Hi Wine Friends —
Last weekend, I spent a relaxing Saturday out in the Willamette Valley visiting two of my favorite spots: Ambar Estate and Sequitur. Both are on my standing list of places I always recommend to folks, and for different reasons — which I'll get to in a second.
It was a low-key, no-agenda kind of day that I really needed. No work brain. Just delicious wine, good food, and a little fresh air.
And I didn't leave empty-handed. I came home with five bottles — two Chardonnays and two Pinot Noirs from Ambar, and one special Pinot Noir from Sequitur (more on that below). Did I need more wine at home? Absolutely not. Do I regret it? Also absolutely not.
Here's my quick pro-tip if you're an Oregon local (or planning a visit):
Go to Ambar if you want an exquisite food and wine pairing experience. The tasting is thoughtful, beautifully paired with food prepared by Chef Heidi Whitney-Schile (sourced from local farms), and the wines are stunning. It feels elevated but never stuffy.
I also shared my Ambar experience over on Instagram this week.
Go to Sequitur if you're a little woo-woo, love regenerative and biodynamic farming, and want to spend a quiet afternoon strolling through the woods, wandering a working farm, petting some goats and cats, and sipping fantastic wine. It's peaceful, and feels like you are a member of the Etzel family.
Both places are worth your time.
Let's get into this week's wine digest.
Cheers,
Sip Smarter: Your Weekly Wine Lesson
How the Vessel Shapes the Wine — Barrel, Stainless, and Concrete Explained
During our tasting at Ambar, we worked through three of their 2023 Chardonnays back-to-back. Same grape. Same vineyard. Same vintage. Three completely different wines.
The big variable? The vessel they were fermented and aged in.
This is one of my favorite topics because it's such a clear, tangible way to understand how winemaking decisions show up in your glass. Let's break it down...
Oak Barrel — The Flavor Transformer
The 2023 Ambar Estate Lustral Chardonnay spent 12 months in 35% new French oak, then another 6 months in neutral oak before bottling.
Oak barrels do several things at once:
First, they add flavor compounds — vanilla, toast, baking spice, and that classic buttery richness you may associate with Chardonnay. New oak contributes more of these; neutral (older) oak adds texture without as much flavor.
Second, barrels allow micro-oxygenation — tiny, slow exposure to oxygen over time. This softens the wine's acidity, rounds out the texture, and helps everything integrate and settle in together.
Third, barrels often encourage malolactic fermentation (aka "MLF"), where sharp malic acid — think tart green apple — converts into softer lactic acid, the kind you find in milk or cream. This is a big part of why barrel-aged Chardonnay can taste creamier or rounder.
The result in the Lustral? A rich and voluptuous Chardonnay with subtle notes of toasted almonds and custard. (and 95 Points from Wine Enthusiast!)
Stainless Steel — The Purist
Stainless steel tanks are completely inert. No oxygen contact. No flavor contribution from the vessel whatsoever. The wine goes in, and the wine goes out — exactly as the fruit and fermentation made it.
What you get is brightness, precision, and freshness. The fruit stays vibrant and primary. The acidity stays lifted. There's nothing to distract from what's happening with the grape itself.
The 2023 Ambar Estate Chardonnay used a combination approach: fermented and aged for 12 months in French oak (20% new), then finished with 6 months in stainless steel. The result is bright and precise — Meyer lemon, orange blossom, lime zest, and a clean mineral finish. It's an incredibly approachable and food-friendly wine.
Concrete — The Terroir Whisperer
Concrete is one of the most exciting vessels in winemaking IMO.
The 2023 Ambar Estate Minera Chardonnay was fermented in a concrete cube and then aged in stainless steel.
Concrete is slightly porous — more than stainless, way less than oak. This means there's a tiny bit of oxygen exchange happening, which adds texture and roundness to the wine without the oak flavors. The thick walls of a concrete vessel also act as natural temperature regulators, keeping the wine at a steady, stable temperature during fermentation.
The result? A wine that feels textural and layered — similar to a barrel-aged wine — but without any of the vanilla, toast, or creaminess that oak brings. Instead, you taste the place more clearly. Terroir in its purest expression!
The Minera had floral and stone fruit characteristics a distinct flinty minerality. It's precise and vibrant!
So why does this matter to you?
Because the next time you're looking at a Chardonnay label (or any varietal) or asking at a wine shop, you can ask: "How was this aged?"
- Unoaked or stainless = expect crispness and bright fruit
- Oak-aged = expect more body, richness, toast, vanilla, possibly butter
- Concrete = expect texture and roundness without the oak influence
And Chardonnay is perfect for this exploration because it's such a neutral grape — it takes on the character of the vessel and winemaking more readily than almost any other variety. That's what makes it one of the most interesting grapes to study, and why Ambar's side-by-side lineup was such a fun tasting experience.
The big takeaway? If you've written off Chardonnay because of one oaky, buttery, over-the-top bottle — I promise you haven't tried all Chardonnay. Try a concrete or stainless version and form an opinion from there.
Vine To Glass
Wine Of The Week: 2018 Sequitur "Jack" Pinot Noir
After strolling through the farm and working through their lineup at Sequitur, one wine I went home with was the 2018 "Jack" Pinot Noir from the Ribbon Ridge AVA.
I don't buy $130 bottles casually. But this one earned it.
The "Jack" is named after a grandchild of the winery's founders — and there's something fitting about that, because this is a wine with a long life ahead of it. I brought it home specifically to cellar it. Even at eight years old, it's still opening up, and I think it has at least several more good years in the bottle.
For context, Ribbon Ridge is a small, tucked-away AVA within the Willamette Valley, known for its unique marine sedimentary soils (as opposed to the volcanic red soils of the Dundee Hills). That soil profile gives Ribbon Ridge Pinot Noirs a distinctive saline, mineral quality — something you don't always find elsewhere in the Valley.
And the "Jack" delivers exactly that.
My Tasting Notes
On the nose: rose, raspberry, strawberry, hints of tropical fruit, and earth & forest floor. There's a salty mineral quality that just keeps pulling you back in.
On the palate: lush and round, but with beautiful balance — not too heavy, not too light. The acidity is bright and structured, which is exactly what gives this wine its cellaring potential. It's layered and nuanced in a way that makes you want to sit with it for a while.
At eight years old, this is drinking beautifully. But I believe it's got more to give. Now my only challenge is not opening it before it's had a few more years to develop. (Send help!)
What I'd Pair It With
- Roasted duck with cherry reduction
- Mushroom risotto or mushroom pizza
- Salmon with pinot-reduction glaze
- Aged Gruyère or Manchego
- Lamb chops with herbs
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