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This wine is currently unavailable, the vintage 2021 is available

Bethel Heights Chardonnay Estate Grown 2012 750ml

size
750ml
country
United States
region
Oregon
appellation
Willamette Valley
WA
90
Additional vintages
WA
90
Rated 90 by Wine Advocate
The 2012 Chardonnay Estate Grown comes from 62 percent Dijon clone planted in 1994 and 1999, with a block of Wente selection planted in 1977. Picked October 2-13, it is whole-cluster pressed and fermented in used puncheons, 228-liter and 3,000-liter foudre going through complete malolactic fermentation. It has a well-defined, focused and harmonious bouquet with citrus lemon, mandarin and light sea spray scents. The palate is fresh on the entry with well-judged acidity, harmonious in the mouth with dried honey and dried quince on the finish. This is a delightful, straight-down-the-line, delicious Chardonnay.
Image of bottle
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Bethel Heights Chardonnay Estate Grown 2012 750ml

SKU 749985
Out of Stock
More wines available from Bethel Heights
Sale
750ml
Bottle: $27.69 $30.80
Rated 94 - The 2021 Chardonnay Estate features creamy lime panna cotta, green pear and smoky flint tones on the nose...
WA
94
Sale
750ml
Bottle: $38.83 $43.20
More Details
barrel

Vintage: 2012

2012 has, so far been a positive year for wineries around the world. While it may be a little too early to speak of the wines being made in the northern hemisphere, European and North American wineries have already begun reporting that their harvesting season has been generally very good, and are predicting to continue with the kind of successes they saw in 2011. However, 2012 has been something of a late year for France, due to unpredictable weather throughout the summer, and the grapes were ripening considerably later than they did in 2011 (which was, admittedly, an exceptionally early year). French wineries are claiming, though, that this could well turn out to be advantageous, as the slow ripening will allow the resulting wines to express more flavour and features of the terroir they are grown in. The southern hemisphere has seen ideal climatic conditions in most of the key wine producing countries, and Australia and New Zealand particularly had a superb year, in particular with the Bordeaux varietal grapes that grow there and which love the humidity these countries received plenty of. Also enjoying a fantastic year for weather were wineries across Argentina and Chile, with the Mendoza region claiming that 2012 will be one of their best vintages of the past decade. Similar claims are being made across the Chilean wine regions, where Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon had an especially good year. These two grape varietals also produced characterful wines on the coastal regions of South Africa this year.
green grapes

Varietal: Chardonnay

Despite having its origins in western France, Chardonnay's immense popularity and flexibility quickly meant that before long, there wasn't a wine producing country in the world which wasn't investing in this fascinating and versatile grape varietal. Today, Chardonnays manage to win fine wine competitions and satisfy supermarket shoppers simultaneously, due to the fact that this grape varietal can take on many characteristics and features of where it is grown and how it is handled. Indeed, this green skinned grape is renowned for not having so much unique flavor within the fruit, but is very sensitive to the features of the terroir it is grown in, as well as to aging As such, it isn't unusual to find bottles of single variety Chardonnay wine described as holding notes of white stone, mountain waters, or other such geological features alongside the more predictable fruit descriptions This makes Chardonnay grape varietal wines an exciting world to delve into – full of surprises, full of delights.
barrel

Region: Oregon

Oregon today has a thriving and unique wine industry, quite unlike that found in other areas of the United States. With a particularly strong organic, vegan and biodynamic wine industry currently gaining world wide attention, Oregon is home to many trailblazers and alternative wineries keen to experiment with the vines which thrive so well in the valleys and mountainsides which characterise their region. Oregon is best known for their Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir varietal grapes, which produce elegant wines packed full of bright and interesting fruit flavours, although a wide range of classic grape varietals grow across the state. With over three hundred wineries currently operating in Oregon, and many more set to open, this is a New World wine region to watch out for now and in the near future.
fields

Country: United States

The first European settlers to consider growing grapevines in the United States must have been delighted when they discovered the now famous wine regions within California, Oregon and elsewhere. Not even in the Old World are there such fertile valleys, made ideal for vine cultivation by the blazing sunshine, long, hot summers and oceanic breezes. As such, it comes as little surprise that today more than eighty-nine percent of United States wines are grown in the valleys and on the mountainsides of California, where arguably some of the finest produce in the world is found. However, American wine does not begin and end with California, and due to the vast size of the country and the incredible range of terrains and climates found within the United States, there is probably no other country on earth which produces such a massive diversity of wines. From ice wines in the northern states, to sparkling wines, aromatized wines, fortified wines, reds, whites, rosés and more, the United States has endless surprises in store for lovers of New World wines.
bottle and glass

Appellation: Willamette Valley

Oregon is a fascinating state when it comes to United States' wines. Although not as famous as nearby California, Oregon has been consistently lauded for its dedication to quality, experimentation and innovation over recent decades, helping it establish a powerful wine industry with a great reputation. Within Oregon, we find the beautiful wine region of Willamette Valley, a lush a fertile region most commonly associated with the production of high quality Pinot Noir grapes, which are internationally recognized as being responsible for many of the New World's finest red wines. Whilst the Pinot Noir grape is the most commonly grown across the region, the climatic conditions and soil types in Willamette Valley make it an ideal location for the cultivation of many different varietals, making it a very interesting area to explore through wine.