2004 Lemelson, Chestnut Hill PN Chahalem Mountains-
This vineyard IIRC, is up on the hill above Chehalem’s winery on the south side of the 99 at 1000 ft. elevation- Explosive nose of cherry, orange/strawberry compote, sous bois, matzutaki mushroom(classic Or.PN), with a mature, earthy feel. The palate is full and rich, yet has enough acidity to keep it from feeling syrupy, yet a bit on the soft side, like many of the 04’s I’ve had. Flavors of cherry, some orange peel, cedar and a minerally back end. The tannins are soft, leaving me to feel this is close to or at it’s peak for my palate. Very nice- one of the best Lemelson’s we’ve had in a while.
2006 Mountford Estate, PN, Waipara, New Zealand-
Initially, there was an interesting plastic and aged gouda nose that was a bit off putting, but an hour in the decantor blew that off to reveal a somewhat reticent nose of forest floor/dry underbrush/leaves baking in the sun, cigar box and earthy cherry. The palate is nice and balanced, echoing the aromas, with a medium long finish. This is much better than the bottle I had back when these came down the pipe. I am glad I jumped on this deal for 6 bottles. A great buy at $16 from Southern Hemisphere wines.
I am lucky to be able to sell Eric’s wines up here in Oregon. I really feel that his Pinots really do age. I remember tasting a 6 year old Thea’s and was amazed at its complexity. He certainly is one of my favorites. I also consider myself lucky to have met CP Lin from Mountford. I also boughtsome of the Mountford Pinot at that price as well as the Villages wine as well. I am sorry that your wines are not available to sell here in Oregon. They do sound very interesting. Let me know when you start to sell your wine here in Oregon.
The Lemelson is kicking the Mountfords butt, for my taste anyway. I really have not found a NZ Pinot that I love. It is better than when we tasted it last year but it is simple cherry and oak and not enough Pinot character for me.
The Lemelson, on the other hand, is pure OR WV Pinot and I love it! My favorite Lemelson wine so far. Good job Eric!
The Chestnut Hill sounds great. My spreadsheet (I’m archaic, I know) indicates that I have one bottle of the '04. It sounds like it’s time to dig it out. IMHO, the Chestnut Hill was Lemelson’s best vineyard designate Pinot in '03 and second best in '06. The high elevation definately is a plus in the warmer vintages.
Yes it is singing right now, getting better by the minute. When I traded this wine with Eric(he gave me and 04 and an 02 CH), he mentioned that thought 1000 ft. was pushing it for the regoin, but did well in warm years. The 09 should be good. I can’t wait to try the 02- I’ve been holding my 02’s as they seem to have a load of structure.