The 2019 Chardonnay Spirithouse has a delicate perfume of hazelnuts, hay and chamomile with a core of fresh orchard fruits and wafts of baker's yeast. The light-bodied palate is bright, fresh and approachable, with gently creamy flavors and a long, uplifted finish.

Offering subtle peaches and cream notes on the nose with underlying hints of honeysuckle, allspice and crushed stones, the medium-bodied 2014 Chardonnay Spirithouse is delicately crafted and minerally on the palate, with appealing freshness and a long chalky finish.

The 2013 Chardonnay Spirithouse has quite an intense, yet well-defined bouquet with subtle hazelnut and smoky aromas infusing the citrus fruit. I appreciate the focus here. The palate is well balanced with grapefruit, citrus lemon and peach notes; the 40% new oak is neatly integrated and lending weight towards the caressing finish. This is a very satisfying and well-crafted Chardonnay from Argyle.

The 2012 Chardonnay Spirithouse comes from the Knudsen Vineyard and the vines here do not always reach a ripeness level that merits a separate dry bottling. Matured in 35% new oak, it has an attractive, dried honey and oyster-shell scented nose that is quite Burgundian. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, more tension than the Nuthouse Chardonnay with a pleasant flinty finish that is quite Chablis-like in style. This is a well-crafted Chardonnay that should age nicely over the next 5 or 6 years.

The 2006 Chardonnay Spirit House is sold only at the winery tasting room, but it is worth a detour if you are in the neighborhood. It offers up a superb bouquet of wood smoke, mineral, baking spice, butterscotch, and other tropical nuances. Elegant on the palate with superb depth and concentration, this richly fruited effort owes more to Burgundy than Sonoma. It will provide pleasure for another 6 years. Rollin Soles is convinced that great Chardonnay can be produced in the Willamette Valley. He presented a vertical of Nut House Chardonnay from 1999 through 2007 to make his point. The wines clearly reflect vintage conditions with 1999 and 2002 showing particularly well and 2003 reflecting the effects of extreme heat spikes. Argyle’s Pinot Noir fruit was all picked pre-rain. However, there is no green or herbaceous character in any of the wines www.argylewinery.com