2021 Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a rather new varietal for us here at Covington. When we started the winery, we were convinced that “the world didn’t need another Chardonnay” so we started out making Viognier. Then, everyone and their brother started making Viognier so we meandered through a variety of whites before deciding that the reason there are so many Chardonnays in the world is because THE WORLD LOVES CHARDONNAY! We got a call in 2016 from Dick Boushey, saying he had some available. Our respect for the Boushey vineyard and the wonderful red wines we’ve produced from it, made us jump at the chance to make this classic white. In our first year of Chardonnay production, Morgan really wanted to let the vineyard shine though. This meant a gentle pressing, native yeast fermentation, and using minimal new oak. Only 4 barrels were made, and they were made carefully. This third vintage of Chardonnay follows that same thought process, bringing the vineyard to the glass. This vintage went partially through malolactic fermentation and was aged in a mixture of new and neutral French oak resulting in a classic example of Washington Chardonnay.