TN: Candid Cameron...

Last night we tried the 2008 Cameron, Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills. Lovely bright red, with clear edges. Gorgeous nose, with bright, aged cherry fruit, with clove, smoke, and earthy/gravel accents. Supple texture, covering the entire palate, yet still with plenty of cleansing acidity. Bottle-sweet cherry fruit on the palate, so pure and pretty, with clove, mineral/earth, and light spice flavors. This, to me, is a textbook Dundee Pinot. I’ve loved wines from other Oregon appellations, but the Dundee Hills wines seem to be my favorites. The best wines have such pretty, pure fruit, but also have an earthy elegance. This is the type of wine that Oregon does best, and I wish more producers would back off the wood and extraction and let the pretty fruit shine. I think this is in a great spot right now, and will probably drink my other bottle within a year or so. I wish I had a lot more old Cameron in the cellar. Approx…92-93.

Great to see a note on a Cameron Dundee with some age on it. Had the '15 a few weeks ago and it was drinking really well. This is such a ridiculous value every year.

Great Note Marshall. Wish I had some 2008. looking forward to tasting some of these with age…

Thanks for sharing and it’s nice to see another positive note regarding the 2008’s. We opened a 2008 Ayers Lewis Rogers Lane Pinot on Friday night. Wow, it should have probably been decanted, but that bouquet was like being transported to the finest garden at full flowering. Lilacs, lavender, roses, peony, wisteria, etc., truly intoxicating. Mitch T. noted in another thread that he would be willing to part with his 2008’s, but I wouldn’t give up hope just yet. (If anyone wants to get rid of their 2008’s, drop me a PM.)

Likewise, I wish that had some older Cameron’s. 2008’s would be fun. We opened a 2017 Cameron Reserve Pinot on Saturday night and I’ve been sipping on it this week. It’s nice and I can see the potential, but I think that it’s drinking a little hotter than the 12.6% right now. Granted this bottle was received within the last couple of weeks during a short shipping window on the East Coast, but I would suggest holding for a few years.

James

I always decant older wines, as I think they need to get a bit of air into them and need to get off the sediment. That’s the only way you’ll really get the true aged texture of a wine. I’d be happy to have more 2008s, too, depending on producer of course. I don’t think I’ve had any Ayres with age on them, so it’s good to know it was showing well.

Yeah, I’m trying to do a better job of decanting wines at home, but both the 2008 Ayers and 2017 Cameron were opened at local restaurants. Under the current pandemic circumstances, I didn’t want to add another element to the restaurant experience. I probably have another 5 or 6 bottles of the 2008 Ayers and 11 bottles of the 2017 Cameron, so I’ll remember to decant them at home. The 2008 Ayers was such a cool wine for the bouquet that I’ll need to open another one sooner than later.

James

Thanks for the TN Marshall. Not to be argumentative but I sometimes find that the Dundee Hills Pinot bottling has a tad too much new wood when young. I figure John Paul needs to use new barrels somewhere. I buy them to drink early while sitting on the Abbey Ridge and Clos Electrique Pinots (currently a mixed case of 08s resting in the basement). I’ve also found that patience is rewarded when holding on to the DH… all Cameron Pinots actually. No telltale funk? It can be very hit and miss. Decanting is a must when they’re really stinky.

RT

Richard, I’m very sensitive to new oak and it wasn’t noticeable here at all. It wasn’t stinky either, just nice earthy notes, but I like, and expect that from Cameron. It was a very clean, pretty, integrated wine. I’d imagine the AR and CE wines are still on the upswing, but it probably wouldn’t be a crime to try one just to get a gauge.

I popped a 2008 Abbey Ridge in January and it was “rocking”. Ripe-ish. A little bit of funk but low on the Cameron scale.

Sitting on a pair of magnums of the 2008 AR and CE with no plans to disturb them for a few more years. Down to only a handful of pre-2008 Camerons.

RT

I’m willing to age the Dundee Hills for at least a few years, and I’ve haven’t seen any issues with hold them for a decade. We had a 2014 a couple days ago and a 2010 a month ago, and they were both excellent. That is one wine where I always buy a case.