Walter Scott Chardonnay Willamette Valley Freedom Hill 2022

98 points Audrey Frick (JebDunnuck.com): "From a vineyard that Ken Pahlow calls his favorite, the bright silver/yellow 2022 Chardonnay Freedom Hill Vineyard is more detailed on the nose, with perfectly balanced reduction, white pepper, citrus blossoms, lime zest, pristine green apples, and delicate toast spice. It’s balanced with a highly focused feel and has pristine, great length, an elegant, linear feel, ripe acidity, and a beautiful texture. Stash this away and come back to it over the next 10 or more years. 425 cases were produced. Drink 2024-2034 (Aug 2024)"

96 points & 'Highly Recommended' International Wine Report: "The 2022 Walter Scott Freedom Hill Chardonnay from Mt. Pisgah offers stunning aromas of lemon citrus, white nectarine, sweet allspice, and crushed volcanic rock that leap from the glass. Medium-bodied, it races across the palate, revealing notes of lemon oil and toasted hazelnut on the back of the tongue. Silky smooth, it invites sip after sip with its compelling texture. This Chardonnay is fermented and aged in 50% new French oak barrels for 12 months, then finished for 3 months in stainless steel, creating a refined and glorious wine. 425 cases produced. Highly recommended. Drink 2024-2034 (Aug 2024)"

95 points Clive Pursehouse (Decanter): "Reductive notes of smoky lime and flint announce the aromatics of this Chardonnay from Mt Pisgah's Freedom Hill Vineyard. The elegance and austerity of this mineral-rich wine spring forward with complimentary sea air and grilled pineapple aromas. The palate is lively, bright, and mineral-driven, as gobs of briny oyster shell touch off laser-focused citrus and smoky chipped flint. Drinking Window: 2024-2035. (5/30/24)"

94+ points John Gilman (View From the Cellar): "As I have noted that the 2012 vintage was the first that Erika and Ken made wines from Freedom Hill Vineyard, when they produced both a chardonnay and a pinot noir from this fine terroir. The 2022 vintage of Freedom Hill Chardonnay was barrel-fermented and raised in a combination of two hundred-twenty-eight, three hundred-fifty and five hundred liter casks for one year, with fifty percent of the barrels new in this vintage. After twelve months in casks, the wine was assembled and finished its élevage in stainless steel tanks for three months. The wine starts out a bit reductive when first poured and takes a bit of swirling to unlock its bouquet, but once it starts to stir, it offers up a superb nose of white peach, apple, iodine, a complex base of sedimentary soil tones, raw almond, apple blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a superb core of fruit, excellent soil signature, a fine spine of acidity and a long, perfectly balanced and vibrant finish. This is very tasty in the first blush of youth, but it is built for cellaring and truly deserves some time to hibernate in a cool dark corner for at least five or six years before having at it in earnest. Great juice! 2029-2055. (May/Jun 2024)"

93+ points Erin Brooks (Wine Advocate): "The 2022 Chardonnay Freedom Hill Vineyard comes from vines planted in 1995, 2010 and 2015 in marine sedimentary soils. It was fermented and matured in 50% new barrels of various sizes for 12 months and was finished with three months in stainless steel. The nose opens with some overt flint and matchstick that quickly gives way to fragrant pear, quince and allspice. The light-bodied palate offers concentrated flavors that are still coiled and flinty at this stage. It has a silky, gently mouth-coating texture and a long, latent finish. It deserves 3–5 years to unwind in bottle. 425 cases were made. Drink: 2025-2040. (7/25/24)"

93 points Eric Guido (Vinous): "The 2022 Chardonnay Freedom Hill Vineyard is savory to the core, with a burst of reduction that blows off to reveal masses of dried peach and nectarine complicated by dusty florals. It’s zesty within, with a core of vibrant acidity and crunchy mineral tones further intensified by tart green apple fruit. The 2022 finishes salty and dramatically long yet still incredibly fresh, leaving a subtle tug of sour melon. This is a wine of contrasts that’s nearly impossible to ignore. Drink: 2025-2032. (Aug 2024)"

Producer notes: "Our 2022 Freedom Hill Chardonnay is an enchanting eruption of the vibrant aromas of wild jasmine, fresh lime blossom, and flint. On the palate, an exquisite balance of density and elegance unfolds, harmonizing with lightning-like acidity that imparts captivating liveliness. In a tantalizing twist, grilled lemon intertwines with the delicate allure of sesame oil The texture of limestone adds depth to the wine while the finish exudes an intense saline minerality that leaves a powerful and lasting impression in its finish. Only 425 cases produced."