Big Table Farm 'The Wild Bee' Chardonnay Willamette Valley 2021

Big Table Farm sits on 70 acres in Oregon’s northern Willamette Valley, where Brian Marcy and Clare Carver collaboratively raise seasonal vegetables, animals, and of course, make wine! Brian studied fermentation at UC Davis, then lived and worked in Napa and Sonoma for 10 years before heading to Oregon. In addition to her partnership with Brian to manage the farm, Clare is a painter and wine label designer, who can often be found working her draft horses, foraging for mushrooms, or harvesting honey when not painting. Brian and Clare are both intensely committed to building a healthy, sustainable, and diverse farm, and that close connection to the land and its living organisms is readily apparent in their wines. ‘Wild Bee’ is made of chardonnay from all the vineyards the farm works with, so it represents a tasty cross section of Willamette Valley terroir. Barrel fermented with ambient yeast mainly in used French oak, then bottled unfined and unfiltered, this evokes misty seaside mornings. Delicate layers of crushed seashells, buttered toast, Meyer lemon blossom, and golden apple dance across a smooth, silky palate that unveils soothing layers of lemon panna cotta and hints of honeycomb. It finishes with a touch of brioche, the whole thing supported throughout by a vibrant, zesty acidity that adds an energetic, mouthwatering tension that begs for sip after sip. Organically grown, low-intervention/natural wine.