Bryn Mawr Vineyards Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2021

"Bryn Mawr" is Welsh for "High Hill", and that is where these grapes grow

Oct 31, 2024

Wine time humor

This Halloween, I stopped the pranksters before they covered my house with eggs again.

We met up for negotiations and signed a trick or treaty. Wine time.

Bryn Mawr Vineyards Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2021

Deep gold color; pear, lemon-lime, tangerine, brioche, nutmeg spice, salted almonds, subtle oak spice on the nose and palate.

Dry; no perceptible tannins, good acidity. Light-plus body. Wine fermented with native yeasts in 500L puncheon barrels. After fermentation, aged 11 months on the lees for complexity, depth, and richer, creamier texture in French oak puncheons, 20% new. The use of puncheons—500L instead of standard 225L barrels—yields a more gentle oak influence. 13.6% ABV

Bryn Mawr vineyard

The grapes were 63% sourced from estate vineyards, the remainder from the Stand Sure Vineyard, all in Oregon’s Willamette Valley on the western crest of the Eloa-Amity Hills near Salem, Oregon. “Bryn Mawr” is Welsh for “High Hill.” The location pushes the upper limits of Willamette Valley viticulture.

Bryn Mawr owners Jon and Kathy Lauer, David Lauer

The winery notes: “The Willamette Valley growing season is defined by the consistent Western breezes coming off the Pacific coast that drop temperatures 35-40º nearly every summer evening. Though the Oregon Coast Range shelters the valley from the ocean’s most direct influence, the Van Duzer Corridor allows cool winds a gateway through the mountains. Nowhere is this wind felt more clearly than the Eola Hills, named for Aeolus, the keeper of the wind in Greek mythology. Historically, this wind was seen as a challenging factor, pushing many growers to plant on lower, Eastern slopes of the hills. To plant above 700 ft. in our neighborhood is still a bit of a gamble.”

Jon and Kathy Lauer are the owners. Rachel Rose is the winemaker and vineyard director. They note: “Our farming is careful, hands-on, and governed by our environment. Though a small vineyard, the wide range of soils and aspects requires us to be diligent to maximize the site’s potential. In lieu of heavy chemical and fertilizer application, we cultivate a healthy cover crop of clovers, grasses, and native wildflowers to fix nutrients back into the soil and support local pollinators. We don’t till our dirt, instead we allow subsurface microbes and fungal networks to develop and unlock nutrients within soil our vines otherwise couldn’t access. We build rockpiles for snakes and houses for owls to encourage natural rodent population management. Our vines have integrated into this ecosystem, building topsoil and nourishing the cover crop with their fallen leaves and pruned canes. Cultivating the full vineyard, not just the vines, has resulted in greater biodiversity and healthy vines capable of producing compelling wines. We farm not just to maximize the quality of each vintage, but future vintages as well.”

Bryn Mawr winemaker and vineyard director Rachel Rose

Bryn Mawr Vineyards Chardonnay, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2021 is vibrant chard with intriguing interplay of apricot and lime zest in addition to expected—but muted—notes of apple and pineapple. Especially interesting are the nutty notes delivered by extended time on the lees in large oak barrels, only a small 20% new. Not your everyday, ho-hum chard, this is distinctive and impressive from a quality Willamette maker. Pair pork dishes. Poulty—roasted chicken, turkey with herbs. Rich fish—salmon, tuna; scallops. Vegetarian fare—salads, artichokes, asparagus. $34

Bryn Mawr Vineyards website