2022 atLarge Chardonnay Forty-Fifth Parallel Oregon 750 ml

Domaine Loubejac’s vineyard is one of the Willamette Valley’s premier sites for growing Chardonnay. Located almost exactly on the 45th parallel—the same latitude that runs just south of Burgundy—it’s in a blustery section of the valley that’s buffeted by Pacific winds, making it a perfect spot to ripen Chard to succulent perfection while retaining juicy acidity.

It’s no secret—winemakers across the region queue up for access to the grapes, in 2022, multi-100-point winemaker Keith Emerson landed one of these coveted contracts. In a vintage in which one winemaker described “perfect harvest conditions,” his 2022 atLarge Chardonnay Forty-Fifth Parallel blends riveting, Burgundy-like acidity with a gorgeous display of New World fruit. 

It’s the same concentration and tension that made his last vintage THE top-rated Oregon Chardonnay in Wine Access history. Our colleague Amanda McCrossin called it “Perfect,” and “Everything you want from Chardonnay…This is kind of IT!” 

2022 was a year of answered prayers in Oregon. After a cool start, a “golden October” was needed to get things ripe on time, but Mother Nature came through, with everyone picking at their leisure until the 20th. Everything came together for a harvest that’s made the Willamette Valley into one of the most desirable white-wine producing regions in the world.

Emerson gently pressed his prized Chard as whole-clusters, to promote purity of fruit and crystalline flavors, before fermenting and aging in French oak barrels for texture. Only 20% of them were new—providing structure while keeping oaky flavors discreet—and the wine spent nearly a full year in barrel to achieve its stunning combination of opulence and electricity.