This is the "other" wine from a St. Innocent tasting that I went to last Thursday - all of the Pinot Noirs are in the April Monthly Topic thread. Oregon may not be my idea of a Chardonnay hotbed, but its seems that almost any region can make decent Chardonnay these days if they want to. In a way, this is somewhat ironic for a grape whose ultimate expression comes from Burgundy, the region or France most predicated on the idea of terroir.
2011 St. Innocent Winery Chardonnay Freedom Hill Vineyard
Moderately full-bodied, well balanced, leaner, with good acidity; shows honey, citrus, mineral, and light hazelnut notes. Very good; I like the more mineral, less oaky style here. Reading Eric Asimov's recent article on Central Coast Chards, it is encouraging that more West Coast producers have learned not to love the oak-bomb.