SHOP / 2023 Red Willow Chardonnay
Varietal
100% Chardonnay
Appellation
Yakima Valley AVA
Aging
Drink Now or Hold
Vineyard
Red Willow
2023 Red Willow Chardonnay
Yakima Valley AVA
The 2023 Red Willow Chardonnay has an open feel from the first pour. An abundance of aromas burst from the glass, including Kiwi, Bartlett pear, cucumber, and white flowers. On the palate, the texture is creamy, with flavors of lemon, vanilla custard, and mango that are complemented by a savory salinity reminiscent of fresh sea beans and thyme. A pleasant touch of spice from partial (15%) new French oak fermentation rounds out each sip. Enjoy paired with your favorite summer catch, or cellar to experience the added complexity this wine will develop with additional age.
93 Points - Previous Score
— Vinous
93 Points - Previous Score
The 2023 Chardonnay Red Willow is remarkably pretty, mixing white flowers with a whiff of confectionery spice, stone dust and fermented ginger. It's deeply textural and silken, with admirable weight, all supported by fresh acidity as decadent ripe pit fruits swirl accross the palate. This cleans up beautifully, crisp and gently structured with a floral resonance that lingers.
October 2025
Additional Scores:
91 Points
Wine Enthusiast
91 Points
Wine Spectator
Behind the Wine
2023 Red Willow Chardonnay
Red Willow is the result of four generations of farming dating back to the 1920s growing potatoes alfalfa and hay. In 1971, Mike Sauer enlisted renowned WSU viticulturist Dr. Walter Clore to start planting wine grapes on the slopes where his other crops wouldn’t grow. Red Willow vineyard is at an elevation of 1,300 feet, which places it above the Missoula Floods and escapes the deep soils that it created. Here the soils are poorer ancient soils which as Mike discovered, is perfect for wine grapes.
Vineyards
Red Willow Vineyard is the furthest western vineyard within the Yakima Valley AVA.
Winemaking
Fermented in 15% new oak, 40% 2nd fill, 36% neutral barrel, 9% stainless steel. 100% malolactic fermentation completed. Wine in stainless steel transferred to concrete and neutral oak for overvintaging.