Ponzi Vineyards
Laurelwood Chardonnay 2023
Laurelwood District
Ponzi’s Laurelwood Chardonnay is crafted from fruit sourced from the family’s original 1970 plantings and other estate vineyards within the Laurelwood District AVA. Situated in Oregon’s Chehalem Mountains, the vineyard soils are characterized by the Laurelwood soil series—windblown loess atop ancient basalt bedrock. This unique soil composition imparts wines with great elegance, complexity, and abundant spice notes of white pepper, cardamom, and cola. Ponzi’s vineyards, sustainably farmed and LIVE Certified, highlight the region’s influence, where soil depth and elevation shape the wine’s character, from red fruit in younger vines to darker, richer flavors with age.
VINEYARDS
The Laurelwood Chardonnay is a blend of Ponzi’s LIVE Certified Sustainable Avellana and Aurora Vineyards blended with Paloma Vineyard all on Laurelwood soil in the Laurelwood District AVA of the Chehalem Mountains.
WINEMAKING
The fruit was whole cluster pressed and the juice moved to French oak barrels (14% new) and fermented in barrel using native yeast. Malolactic fermentation was spontaneous and 100%. Lees were stirred once a week for 6 months and racked after 12 months to very neutral oak. After 20 months of total barrel age, the wine was moved by compressed gas to tank for blending, then bottled by gravity.
TASTING NOTES
“This inviting nose balances fresh floral notes of honeysuckle, chamomile and magnolia with deeper tones of apricot, candied lemon and beeswax. A touch of slate and wet stone energize the aromatics. The broad mouth is layered with white peach, quince, meringue. lemon grass and a thread of salted caramel throughout. The juicy acidity tinged with crushed seashell, bright and playful calling for another sip.”- Winemaker Luisa Ponzi
VINEYARD
The Laurelwood Chardonnay is a blend of Ponzi’s LIVE Certified Sustainable Avellana and Aurora Vineyards, along with the Paloma Vineyard, all on Laurelwood soil in the Laurelwood District AVA of the Chehalem Mountains.
VINTAGE
2023 saw an early spring but a later summer, which came on strong and October arrived dry – one of the warmest in Oregon history – allowing the fruit to ripen perfectly.
TASTING NOTE
A complex nose of honeysuckle, mandarin, white peach, mango, lemongrass and ginger leads into a full palate, reminiscent of a light meringue and shortbread, all framed by a lively acidity and fresh finish.
Color
White
Blend %
100% Chardonnay
Appellation
Laurelwood District
Certifications
SUSTAINABLE
Farming
LIVE Certified Sustainable
Alcohol
13.2%
Suggested Retail Price
$37.99
Reviews
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Pinot Noir Reserve
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Dick and Nancy Ponzi helped put Oregon on the map in the United States and the world, and the Ponzi family has worked continuously for over 50 years leading and innovating in the region and, in the case of Pinot Noir, across the country and indeed the world. Today winemaker Luisa Ponzi continues her work of the last 30 years with the family of Champagne Bollinger, which acquired Ponzi Vineyards in 2021. The estate’s drive to create distinctly pure Pinot Noir, in a distinctly Oregon manner, has never been stronger.
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One of the original and most recognized Oregon and U.S. Pinot Gris producers, Ponzi was a major influence in establishing Pinot Gris as the first quality white grape variety in Oregon. Ponzi's Pinot Gris is an irresistably aromatic and expressive wine, and serves as a first encounter for many wine drinkers with Oregon wines and the Ponzi estate.
