barrel and matured in 50% new, 350- and 500-liter French oak for 12 months, plus an additional three months in stainless steel. It has slowly unfurling aromas of lemon peel, panna cotta, toasted hazelnuts and jasmine. The light-bodied palate is delicately styled with flint and citrus-laced flavors, bright, mouthwatering acidity and a slightly lean finish. 150 cases were made. (EB)” (11/2025)