Elk Cove Vineyards 'Goodrich' Chardonnay, Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley, Oregon 2019

Elk Cove Vineyards was founded in 1974 by Pat and Joe Campbell. Winemaker Adam Campbell joined forces with his parents in 1995 and Elk Cove remains proudly family owned.

• WINEMAKER: Adam Campbell and Heather Perkins
• FARMING: The vineyard practices high-density planting, focusing on sustainability and quality yield.
• VARIETY: 100% Chardonnay
• TERROIR: Sourced from the Goodrich Vineyard in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, featuring ancient marine sedimentary soils that contribute to the wine's minerality.
• VINIFICATION: Hand-harvested grapes; whole-cluster pressed. The juice is fermented in large puncheons and a mix of neutral and new oak barrels, with some stirring on the lees after malolactic fermentation. 
  
• AGING: Aged for 12 months in French oak barrels, 20% new.
• TASTING NOTES: Aromas of lemon zest and green apple; flavors of pear and citrus with a crisp, mineral-driven finish.
• FOOD PAIRINGS: Pairs well with seafood dishes, roasted chicken, and creamy pastas.
• SCORES: 94 points,  Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (May 2023)

From Our 2025 Bottle Cult Notes:

Winemaker Adam Campbell might just be one of the happiest winemakers I’ve ever met. A second-generation winemaker and fifth-generation Oregon farmer, he takes immense pride in the vineyards his parents planted in Yamhill-Carlton in 1974—back when Oregon had fewer than 10 wineries and 40 acres of vines. Today, Adam oversees over 380 acres of estate vines for Elk Cove, including Goodrich Vineyard, a 69-acre site the family purchased in 2014. Sitting in the heart of Yamhill, Goodrich boasts the famed Willakenzie marine sediment soils that have made Oregon Pinot Noir and Chardonnay so legendary.

Now, before you protest getting an American Chardonnay in your club, hear me out. Chardonnay is beautiful but misunderstood. Many of us have been traumatized by years of bottom-of-the-barrel grocery store Chardonnay. Or maybe you only experienced the old-school California brands of the ’90s, when the domestic industry was riding high on the dulcet tones of 100% new French oak and full malolactic fermentation. It makes sense if that was enough to turn you off the grape entirely. But times have changed especially in cooler regions like Oregon. What I love about Oregon Chardonnay is how much it reminds me of Burgundy—racy acidity, flexing minerality, and lower alcohol than its California counterparts.

Adam’s wines are layered and complex, inviting you to linger and peel back flavors of fruit, minerality, and herbaceousness. He fermented this wine in large puncheons and a mix of neutral and new. oak barrels, with lees stirring after malolactic fermentation, balancing the bracing acidity from the cold 2019 harvest. Layers of Bosc pear and Pink Lady apple, with hints of hazelnut and lemon curd, and a crisp, long finish. Pair it with roast chicken, spicy saag paneer and naan, or a baked sweet potato topped with all the savory things you love. —Simi Grewal, DECANTsf