Pale golden color.
It has a rich aroma of honey, baking spices, white flowers and light oak influences.
Flavors include Honey Crisp Apple and Brown Sugar.
Bright acidity, pleasant mouthfeel and long finish.
This Chardonnay can be enjoyed now.
Tasting Date: September 7, 2022 Arorolo Vineyards is located on Laurel Ridge in the Chehalem Mountains.
The approximately 8 hectare vineyard was planted with Chardonnay in early 2010 and faces southwest, sits at an altitude of approximately 213m on Laurelwood soils and Jolly (volcanic) subsoil.
Olson Vineyard is Torii Moir's own vineyard located in the Dundee Hills. The 3.8 hectare vineyard was planted (with own-rooted vines) in 1972 and is home to Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and the Draper clone of Chardonnay. The vineyard is on volcanic Jolly soil and faces southeast at an altitude of approximately 244m.
The 2020 growing season began with average bud break before mid-April.
November and December were mild and dry, with rainfall in January and early February and one snowfall (1.2 cm).
Temperatures were higher than average from mid-February to the end of the month, with some days exceeding 20°C in early April.
In early May, temperatures were in the low 20s and by the end of the month it had reached 26°C.
In June, the two weeks before flowering began were cold and rainy, which led to poor pollination and resulted in many small berries and very loose clusters.
The first two weeks of July were cooler again, then reaching 26-32°C.
The summer was very dry with several days exceeding 38°C.
Summer wildfires occurred in southern and western Washington, southern Oregon, northern California and the Chehalem Mountains, with major Labor Day storms sparking widespread fires, including one in the Dundee Hills, home to Torii Moa Winery.
The northern Willamette Valley was blanketed in heavy smoke for several weeks.
Although the grape yield was low, the vines were disease-free and healthy.
Torii Moa harvest began on September 10th and ended on October 16th.
The name Torii Mor is a combination of the Japanese word "Torii," which means "torii" (gate) at the entrance to a shrine, and the Norse word "Mor," which means "earth."
Combining these two different words, Toriimore alludes to the wonderful things the vine offers us through its sacred portal to the earth.
Perhaps no other variety expresses the subtleties of the land in which it is grown as elegantly as Pinot Noir, and Toriimor's Pinot Noir is meticulously crafted with minimal human intervention and fermented with natural yeasts to allow for a pure expression of what the land has to offer.
Toriimor believes that wine, and especially Pinot Noir, is a priceless, indelible work of art created through the mutual cooperation of man and nature.
We think you'll agree that wine is like art and storytelling, something you can enjoy with family and friends.
Since its first release in 1993, Toriimor has continued to make wine with the vision of "pursuing elegant 'Old World' style Pinot Noir."
The owner, Dr. Donald Olson, is a neurosurgeon currently specializing in pain medicine.
Dr. Olson, a longtime fan of Burgundy wine, believed that Oregon's Dundee Hills was the mecca for the next generation of Pinot Noir, and in 1985 he acquired the winery facilities, including the historic vineyards planted in 1972 and the beautiful Japanese garden, from Jim McDaniel, one of the early founders of Oregon wine.
The winery's name, Toriimore, was coined by the doctor and represents the terroir and connection to the earth that Pinot Noir expresses.
Jacques Tardy, who comes from an eighth generation Burgundy winegrowing family, has been in charge of winemaking since 2004, and John Tamaselli, who worked under Jacques, took over as the new winemaker in 2021.
It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most elegant wine in the Willamette Valley.