Comments on: Life with Maggie – Part 2 http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2012/08/17/life-with-maggie-part-2/ Where an enthusiasm for wine gets personal Mon, 20 May 2013 00:14:09 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: Todd http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2012/08/17/life-with-maggie-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-598451 Todd Tue, 16 Oct 2012 04:56:59 +0000 http://www.graperadio.com/?p=2613#comment-598451 Hi Rusty,
The Rex Hill 2009 “Old Vine” Chardonnay is 30 year-old Wente Selection and retails for $78. Crowley’s Chardonnay is mostly Wente. Bethel Heights’ estate bottling (Maggie’s vineyard source) is a about 1/3 Wente. Bergstrom previously sought out Wente for his Sigrid (although I think he has given up on finding it – he used to buy from me and Bethel Heights). I sell half of my Chardonnay to J. Christopher – Jay loves it despite the low yields, but he blends it and has called it his “secret sauce.” A couple years ago Nancy Ponzi told me that she loves Wente and their Reserve Chardonnay was largely Wente (although I think that may have changed based on recent tech sheets). The Rex Hill notes indicate that their sources were ripped out after 2009 vintage – I’ll ask them about their fruit source. The USDA NASS report from a couple years ago is where I learned there were only 10 acres remaining, might be less now.
- Todd

]]> By: Rusty Gaffney http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2012/08/17/life-with-maggie-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-598398 Rusty Gaffney Thu, 04 Oct 2012 18:41:37 +0000 http://www.graperadio.com/?p=2613#comment-598398 Hi Todd

Interesting information I was unaware of. Thanks for sharing. Who makes Wente based Chardonnay other than Longplay?

Rusty

]]> By: Todd http://www.graperadio.com/archives/2012/08/17/life-with-maggie-part-2/comment-page-1/#comment-598206 Todd Thu, 06 Sep 2012 06:12:33 +0000 http://www.graperadio.com/?p=2613#comment-598206 Brian – I think it was you who asked about Chardonnay in Oregon? Wente Chardonnay is somewhat ill-suited to Oregon (originating from Livermore, California) but can make beautiful wines in our cool climate. To my understanding there are only about 10 acres of old Wente plantings remaining in the northern Willamette Valley. Wente plantings have been displaced by Dijon clones of Chardonnay for three reasons: Yields (I average about 1.5 tons per acre from my older Wente plantings some years even less, Dijon clones can double that), ripening (while the Dijon clones ripen early; we picked my Wente Chardonnay on November 2nd in 2011 and it has pretty much always been my last pick), and price (for most of us it is easier to cover costs on pinot noir or even Dijon clone Chardonnay than Wente Chardonnay). But if you look at the top Chardonnays from Oregon most of them are Wente.

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