What They're Saying

Current Newsletter > What They're Saying

2005 Ridgecrest Vineyards Pinot Noir (wine note)
Top 100 Wines: Best of the West San Francisco Chronicle, December 2, 2007, Jon Bonné with Lynne Char Bennett
Fierce in character, it hinges on darker notes, with dried branch hints from French oak and a slightly tannic fruit profile, filled with citrus zest and soy. (Received Three Stars in a review on November 16, 2007.)

2005 Reserve Pinot Noir (wine note)
93 Pinot Report, February 25, 2008, Gregory S. Walter
Deep, rich, cherry flavors with tea and earthy notes; sweet oak, good structure and balance…this is a rich Pinot with some time ahead

92 eRobertParker.com, February 2008, Jay Miller
A complex bouquet of pain grille, violets, roses, cherry, and raspberry…elegant, medium-bodied, silky, and altogether hedonistic. .

2005 Corral Creek Vineyards Pinot Noir (wine note)
92 Wine Enthusiast, February 2008, Paul Gregutt
Fragrant and complex, this offers pleasures for both nose and palate, with scents of leaf and spice and herb, leading into a surprisingly dense and textural blend of wild berry, rhubarb, melon and mixed tropical fruits.

2004 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir (wine note)
92 Pinot Report, April 2007, Gregory S. Walter
Medium ruby color; deep, complex aromas with cherry and earthy notes; rich and ripe, complex cherry and earthy notes with forest floor and sweet oak notes; good structure and balance; long finish. Complex and interesting, this Pinot has a lot of depth and nuance.

2006 3 Vineyard Pinot Noir (wine note)
92 Wine & Spirits, April 2008, "Year’s Best Pinot Noir"
Ripe as a summer plum and showing an inky, earthy side, this wine takes a day to reveal its brighter fruit flavors, red strawberries dusted with red earth...a lacy structure gives the wine elegance and lift, with a nutskin feel to the tannins.

2005 Ian's Reserve Chardonnay (wine note)
91 eRobertParker.com, February 2008, Jay Miller
Chehalem is unusual for Willamette Valley in that over 50% of its production is white wine from Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay. Readers who see Chehalem’s whites should try these uniformly excellent wines.

90 Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, April 2008, "Oregon’s White Wines," Josh Raynolds (online)
Fleshy orchard fruit and melon flavors are braced by nervy minerality and complicated by candied flowers and musky peach pit. Gains sweetness on the impressively long finish but retains excellent focus.

2006 INOX™ Chardonnay (wine note)
TWO STARS San Francisco Chronicle,March 20, 2008, "Pacific Northwest Chardonnay," Lynne Char Bennett
Overflows with tropical and citrus aromas and flavors backed with a spine of mineral and citrusy acidity. A clean, refreshing Meyer lemon zest finish...

Highly Recommended, San Francisco Chronicle, Northwest Palate, September/October 2007
Spirited scents of fresh-cut citrus zest and ripe apple are immediately mouthwatering as the potent nose fairly pulls you into the glass. Which is a good place to be!…Clear, pure, fresh, juicy, rich, long…

2006 Reserve Pinot Gris (wine note)
91 Wine Spectator, December 15, 2007, Harvey Steiman
Smooth and round, this is more generous than most Pinot Gris, but still lively, with a distinct spiciness to the pear and guava flavors. The finish wraps it up well and keeps it coming.

90 Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, April 2008, "Oregon's White Wines," Josh Raynolds (online)
Intensely perfumed bouquet of smoky pit fruits, melon and tangerine along with smoky minerals. Firm and dry, with chewy pear skin and citrus flavors slowly giving way to deeper peach and nectarine on the back.

2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris (wine note)
90 Wine & Spirits, February 2008
Bright with an enticing scent of spiced apple-cake, this exuberant gris is ripe and creamy but doesn't feel pushed. The flavors deepen on the palate to juicy pear and apple, ample yet elegant.

2006 Reserve Dry Riesling (wine note)
90 Wine Spectator, December 15, 2007, Harvey Steiman
A dry style, reminiscent of Alsace, offering vivid green apple, lime and mayflower aromas and flavors on a lean, lithe frame, balanced with refreshing acidity.

2005 Reserve Dry Riesling (wine note)
Wine Spectator, December 15, 2007, Harvey Steiman
In Oregon…it's Riesling that really performs. Not long ago, I found myself exclaiming over the austere, Savile Row–tailored severity of the savory 2005 Dry Riesling Reserve from Chehalem winery, with its delicate floral and mineral notes.