n early 2018, Chehalem and Stoller became fully interconnected through a single owner, though the two properties retained their distinct personalities. The Chemistry label soon brought them together to make a third, easily accessible wine label - both in style and in price. Here's the latest...do NOT miss the "*" wines!
Read MoreHailing from small lots planted on rocky, volcanic terrain at high elevation, the wind-blown vineyards of Bryn Mawr produce energetic wines. Appropriately, Bryn Mawr is Welsh for "high hill". Winemaker Rachel Rose leads both the vineyard and the winemaking program with the aim of integrating the natural world and its effects into her wines. These wines salute approximately the one-decade mark since Jon and Kathy Lauer purchased the 26-acre estate.
Read MoreLiterally, it does take the stuff from that class that you had to take in high school. It also takes chemistry for two winemaking teams - and two palates per team - with different styles to come together and make wines that they all stand behind. Sourced from various Willamette Valley sites, these wines are the brain children of the winemakers of Chehalem Winery and Stoller Family Estate (under the same owner since early 2018). The Chemistry wines are a clever line-up that stylistically sit equidistant the palates of the two wineries. The real proof of this is in the Pinot Noir, Oregon's signature black grape.
I was wowed by the wines. Then, I did a double take when I looked at their prices. They seriously over-deliver for their price points!
Read MoreTwo years into the new ownership of Chehalem Winery, it is interesting to see how the winery is faring. The wines remain clean and pristine, and the prices of the most accessible wines remain exactly or about the same. Perhaps there are distinctions more visible further up the quality chain? At any rate, winemaker Katie Santora - with Chehalem since 2012, keeps the heartbeat steady here, from what I have tasted.
Read MoreI purchased these bottles recently as they seemed like solid solutions to my recent cravings for chillable reds to fight the heavy heat that has settled on New York City. Alas, I was reminded that lighter styles of red at gentle prices don't necessarily work with a chill. After all, both of these wines had some stuffing. These chilled reds wines were pleasant, but they weren't showing their best. So, I kept the wines for five days, trying them every day at chilled and cellar temperatures. As ever, I enjoyed the learning experience!
Read MoreThere is something undeniably charming about a winery whose back label illustration of its property highlights a tire swing. But make no mistake, Stoller Family Estate is a highly sophisticated operation. The winery's tasting room has been voted by USA Today's "10Best" as one of the Best Tasting Rooms in the US three times, and the visitor experience is going bleeding edge this summer with virtual and augmented reality experiences in a new and immersive Stoller Experience Center.
More importantly - at least in my view, the wines of 17-year, Stoller winemaking veteran Melissa Burr continue to impress, especially the 2019 white and rosé. Both also win points for being very good values.
Read MoreIt was a pleasure to taste these wines made by J.Christopher founder, Jay Somers. While there are still a few vintages of Pinot Noir made by Jay to be released, this is the last of the white wines. (Jay left for a new venture in 2019.) These are worth looking into as there's not a single one that isn't charming!
Read MoreThe back label is signed "Viens Avec Nous", which means "Come With Us". While I wonder how many people understand that in the US, it does manage to seem appropriate for this blend of some of the Willamette Valleys "best of" (a nod to Jay Boberg's time in the music industry) vineyards. These include Nicolas-Jay's own Bishop Creek along with Temperance Hill, Hyland, Knight's Gambit and Momtazi.
Read MoreChehalem Winery has a new 'do. Since the winery's purchase in early 2018, the font of the winery name went from "ALL CAPS" to "Sentence case". (The winery's founders previously used CHEHALEM to distinguish the use of the winery from the American Viticultural Area, or AVA, of the same name.) Then, this year, the label got a full makeover (now: sexy and sleek in black vs then: wine geeky and laid-back with colorful photos). My favorite part is the offer a new nugget of information: Chehalem is a Calapooia tribe word that means "Valley of Flowers".
Read MoreMelissa Burr has been making wine at Stoller Family Estate for years. Moreover, she was born and raised Oregonian. Her wines taste like they are ready to be the centerpiece - even the host - of a great conversation. There's clearly a lot of heart, personal grit and local love that goes into her wines!
Read MoreThree bottles of wine arrived with no advance notice on my doorstep a few weeks ago. Intrigued, I opened them all over several days last week. They are very accessible, ready-to-drink Oregon bottlings from the Willamette that carry very reasonable price tags. The Chardonnay is the Goldilocks wine of the trio for QPR. I’m so curious to learn more about why I received these wines, but it is always a pleasure to see what is happening in Oregon through the window of a sample set!
Read MoreNicolas Jay 2016 Pinot Noir Willamette Valley: If the wine continues as is, this third vintage from Nicolas Jay may take the longest of the Willamette Valley-labeled trio to open up in bottle. It’s pleasant now, but there should be no rush to open any bottles you have. Decant it if you can’t resist!
Read MoreFor all the years I have tasted Oregon wines, I was surprised to just stumble across these this year, especially as Cooper Mountain Vineyards is celebrating its 40th Willamette Valley harvest in 2018.
Read MoreSokol Blosser 2013 Pinot Noir Estate Orchard Block Dundee Hills: This is much too young to open now. Had I only known! This is a feisty kiddo now that needs some time to settle down and expand its horizons further.
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