Wine Notes > Pinot Gris > Current Release

2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Gris

(released May 2007)

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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, and harvested ripe to give full, viscous wines with light spice flavors and long finishes. We consider Pinot Gris a 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

We have just put into bottle the first of the 2006s, and I’m pleasantly surprised at the quality—not that I’ve had anything but 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 10/8/2006 from 54% Stoller, 27% Corral Creek, and 19% Ridgecrest sites @ 24.3–26.1 brix, 3.31–3.63 pH, and 5.1–6.6 g/L TA; from 1.9–4.0 tons per acre cropload

Fermentation:

Tank fermented with VL3 yeast

Cooperage/Aging:

None

Bottling:

Cold stabilized and filtered, bottled 3/26–3/27/2007

Bottling Analyses:

15.5% alcohol, 5.7 g/L TA, 3.55 pH, 0.6% residual sugar

Cases Produced:

2,790

Suggested Retail:

$19

Release Date:

May 2007

Winemaker's Comments

A fresh spring mixture of white blossoms and effusive, sweet fruit aromatically, with a richness on the palate from full ripeness that is at once emollient and bracing. Look for hints of waxy jasmine or orange blossom, accents of lime and other citrus peel, and weight that could float boats. Borderline threshold in residual sugar, it’s the driest and best balanced we’ve done in memory.

Quotes

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.

Wine & Spirits, February 2008: 90. 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.

Wine Spectator, December 31, 2007, Harvey Steiman: 89. A tangy, refreshing style, with a vibrant core of distinctive honeydew melon and green tea flavors that linger with some zing of acidity to balance.

Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, May/June 2008, Josh Raynolds: 89. Light yellow color. Spicy citrus and stone fruit aromas are complicated by white pepper, lemon zest and honeysuckle. Light-bodied Meyer lemon and tangerine flavors show very good depth and pleasing mineral snap, picking up bitter quinine on the back end. Gains flesh and weight on the long, sappy finish, leaving a note of dried pear behind.

Food & Wine, June 2008, Ultimate Summer Wine Guide, Ray Isle: New Pairing to Try/Pinot Gris and Grilled Chicken or Vegetables. Chehalem winemaker Harry Peterson-Nedry makes his Oregon Pinot Gris 'in a style as close to Alsace as possible,' he says. That is exemplified by thie fine 2006 vintage, a full-bodied white with rich pear and peach fruit and a spicy finish.

Wine Press Northwest, Winter 2007/2008: Recommended. Generally speaking, the grapes for this wine are the same as those for Chehalem's reserve-level Pinot Gris. What differs are winemaking styles. This is made in more of an Alsatian style with bright mineral and fruit notes, and it is released sooner than the reserve. This particular wine reveals aromas of sweet herbs, pumpkin pie spice and a hint of caramel, followed by bright fruity flavors of apples, oranges and a hint of lemon-lime in the finish A perfect wine to pair with chicken, pork or even mild Asian dishes.

Wine Review Online, January 15, 2008, Michael Franz: 87. This wine is always very tasty, with rich pear fruit showing vivid flavors and expressive aromas. This release is very soft and broad, with notable sweetness that makes this a great stand-alone sipper or a promising partner for lightly spicy dishes.