2019 McCarthy Chardonnay
This well-balanced and polished Chardonnay opens with night-blooming white floral and meadowfoam honey on the nose.
Straightforward and appealing with ripe juicy pear, candied lemon and light mineral accents.
Complexity and tension build to an elongated and volumptuous finish.
Vintage
The 2019 growing season was the coolest since 2011 and, after multiple warm years was very welcome. The season began with a mild January followed by freezing temperatures in February.
Bud break was observed the last week of April and bloom was pushed by a two-day heat spike in mid-June. The summer months brought periodic rain with over two inches of rain in early September.
Following the September rain, temperatured cooled allowing sugar and acid levels to stabilize and flavors to fully develop before harvest.
Harvest
Harvest of our Chardonnay blocks began under blue skies in September 20, 2019.
Elevage
This combination of Entav 548 and Dijon 76, 95, and 96 selections was fermented in French oak with emphasis on new and once-filled Billon Allier barrels.
Total elevage was 11 months with 34% new French oak to an alcohol of 12.9%. This was was bottled August 26, 2020.
Case production 90 cases | 6 magnums
Exceptional now, this wine will cellar well through 2028.
| Vintage | 2019 |
| Varietal | Chardonnay |
| Varietal Composition | Dijon 95 (65%) and Dijon 76 (30%) Dijon 96 (2.5%) and Entav 548 (2.5%) |
| Appellation | Yamhill-Carlton |
| Vineyard | Fairsing Vineyard |
| Designation | Chardonnay |
| Harvest Date | 09/20/2019 |
| Acid | 6.3 g/L |
| PH | 3.14 |
| Aging | 11 months in 34% new French oak |
| Alcohol | 12.90% |
| Volume | 750 ml |
| Bottling Date | 08/26/2020 |
| Cases Produced | 90 |
Fairsing Vineyard is managed sustainably in Oregon’s Willamette Valley Yamhill-Carlton American Viticulture Area (AVA) with 38 acres of Pinot noir and five acres of Chardonnay in production.
The vineyard is nestled inside an 80-acre Certified Family Forest distinguished by biodiversity, varied topography, and panoramic views of the Northern Willamette Valley.
Fairsing Vineyard is a certified member of the Low Input Viticulture and Enology (LIVE) Association, the Salmon Safe program, the American Tree Farm System and are signatories of the Willamette Valley Oak Accord.
A veteran of the wine industry since the early 1970’s, Robert Brittan began his wine career in the Central Valley of California.
Robert attended the University of California at Davis, graduating with a degree in Fermentation Science in 1981. While in California, Robert crafted wines for Far Niente Winery, St. Andrews Vineyard and Stags’ Leap Winery. After a 16 year career with Stags’ Leap Winery as Winemaker and Estate Manager, Robert and wife Ellen Brittan headed north to fulfill a dream of making Pinot noir and Syrah from unique sites in a cooler climate.
Since moving to Oregon, Robert manages his own vineyard and crafts wines for Brittan Vineyards while serving as consulting winemaker for select vineyards in the Northern Willamette Valley.
A firm believer that wines are much more compelling as they age, Robert is committed to a minimalist winemaking style and partners with exceptional vineyard sites to craft wines that cellar beautifully.
Since 2012, Robert and his team have crafted wines for Fairsing that are distinctive to the property. Robert’s enthusiasm for the varied exposures, geology, micro-climates, and selections across Fairsing Vineyard is reflected in his site-expressive wines.
