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2006 Pinot Gris Reserve

(new release October 2007)

The Wine

This is the version of Pinot Gris we make to gain ultimate complexity and structure. Using Alsace as a standard, we seek weight and richness to make this more than a simple white. This Pinot Gris is a true reserve wine—the fruit is divided at harvest, after full ripeness is achieved, with the reserve portion going through barrel fermentation in neutral oak. With long lees contact, minor partial ML (malolactic fermentation), and a variety of yeasts, the wine is concentrated, complex, well-textured, and carries tropical fruit aromas and a tight pear flavor profile, accented with a honeyed richness.

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

I have the highest regard for the Pinot Noirs in barrel, not having seen better fruit EVER from selected blocks or vineyards, including 22 harvests from Ridgecrest! The reds should be held to high expectations. The whites are the surprise, since a very warm vintage often blunts the acid, raises alcohol to unbalance the wine, and softens the fruit to soft and fleshy. Not so in 2006. The Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Riesling, and Pinot Blanc are crisp, bright, and scintillating in fruit aromas and complex in spice and fruit flavors. The warmth that came during the growing season abated before most fruit seriously began ripening, with cooler days and, especially important, acid-saving nights giving finesse to the wines. Appealing early, they should age respectably, too. Color me pleased.

Stats

Harvest Data:

Harvested 9/25 to 10/1/2006 from 50% Ridgecrest, 37% Stoller, and 13% Corral Creek sites @ 24.3–25.7 brix, 3.3–3.6 pH, and 5.1–6.6 g/l TA, from 2.0–4.0 tons per acre cropload

Fermentation:

Fermented in neutral barrels with several yeasts (native [20%], 3079, SIHA7, VL1, VL3, and 71-B)

Cooperage/Aging:

Aged for 5 months with lees stirring

Bottling:

Cold stabilized and filtered, bottled 3/27/2007

Bottling Analyses:

15.9% alcohol, 6.2 g/L TA, 3.46 pH, 0.55% residual sugar

Cases Produced:

721

Suggested Retail:

$24

Release Date:

October 2007

Winemaker's Comments

From a fully ripe year, this is a concentrated, yellow- and orange-fruited, rich and honeyed Pinot Gris. It carries fleshy ripe peach, orange gelées, and tropical yellow fruit as well as spice all the way to anise or fennel. The wine is well balanced despite higher alcohol, thanks to extremely full fruit, threshold RS, and great acid and pH. The weight is impressive, the finish bright, and the mid-palate full and creamy. Lush, but with a great food-wine potential.

Quotes

Wine Spectator, December 15, 2007, Harvey Steiman: 91. 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.

eRobertParker.com, October 2007, Jay Miller: 90. 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.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008, Josh Raynolds: 90. Light, bright gold. 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. Really stains the palate, finishing broad and extremely long, with lingering sweetness and minerality...

Wine Enthusiast, February 2008, Paul Gregutt: 88. ...Will appeal to those seeking the most intense, lush, full-bodied flavors. There is a sweetness suggesting marmalade and honey, and barrel fermentation has given it a hint of toast as well.

Wine Press Northwest, Winter 2007/2008, Excellent: ...Opens with round aromas of apples, melons, pears and apricots, then gives way to flavors of ripe orchard fruits and some toffee and caramel notes from barrel aging. It is delicious from the smooth entry through the lingering finish. We'd like to try it with seared ahi with a simple lemon and butter sauce.

San Francisco Chronicle, May 18, 2007, West Coast Pinot Gris/Grigio, W. Blake Gray, 2½ STARS: This wine is for Chardonnay fans. Flavors of ginger and vanilla are boosted by nice minerality and earthiness and a dense texture. It takes Pinot Gris about as far in the rich/big direction as it can go…

Imbibe, May/June 2008, Sunshine in a Bottle: This Season's 10 Best Wine Bets, Wes Marshall: This chameleon grape expresses its terroir like few others. Whether produced in a light Italian Pint Grigio style, or the denser Alatian Pinot Gris approach, most people love its light flavors and easy acidity once they've tasted it. Oregon produces some of the best Pinot Gris in the U.S... Chehalem's Reserve is a big-boned wine capable of standing up to very rich dishes.

Saveur, March 2008, Paul Lukacs: ...The slightly sweet personality exhibited by a pinot gris like the Chehalem Reserve 2006, from Oregon, will echo the flavors and textures of the chicken kiev...