TN: 2007 Cameron Pinot Noir Willamette Valley

WINE TALK
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  • 2007 Cameron Pinot Noir Willamette Valley - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (6/25/2009)
    Based on our previous experiences with this wine, I decanted it two hours before dinner. This bottle was consistent with the others. Loamy Earth, cherry, raspberry, and Oregon funk. Very silky and bright on the palate, with the same earthy-cherryberry profile as the nose. The acid seemed to intensify over the course of the evening… or perhaps it just stood out more once we finished dinner and drank the last couple of glasses without food. We paid $16 per bottle for our case, but I’ve seen it as low as $14 on sale. This is a ludicrously great buy for a well-made, food-friendly wine with a true sense of place. We’ll probably drink our remaining 9 bottles over the next three years or so.

Posted from CellarTracker

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I don’t drink a lot of Oregon wines. How does Oregon funk differ from other funk?

Based on your note this sounds like a good candidate for a house pinot.

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I don’t drink a lot of Oregon wines. How does Oregon funk differ from other funk?

Based on your note this sounds like a good candidate for a house pinot.

Paul;

If you haven’t had a lot of Oregon pinots, I think you may have a hard time adjusting/liking John Paul’s (Cameron) renditions of pinot.
The transition from Calif to Oregon calls for some palate experience and recalibration of expectations. The transition would be easier if you started out
trying the likes of Patty Green, Lemelson, Dusky Goose, Le Cadeau, Bergstrom, Witness Tree, Penner Ash, Soter Beacon Hill, and Ken Wright.
Once you have adjusted to that subtle change of pinot profile, you can again transition to the next stylistic shelf if you will of things like St. Innocent,
Belle Pente, Westrey, J. Albin, J. Christopher, Boedecker, Francis Tannahill, Brooks, and many others.
Then, at the very end of the spectrum of Oregon higher acidity/funk lies Cameron and Eyrie. Evesham Wood and Thomas, which are my two most-favorite producers are somewhere between
tier 2 and 3 of acidity/funkiness. Naturally there’s all kinds of room for disagreement from others very knowledgeable about Oregon pinot on this-which is my take and only that.

For example, some renditions of Thomas can be quite mainstream. Some renditions of Patty Green and Belle Pente can be plenty funky, particularly the PG Four Winds and BP Murto.

Once you get hooked on Oregon pinot, there’s little going back to the more simplistic straightforward missionary position only full frontal attack of Calif pinot, again this being only my highly personal
viewpoint and not meant to stir up those who continue to love Calif pinot.

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Mitch;

Your discussion was very right on in all aspects! [cheers.gif]

One also needs to add to this equation the 07 vintage. I don’t want to start a fight with Melissa and young wines here (she’ll be doing TNs on 08 in a couple months [shrug.gif] ), but most of the producers themselves are saying that the 07s need a couple years of bottle time to fully come around. Even though they can be consumed now, these are mostly not drink now pinots. I concur with that assessment.

So the moral to that story is to have the gentleman start with perhaps 06s, which are closer in ripeness and style to CA pinots, before jumping headlong into 07s where the difference with these young wines to CA pinots will be even more pronounced. The stylistic and terrior differrences will still be there, but not so dramatic as to be abusive.

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So the moral to that story is to have the gentleman start with perhaps 06s, which are closer in ripeness and style to CA pinots, before jumping headlong into 07s where the difference with these young wines to CA pinots will be even more pronounced. The stylistic and terrior differrences will still be there, but not so dramatic as to be abusive.

I don’t disagree with you-I would hate to disagree with anybody who so resolutely agrees with me [ok.gif] -but man, I just hate the '06s. I bought way too many of them and have yet to find one that
spoke of Oregon. Hell, I think I have had less success with '06 than '03, though that might be a stretch. But I do agree that to someone with a Calif pinot palate, '06s are a good transition vintage. '04 would be next, the '05s have been awkward since shortly after release, and actually, most of the '07s released so far have been surprisingly open for business when not still suffering from bottle shock.

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Oops, Gordon, I totally forgot that this wasn’t ready to drink! [wink.gif]

The first time we opened one of these, it was a data point. We bought twelve, and wanted to taste one. We’ve opened two more bottles since then… because it’s delicious. We’re not opening a bottle that the winemaker says isn’t ready and whining about-- we’re enjoying it.

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Mitch;

Again we Agree! My comment was not to overrate the 06 vintage, but to suggest it as a better stepping stone to OR pinots for a CA lover.

The 03’s are coming around. They are settling in rather nicely. Last weekend, I had the 03 Domaine Serene “Mark Bradford”. After about a two hour decant, this wine has developed into a wonderful wine. Much better than when tried a year ago. This seems to be the case with many of the 03s I’ve had recently. Many still have several years before they may even peak.

I believe the 05’s are late bloomers. I have basically stuffed most of my 05’s in the back of the cellar and am waiting for a couple of years. Lemelsons, and some others, are drinking OK, but I believe they all need at least a couple more years of bottle time. 04’s drinking wonderfully now!

After most of the vintners comments, I honestly have not opened many of my 07’s. The ones that I have, Shea and Penner Ash, both needed cellar time imho. I think Tom pretty well advised to let his 07 Le Cadeau lay awhile. Seems the drift is that the 07 plan should closely mirror that of the 05 plan. But that is all personal tastes and cellar space.

Melissa; see you posted. Don’t want to go there. Not my intention. Wines are ready to drink whenever you want to drink them. I was just trying to give the CA pinot drinker a little help. Shouldn’t even made the side line, it’s a useless conversation on both parts.

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I’ll try to answer that… Steve and I have certainly spent a lot of time at the table trying to define it! It’s Earthy in a sweet way… maybe a little fresh grass, a little manure… but there’s something salty to it too. Perhaps one of our other OR enthusiasts (Steve? Bob? Jason? Michael?) can do a better job describing it.

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Mitch, I don’t drink much California pinot either. Now if you can transition me from Burgundy to Oregon, I might understand. The only Oregon pinot I drink from time to time are St. Innocent’s.

Melissa, sounds like something I’ve encountered with certain South African pinots. Not that I drink many of those either.

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The best description I’ve heard came from Michael Alberty, who described it as “oyster shells”. To me, it’s more saline/sea air-ish than salty, if such a distinction makes any sense at all.

Gordon: I agree with you that '06 would be a more appropriate vintage for easing a transition from CA to OR pinots. I also agree that the majority of '07s are probably not ready to drink at this time. And we can agree to politely disagree about the '07 Cameron in particular. [cheers.gif]

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Not just oyster shells, it’s that slippery lining of the shell of a fresh, clean oyster. I used to call it coastal barnyard funk. If an Oregon Pinot Noir had that earthiness combined with that fresh ocean sea breeze quality I pictured a nice, clean barnyard on a bluff overlooking the Oregon coast. When I mentioned this once to David Adelsheim he laughed at me, but he said I should talk to Eric Hammacher about it because Eric used the oyster shell reference. So I stole that part of it from Eric. But coastal sea funk is all mine!

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Steve;

I don’t think we have any disagreements at all on the subject! smile

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Great stuff. Thanks for the thread Melissa. And Mitch, great write up, although having followed Paul’s notes, as he said, Cali to Oregon is not the transition he needs to make and I don’t think he should bother with 06.

Shocked by the comments about the 03s. I hope you are right. I enjoyed them young but have stopped drinking them. I buried a few in the locker to see where they end up.

Anybody tried the Cameron Dundee Hills?

and btw, this is the firstI have seen of the new animations … a little bit annoying writing about wine and seeing this bullshit over and over.


Jason

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Jason, I’m biased, but I think the Cameron Dundee Hills is amazing this year.

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Mmmmm. 2007 Dundee . . .

  • 2007 Cameron Pinot Noir Dundee Hills - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (6/9/2009)
    If this is any indication, 2007 will be a good year for Cameron. Lighter than the 2005, clear rose all the way to the rim. Nose is floral, with fruit tree blossoms, a hint of lavender and just a bit of the Cameron funk. Acidity is way lively now, almost spritzy, so there still some time for settling in here. Right now, flavor’s not quite as interesting as the nose, and the finish is a bit short, but there’s nothing to complain about here. If you like the Cameron style, go long on this one. (91 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Love Cameron.

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Thanks guys. I have a few of these sitting in my locker.

J

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I can’t, especially because Mitch has cited Murto as having a funk when I’ve always thought it had a distinctive spice to the point where I’ve been able to pick it blind out of a flight - knowing it was there, of course. Sorry. [cry.gif]

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I’m stunned that this crowd let this awesomely Berserkian description pass without further comment! [shock.gif]

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This Board has gained a very intelligent and helpful voice in that of Michael Alberty. Locker room? Frat house? C’mon. Anyone who talks wine with Michael knows that he is serious about good wine.

Bob (Wood); I hope that the next time we get to Portland, we can get together and that you will make the effort to get outside the comfort zone of your home. I do enjoy your perspectives on just about everything. Murto is more spice than funk? OK. I will defer to your experience. Seriously.

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Indeed, but Michael has serious potential to raise our locker room quotient too!