2023 Ponzi Aurora Chardonnay

$75.00

2023 Ponzi Aurora Chardonnay

Name: 2023 Ponzi Aurora Chardonnay
Brand: Ponzi Vineyards
SKU: 23CH350BCW
Price: 75.00 USD
Availability: InStock

Soft, luminous, elegant

"A harmonious and aromatic wine" — James Suckling

Own-rooted heritage vines on a high-elevation, east-facing site, farmed with contemporary precision, it was here that Luisa Ponzi first planted the Dijon clone after it arrived from France, helping redefine what Oregon Chardonnay could be. Elegant and vibrant, it carries the full weight of what this vineyard has always meant.

96James Suckling

Appellation: Laurelwood DistrictVineyard: AuroraTA: 6.8 g/LpH: 3.32Volume: 750 mLABV: 13.0

$75.00

Shipping calculated at checkout.

Winemaker Notes

Aurora Chardonnay opens with white tea, peony, and dried hay — delicate, almost botanical — then crushed stone and white flowers settle beneath. On the palate, precise and lifted: graham, birchwood, chamomile, and slate moving across a saline thread. The entry is bright and elegant, the mid-palate finessed, the finish long and briny. A wine that knows exactly where it came from.

Pairings

Seared scallops with citrus beurre blanc

Grilled branzino with herbs and olive oil

Bibimbap with a fried egg

Burrata with summer stone fruit

Occasions

The Chardonnay you open when the meal deserves it

For the guest who thinks they already know Oregon Chardonnay

In the vineyard

The 2023 season moved at its own pace — a cool spring delayed budbreak, a warm May accelerated it, and a classic Oregon summer of warm days and cool nights brought everything back into balance. Aurora Vineyard, LIVE Certified Sustainable, planted on Laurelwood soils in the Laurelwood District AVA, was established in 1990 — it was here that Luisa Ponzi first planted the Dijon clone after it arrived from France, helping redefine what Oregon Chardonnay could be. Harvested September 7, 2023.

IN THE CELLAR

Grapes were sorted and whole cluster pressed without sulfur addition, then fermented in 15% new French oak at cool temperatures throughout, completed with wild yeast. Malolactic fermentation followed, completed in full with wild bacteria. Lees were stirred weekly post-ML for 11 months before a fall racking to neutral oak — 17 months in barrel in total. 219 cases produced. Racked and bottled by gravity without filtration or fining.