When I put out a call for dry farmed Chardonnay from Oregon, I was surprised by the number of wines that arrived at my doorstep. We chose a selection which I wrote about here for Chardonnay Day 2018 and we will do more for this Chardonnay Day.

But the wine kept coming, including a bottle that really wowed me as soon as I saw it:

•  One, the label was flat out gorgeous, depicting a bee amongst dandelions. You may not know this, but dandelions, while a weed, are critically important fro bees because the dandelions bloom early in the season providing an important food source for bees. This said to me that these people are Paying Attention!
• Two, I recognized the Belle Pente vineyard on the label as one that is farmed biodynamically
• Three,  I knew that Brian O’Donnell, Belle Pente’s farmer as well as a winemaker who I met at the Oregon Wine Road event in LA, is a legitimate dry farm fanatic! (In this post, I discuss how some dry farms are drier than others).
• Four, because it’s a biodynamic wine, I can continue my biodynamic wine experiment where I open and then periodically taste the wine to see how long it lasts! (OK partly my problem — I can only wait so long… in this case 14 days!).

The Day Chardonnay from the Bell Pente Vineyard in the Yamhill Carlton (AVA 12.75%  SRP $38) with only 150 cases produced delivered on its promises and intrigued me enough to pursue learning more about the wines, the label, and the winemaker, Brianne Day. Continue reading →