Current Newsletter > What They're Saying
"With all of the attention focused on Willamette Valley’s Pinot Noirs, their excellent white wines often get overlooked. This is a shame because there is plenty of quality as well as superb value and no one is doing it better than Chehalem."
—Jay Miller, The Wine Advocate (August 2009)
"I don’t know how Chehalem is viewed by other critics, but I have found this property to be one of the top 10 in Oregon, with a clear focus, a style that emphasizes breed and elegance, attentive and thoughtful winemakein in every vintage, no matter how challenging, and prices that fall on the light side.... All Chehalem wines are highly recommended...."
—Paul Gregutt, Paulgregutt.com (August 25, 2009)
Wine Enthusiast, Summer 2010, Paul Gregutt: Late-breaking score!
Wine Spectator (Insider), March 24, 2010, Harvey Steiman: Firm in texture, with a wide-open feel to the juicy plum and currant fruit, framed with mineral and wet earth nuances. The finish pushes nicely through a layer of chewy but fine tannins. Best from 2011 through 2016.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2009, Jay Miller: The 2007 Pinot Noir Reserve is a selection of the best barrels in the cellar. In this vintage 80% of the wine came from the Ridgecrest Vineyards and was aged in 50% new oak. The nose exhibits pain grille, mineral, earth notes, lots of spice, and assorted red fruits. Silky on the palate, this elegant offering has excellent depth, succulence of fruit, and is surprisingly lush for the vintage.
Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, May/June 2009, Josh Raynolds: Bright red. Spicy red berries and cherry on the nose, with sexy notes of incense and minerals adding interest. Tangy, tightly focused strawberry and raspberry flavors open with air and pick up a deeper black cherry quality. The mineral note repeats on the finish, which is impressively pure, focused and long.
Wine Enthusiast, December 15, 2009, Paul Gregutt: Those who seek elegance and lower alcohol levels will certainly want to try this beautifully balanced, well-defined vineyard designate from Chehalem. Briary, dusty, with currant and berry fruits, it has less concentration than in warmer years, but compensates with impeccable balance.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2009, Jay Miller:
Medium ruby-colored with a complex aromatic array of toast, mineral, spice box, cherry, and raspberry. Velvety and succulent on the palate, the wine has excellent density, balance, and length. It is the prototypical style of what the vintage permitted in 2007, complete in every way.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate,August 2009, Jay Miller: …Cherry red in color, it has a fragrant perfume of cranberry and wild strawberry leading to a ripe, racy, easy-going wine designed for immediate gratification.
Wine Enthusiast, Summer 2010, Paul Gregutt: Late-breaking score!
Wine Enthusiast, Summer 2010, Paul Gregutt: Late-breaking score!
Wine Enthusiast, Summer 2010, Paul Gregutt: Late-breaking score!
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, October 2009, Jay Miller:
Medium straw-colored, it has an excellent bouquet of smoke, mineral, apple, pear, and a hint of tropical aromas. Creamy-textured, ripe, and vibrant, this nicely balanced, potentially complex Chardonnay will evolve for 2-3 years and drink well through 2015, at the least.
Wine Spectator, December 31, 2009, Harvey Steiman: Polished, round, spicy and creamy around a core of juicy pear and melon fruit, remaining focused and elegant as the finish lingers well.
Wine Enthusiast, December 15, 2009, Paul Gregutt: The model for Ian's Reserve Chardonnay is fine white Burgundy. Scents and flavors emphasize caramel, unsalted butter, green apple and green banana, with the barrel flavors in the lead at the moment.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, August 2009, Jay Miller:
Offers up additional aromatic complexity with aromas of baking spices, apple, and peach. Ripe, round, and full-flavored, it is meant for enjoyment over the next 4 years.
Wine Enthusiast, June 2010, Paul Gregutt: This is fermented in neutral barrels, so it is a rounder, more open style than Pinot Gris done in stainless steel. It is therefore more approachable at a young age, and also tastes leesy and creamy--a treat for the palate. The fruit is lean and fresh, and a bracing minerality infuses the finish.
Wine Spectator, December 31, 2009, Harvey Steiman: Lithe and focused, with pretty lemon, star fruit and delicate spice flavors that linger on the lively finish. This has intensity and refinement.
Wine Enthusiast, December 15, 2010, Paul Gregutt:
The unusually cool vintage seems to have heightened and focused the white wines. This stainless steel-fermented wine is vivid and fresh, with complex fruits, orange peel, citrus, suggestions of ginger and even (as the winery points out) sea spray, this has it all.
EDITOR'S CHOICE.
Wine Spectator, December 2009, Harvey Steiman: Light and bright, with a creamy edge to the lemon and melon flavors. Finishes with a nice hint of spice. SMART BUY.
New York Times, February 3, 2010: Balanced with earthy flavors of anise and other herbs.
California Grapevine, December 2009/January 2010: Medium-light yellow; attractive, floral, fragrant, citrusy, tropcial, honeydew melon and Asian pear aroma with hints of quince and ginger; medium--full body; slightly viscous, pear, kiwi, and lime flavors with a touch of residual sugar for a slightly rounded mouhtfeel; lingering aftertaste. Very highly recommended. (Group score: 16.2, 4/6/1; My Score 17 [90/100], first place).
Northwest Palate, March/April 2010: Fresh notes of spearmint, citrus, and vanilla in the nose are interesting and pretty. Bright and sweetish notes of red apple and pear are round and refreshing on the palate. Well balanced and appealing, this is an easygoing Gris made more intersting by the spicy tones, especially on the medium-length finish. Serve with trout amandine.
Wine Enthusiast, December 15, 2009, Paul Gregutt: Another fine white wine from Chehalem, dry but not sour, with lovely sweet/tart peach and pear, honeysuckle and lime flavors co-mingled. It has a full midpalate and a clean, refreshing finish.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, August 2009, Jay Miller: Offers up an aromatic array slate/mineral, petrol, spring flowers, apple, and citrus. Vibrant and dry on the palate, it has plenty of flesh covering its lively acidity. It will continue to develop for another 3–4 years and drink well for a decade.
Wine Spectator, December 2009, Harvey Steiman: Brilliantly aromatic, brimming with lime-accented green apple, pear and a waft of mint as the dry, tangy finish carries the flavors through the long, vibrant finish. Drink now through 2018.
Northwest Palate, March/April 2010: Light notes of toast and dried grass on the nose also carry soft tones of peach. Light-bodied, clean and tart in the mouth, unsweet flavors of kiwi and grapefruit are well focused and intense. Plenty of good acidity helps keep the character lively and preserves the fruit on the long, dry finish. Still a little closed, this is a food wine to cellar for a year or more.
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, August 2009, Jay Miller:
Mineral, baking spice, floral notes, and a hint of tropical fruit makes for an alluring, complex perfume. Beautifully balanced, it has 6-8 years of aging potential and could easily last for up to 15 years.
Wine Enthusiast, December 15, 2009, Paul Gregutt: Very consistent in style with previous vintages, this textural, lemony, racy Riesling seems bone dry, though it is noted as having 1% residual sugar. Along with rich flavors of grapefruit and citrus, there are nectarine and pear fruit hightlights and a sharp minerality. CELLAR SELECTION.
Northwest Palate, March/April 2010: The rich Riesling nose shows light petrol, dried herbs, and a pleasing stony quality. Signature Riesling flavors are vibrant and closely focused, with clean and peachy stone fruit flavors complemented by minerality and spice. The fruit sweetness is gentle and juicy, and nicely balances the razor sharp acidity. Tart and full-flavored, this youthful wine will age well in the cellar. But for those who can't wait, serve now with smoked mussels.
Wine Enthusiast, December15, 2009, Paul Gregutt:
Chehalem is one of a number of Oregon wineries who have really dialed in Pinot Blanc. It tastes like a perfect cross of pinot gris and chardonnay, with spice and fruit, pears and citrus rind, even a whiff of fennel. What truly distinguishes this vineyard-designated bottling is its tight focus; the flavors deepen and extend through a lovely finish.
Wine Spectator, December 2009, Harvey Steiman: This tangy white shows lively grapefruit, pear and floral aromas and flavors that linger on the vibrant finish.
The Wine Advocate, August 2009, Jay Miller: …A spicy effort with dry, crisp, mineral-accented aromas and flavors. Ripe and well-balanced, this lengthy wine may well evolve for 1–2 years and drink well for five.
Wine Enthusiast, December 15, 2009, Paul Gregutt:
INOX is Chehalem’s unoaked Chardonnay, and Chardonnay doesn’t get any more transparently fresh. Flavors of flower water, mineral, kiwi, lime, fennel and bracing minerality deliver pure pleasure. A great food wine.
San Francisco Chronicle, February 26, 2010, Jon Bonné: This popular effort from Chehalem's Harry Peterson-Nedry helped create the market for unoaked Chardonnay, and the results in a fine year hit just the right balance. Plush and almondy on the nose, with bright lime, Anjou pear and honeydew aromas. The flavors have no fat to them, but there's more than enough ripe fruit in the mix.
Northwest Palate, March/April 2010:
Clean and fresh aromas of crushed fruits, dried flower blossoms, and talc are potent and inviting. Clean and distinctly un-wooded flavors of lemon-lime and red apple are ringed with a sense of dried herbs. Bright with acidity and forceful with fruit, the finish is citrusy and long. Perfect for oysters on the half shell.
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