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2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris

(updated 2/23/04)

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The Wine

Pinot gris is one of the wines for which we are best known. We make it in a style as close to Alsace as possible, working to get weight on the palate, while retaining fruit flavors and acidity, harvested ripe to give full, viscous wines with light spice flavors and long finishes. We consider pinot gris the perfect, universal food wine. In an increasingly popular style, this bright, stainless steel fermented pinot gris combines Corral Creek, Ridgecrest, and Stoller Vineyards fruit.

The Vineyards

Fruit comes from our three Estate Vineyards: Ridgecrest, Stoller and Corral Creek, blended into a fully-complemented wine. The estate vineyards are planted on three different soil types, which provides complementary elements in resulting wines: Ridgecrest on Willakenzie, Stoller on Jory, and Corral Creek on Laurelwood. The interaction of clone and site add great complexity, consistency and fullness of character to blends of pinot gris, especially in an excellent vintage.

The Vintage

2002 is an amazing vintage, characterized by an early, warm growing season, a spurt of rain prior to the harvest period that served to stabilize sugars, acids and pHs, and a dry, long harvest period with cool-to-moderate temperatures that allowed us to pick at precisely timed points for ultimate ripeness. For example, pinot noir was picked over a full month, from September 26 through October 26. Healthy croploads permitted full ripeness over this extended harvest, with excellent concentration and retained acidities.

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested 9/27 to 10/23, 2002, from all three estate vineyards (Stoller, 21%; Ridgecrest, 40%; Corral Creek, 39%), from 3.02 tons per acre cropload.

Fermentation:

Tank fermented with ALS and VL3 yeast.

Cooperage/Aging:

None.

Clonal Selection:

UCD, 146, 152; minor amount of Pinot blanc blended.

Bottling:

Cold stabilized and filtered, bottled 3/31-4/1 2003.

Bottling Analyses:

14.6% alcohol, 6.5 g/l TA, 3.38 pH, 0.68% residual sugar.

Cases Produced:

3700

Suggested Retail:

$15

Release Date:

May, 2003

Winemaker's Comments

This wine has the best viscosity and structure we've been able to get into a pinot gris, smacking of mineral oil in texture and liquid white fruit in flavor. Aromatics are also mineralized fruit, with lots of pear, kiwi, melon and lemon/lime, driven by sizeable alcohol that is put in balance by huge fruit and structure. There is complexity from the diversity of our sites, differing picking times and meticulous temperature control during cool fermentation. We are perfectly balanced in structure and residual sugar, with roundness but no perceptible sweetness. Couldn't be more pleased.

Quotes

Elle.com, October 2003, Jenny Feldman. I first tried the Chehalem Pinot Gris over a romantic dinner in San Francisco and I've been a huge fan ever since. Many people are in the dark about Oregon wines, and end up spending more money on less-than-stellar bottles from California or Europe. But this wine, with aromatic undertones of melon, pear, and kiwi is a perfect year round wine light enough for summer but spicy and complex enough for winter. Best of all, it won't break the bank.

Daily Press, Victorville, CA, Bob Johnson, September 24, 2003, "Wines Worth Seeking Out." 90 Points. A rich fruity wine without even a trace of oakiness. Melon, pineapple and peach notes are joined by a hint of minerals, all leading to a refreshing, "gulp me down"finish.

Worcester Business Journal, Worcester, MA, Michael Charchaflian, August 11, 2003 ... In the U.S., Pinot Gris is becoming Oregon's hometown girl...their own style, richer and more viscous than Italian Pinot Grigio, but crisper and less sweet than the Alsatian wines...The best Americans...Chehalem (1 of 5 listed).

Winston-Salem, NC Journal, Michael Dresser, October 8, 2003, "Pinot Grigio: U.S. Excels at fresh white."This superlative effort has exceptional complexity and lively charm. Stylistically it leans more towards Alsace than Italy with bold flavors of nuts, melon, honey and minerals. It begs to be served with Pacific salmon.

Northwest Palate, January/February, 2004: Highly Recommended. Perfumed aromas of melon, pear, and vanilla. Mouthfilling flavors of melon fruit, with a creamy richness. Juicy and bright with talc, roasted nuts and sweet notes of peach in the finish. Pair with halibut and chili/lime sauce.

San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday, January 8, 2004. Subtle, toasty nose with peach, apple, herb and oak; clean, fresh flavors of pear, smoky peach, apple; ripe and rich with a hint of sweetness; simple yet balanced.

The Washington Post, October 8, 2003 by Michael Franz. This wine is so much fun that it seems vaguely illegal. Juicy and ripe and remarkably pure, this retains all the immediate purity of grapes still clinging to the vine.

The Baltimore Sun, September 3, 2003, Michael Dresser: "A Tasty Alternative to Chardonnay." 2002 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris...This is a superlative effort, with exceptional complexity and lively charm. Stylistically it leans more towards Alsace than Italy—with bold flavors of nuts, melon, honey and minerals. It begs to be served with Pacific salmon.

Northwest Wine Summit Competition, May 2003. Gold.

Oregon Wine Report, Issue 15, Cole Danehower: A. Glittering lemon-lime yellow color. Crisp fruit and herb aromas reminiscent of the smell of warm cobblestones after a summer rain. Luxuriant mouth feel carries huge sweet pineapple, melon, and peach fruit flavors with compounding notes of light lemon-lime, a minerally overlay, and hints of warm nuts.This is one tasty—and surprisingly weighty—pinot gris!

The Oregonian, Portland, OR, May 20, 2003, Cole Danehower. .a stunning version of what makes pinot gris so great.this wine is loaded with delicious aromas and tastes.the long 2002 harvest period meant the winemakers could pick each section of the vineyard at perfect ripeness. Chehalem made the best of that circumstance, and has produced a character-rich wine with a luxuriant feel in the mouth and huge flavors of sweet pineapple, melon and peach, plus notes of lemon-lime, a minerally overlay and nuances of warm nuts.