Walter Scott Cuvée Anne Chardonnay 2024
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The Land
The Eola-Amity Hills are not a gentle place to grow Chardonnay, and that is the point. These hills northwest of Salem sit almost directly in line with the Van Duzer Corridor, the gap in the Coast Range that funnels cold ocean wind into the valley on summer afternoons. The wind drops temperatures sharply, slows ripening, and protects acidity. Soils are thin and rocky, a mix of volcanic and marine sedimentary ground. Walter Scott calls this its home ground and draws Cuvée Anne from a group of Eola-Amity Hills vineyards farmed by growers for whom organic farming is the baseline. The 2024 blend comes from Koosah, Sojeau, Witness Tree, and Dubay. Chardonnay from the Eola-Amity Hills grown this way shows tension first and richness second.
The Wine
Walter Scott Cuvée Anne Chardonnay 2024 is a barrel selection across those sites. In recent vintages the method has been gentle crushing, a bladder press, ambient yeast fermentation in 350- and 500-liter French oak with roughly half of it new, full malolactic, minimal lees stirring, and 12 months in barrel before three or four months in stainless steel. The winery's own notes on the 2024 point to citrus, green apple, white flowers, and crushed stone, with vibrant acidity and a long, focused finish. The 2024 season began with budbreak around April 12; a cool snap at flowering cut fruit set in several blocks, including Koosah's high-elevation vines. Summer stayed in the high 70s to low 80s apart from two 100°F days in July. Harvest opened with Witness Tree Chardonnay on September 10 and closed with Koosah on October 2.
The People
Cuvée Anne is named for two women. One is Erica Anne Landon, who founded Walter Scott with Ken Pahlow. The other is her mother, Elizabeth Anne McKinnon, a trout fisherwoman, mushroom forager, and quilter whose savings and loans helped get the winery off the ground when Ken and Erica were funding it with emptied retirement accounts. The winery's own name honors Ken's grandfather Walter, a TWA flight engineer, and his nephew Scott, who died young. Ken worked at St. Innocent, Patricia Green Cellars, and Evening Land Vineyards, where time alongside Dominique Lafon turned his attention to Chardonnay. Walter Scott builds its range on long-term acreage contracts with growers, and Cuvée Anne is the wine that puts those relationships together in one bottle.
Food Pairing
Cook the way Anne might have. Trout amandine, pan-fried in butter with toasted sliced almonds and lemon, is the obvious start; the acidity cuts the butter and the barrel texture meets the nuts. Chanterelles and leeks sautéed and folded into soft polenta with a little Parmesan match the wine's depth. Pork tenderloin with a Dijon cream sauce works because the citrus and mineral line keep the cream in check. A wedge of aged Comté with apple slices finishes the meal. This is the Chardonnay to open when the people at the table are the ones who helped you get where you are.
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The Willamette Valley, nestled in Oregon, is a region renowned for its cool-climate wines, particularly its Pinot Noir. While Pinot Noir is its most celebrated variety, the valley is also home to other cool climate varieties like Chardonnay and Riesling. The region's unique terroir, characterized by rolling hills, volcanic and sedimentary soils, and a maritime climate influence, contributes to the elegance and complexity of its wines. The wines of the Willamette Valley offer a delicate balance between fruit, acidity, and earthiness. Its increasingly growing reputation places it among the world’s top regions for Pinot Noir.
Oregon - Willamette Valley
Chardonnay, one of the world's most versatile and beloved white grape varieties, showcases a remarkable spectrum of styles, from the lean, mineral-driven expressions of Chablis in France to the rich, buttery, and oak-aged versions from California's Napa Valley. Its adaptability extends to cooler climates such as Burgundy, where it achieves elegance and complexity, and to regions like Australia's Yarra Valley, known for producing vibrant and fruit-forward renditions. This grape's ability to reflect its terroir, coupled with winemaking techniques, results in a wide array of profiles, including unoaked, crisp varieties with apple and citrus notes, to full-bodied wines with tropical fruit flavors and creamy textures.
