The Rise of Willamette Valley Chardonnay
Jul 7, 2026, 1:00 PM
Northwest Travel Life
Originally published on Northwest Travel & Life.
Left Coast Estate’s (Rickreall, Oregon) early years were heavily inspired by the traditions of Burgundy, France, where chardonnay was the dominant white varietal.
As Taylor Pfaff, Left Coast Estate’s CEO and Family Ownership, notes, “Chardonnay is incredibly versatile and expresses a wide range of flavors and aromatics while being perfectly suited to growing in the cool climate of the Willamette Valley.”
In recent years, chardonnay has emerged as an award-winning varietal grown alongside pinot noir in the Willamette Valley. Michelle Kaufmann, Vice President of Communications with The Stoller Wine Group (Dayton, Oregon), attributes this rise in chardonnay in part to vintners’ decision to plant chardonnay grapes with the same intentionality they gave to their pinot noir grapes.
“You have the right clone and the right varietal in the right spot to ensure that those grapes are going to thrive and make the world-class wine that Oregon has become known for producing,” she says.
Exploring the Varieties of Willamette Valley Chardonnay
In the estimation of Katie Santora, Winemaker for Chehalem (Sherwood, Oregon), “the essence of Oregon chardonnay is primarily derived from the natural acidity of the chardonnay fruit grown here.” Each vineyard and winery produce their own representation of this grape that reflects both its particular vineyards and preferred winemaking techniques.
Paden West, winemaker for Benza Vineyards (Hillsboro, Oregon), delights in exploring how incredible, versatile and flexible chardonnay expressions can be. He says, “In Oregon, we are unburdened by tradition and have nothing but creative opportunities laid before us—all while being in a state that offers many different microclimates, soils, clones and overly curious winemakers.”
When Tony and Michelle Soter of Soter Vineyards (Carlton, Oregon) made their first chardonnay in 1997, they chose to craft a traditional method Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine from estate grown selections of French origin, aged on the yeast for more than ten years before release and becoming something of a cult classic.
According to Jason Tosch, Vice President of Vineyard Operations, Chehalem, “Dijon clones are proven performers in the various meso- and micro-climates throughout the Willamette Valley.” While Dijon clones are the most popular chardonnay clone grown in this region, some, like Vic
Winquist of Bethel Heights Vineyard (Salem, Oregon), planted heritage Wente clones with Winquist first planting these clones in 1977. In a similar vein, Michael Mega, owner of Nysa Vineyard (Dundee, Oregon), chose the heritage clone Wente as he preferred this clone’s finish.
Typically, chardonnay is aged in new or used oak barrels, though an increasing number of Willamette Valley vintners make at least one chardonnay using stainless steel tanks. This process helps capture the fresh crispness common to chardonnays produced from this cool climate region. Also, a growing number of wineries are producing sparkling wines using chardonnay grapes.
Moving forward, other winemakers continue to enter the scene as they explore the boundaries of what Willamette Valley chardonnay can do. For example, Tracy and Aaron Kendall of Folly of Man (Amity, Oregon) combined their decades of experience as winemakers to embrace biodynamic and regenerative agricultural practices that breathe life back into the soil with Moe Momtazi of Momtazi Vineyard & Maysara Winery (McMinnville, Oregon) serving as Tracy’s long-time mentors.
Oregon Chardonnay Celebration
Held on the last Saturday in February each year, this celebration brings together more than 50 Oregon wineries who pour their interpretations of Oregon chardonnay paired with local food especially oysters and other seafood, along with educational seminars. Information about this annual event can be found at oregonchardonnaycelebration.org. Plan your visit to Willamette Valley at willamettevalley.org.
Willamette Valley, Oregon vs. Burgundy, France
Wine historians may remember the “The Judgment of Paris” event in 1976 when two California wines beat out French wines in a blind tasting, putting American wines on the world stage. Well, America did it again, this time in 2026 when an Oregon chardonnay bested its French counterparts in another blind tasting. This time it was Flâneur Wines from Carlton, Oregon, which took the crown for their 2021 Bon Vivant Chardonnay.
