Pale gold color; peach, pear, Granny Smith apple, Meyer lemon, orange peel, spicy oak, vanilla, white flowers.
Dry; good acidity (the 2021 vintage was 3.34 pH). Light-plus body; silky texture. Slightly bitter citrus elements present in the mid-palate. The grapes are Clone 76 and Clone 79. The Eola-Amity Hills AVA is especially known for its quality chardonnays, and this fits that bill. Each clone was pressed separately and after 18 hours was racked (transferred) into French oak barrels, 20% new. Stabilization with SO2 was delayed until 30 days after the end of malolactic fermentation to minimize buttery aromas. Held on the lees for a month and spent 10 months in barrel before bottling. 12.5% ABV
Project M was born from a vision of Meg and Jerry Murray. The website notes: “With over 30 years of collective wine industry experience, our methods and principles have been tested and refined, our vision focused and our judgments sharpened. We use this experience to craft precise and elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rosé and Riesling from distinctive sites in the Willamette Valley. PROJECT M isn’t the place we have arrived at; it is a new chapter on a long journey.”
Jerry Murray asserts that his entire life prepared him for a life in wine. It formally began in 2001. He was born in an agricultural community in Ohio. He earned a degree in physiology at Ohio University, then attended graduate school. He took a position as an anatomy instructor at the Ohio University of Osteopathic Medicine, where he learned he and academia were an imperfect fit. Moving to New Orleans, he set on a culinary career. At a restaurant in Tucson he began to develop a keen interest in wine. While working with Chef Alan Zeman at Fuego Restaurant in Tucson, he worked with the sommelier to build menus for winemaker dinners.
The website notes: “On May 7th of 2001, Jerry met the legendary David Lett, “Papa Pinot” of the Eyrie Vineyard. In Lett, he met a man of little compromise and realized there might be a place in the world for him in winemaking. Jerry was hired on at Erath Vineyards for the 2001 vintage During a late night in the cellar, wet and freezing cold, he realized that his entire life, agriculture, science, and food were leading him to that moment. What followed was an intensive, self-directed, winemaking education. In the Willamette Valley, he spent time at many cellars, among them Panther Creek Cellars and Chehalem Wines.”
Jerry also worked two seasons in New Zealand, followed by stints at other wineries in Oregon and California. That led to Jerry and his family returning to the Willamette Valley and the launching of Project M in 2016. Their mission statement: “enhance our customer’s quality of life. We create wines that aim to facilitate the shared experience of beauty. We, through our business practices and philosophy, provide an opportunity for “consumption” to be transformed into a responsible act in line with our core values.” The website goes into more depth, including interesting approach to the label art by Mexican artist Tania Zaldivar.
Project M Anicca Oregon Chardonnay, Eola-Amity Hills AVA 2022 is nicely structured and elegant with a savory core from a prime region for quality chardonnay. Deft oak regimen delivers what you want from oak and chardonnay and avoids what you fear. Very intriguing bite of citrus and bitterness late in the mid-palate and through an impressively long finish. Pair with vegetarian fare; garden salad; poultry—baked, roasted, braised, poached, stove top-skillet; fried probably will not work as well; rich fish; shellfish; trout almandine; lighter meats—pork, rabbit, veal. Cheese—asiago, havarti, fontina, brie, camembert. $40