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Sitting high on a hill overlooking Mt. Hood and the northern Willamette Valley, the Chestnut Hill Vineyard is one of our favorites. That’s because of the special qualities of the wines that it produces, and also because it was the first vineyard that founder Eric Lemelson planted over ten years ago.

Our 2004 Dry Riesling is a blend of the Humphrey’s Adria Vineyard and Elk Cove’s Windhill vineyard. Both 30 year old sites produced Riesling of great complexity and unique character. The wine shows lifted aromas of white florals, fresh papaya, ripe citrus and mineral notes. Concentrated flavors of fresh peach, wet stones, and lemon sorbet are balanced by a fine backbone of ripe acidity. This 2004 release has all the excellent fruit weight and concentration characteristic of our Riesling.

For the truly "bitten" Pinot noir lover who is looking for a wine of exceptional color with many layers of flavor - a wine of great complexity with incredible depth of mouthfeel, with a long finish and lots of ageability, there is no other choice but our Jerome Reserve.

This Chardonnay is made with the same great care and attention to detail as our Reserve Chardonnay. Here we are looking for a fresh, aromatic style that is enjoyable on release or after medium term cellaring. Citrus, stone-fruit and subtle oak aromas on the nose are accompanied by wheat, nut and butterscotch flavors on the palate. The concentration and great acid structure of this wine make it a very versatile food wine or enjoyable on its own.

Our 2002 Pinot Noir Rosé is made in the classic “saignée” style, meaning it is literally “bled off” the Pinot Noir vats after several hours of maceration. A limpid, eye-catching light salmon hue, the nose shows red raspberry, peach, red currant and yeasty notes. The mouth feel is soft, fruity and full, yet finishes with firm acidity. 20% of this wine was barrel-fermented in neutral (used) barrels to bring roundness and complexity, with the balance fermented in stainless steel to conserve fruitiness and freshness. In terms of complexity, balance, suppleness and bouquet, The 2002 Rosé will hit its peak sometime in the picnic season of summer 2003.

Our sole site in the Red Hills of Dundee is surrounded by many of the best-known vineyards in the Willamette Valley. We planted its steep, south facing Jory (Red Hills) soils exclusively to Pinot noir in 2001 and 2002. This densely planted site produces rich, concentrated wines that mix red and black fruit flavors with an impressive depth of flavor that was evident from the first harvest in 2003.

Deeply colored, with a dark blackberry, liquid silkiness, the Resonance vineyard demonstrates both up-front fruit and also significant aging potential due to its well- integrated structure. The wine is made from 23-year old vines from this well-managed, biodynamically-farmed vineyard, planted (in our blocks) to the Pommard and Wadensvil clones of Pinot noir. The older vines and low yields gives the wine an added dimension of complexity, aromatic layers, and mouthfeel.

The 2003 Stermer Vineyard Pinot noir combines enticing aromas with a mélange of pure fruit flavors that include red and black raspberry, black cherry, and blackberry. We find this one of the most balanced and seductive wines we’ve made from the vineyard. On the nose, the Stermer hints at black cherry, roses, vanilla, and anise notes. These aromas are mirrored by layered flavors of black and red fruit, framed with very ripe, sweet tannins. This medium-bodied wine has a ultra-soft and velvety finish.

Thea’s Selection is named after Dorothy Lemelson, Eric’s mom, who always wanted to be called Thea when she was young. She likes rich, satisfying Pinots, with lush fruit, soft tannins, and enough “backbone” (structure and acidity) to pair easily with fine cuisine. Thea wants the complexity that comes from low yields and minimal intervention in the winery, but she doesn’t want to have to wait three years for her Pinots to reach peak drinkability. Thea’s is indeed a “selection,” a reserve-level blend that combines individual barrels from any or all of our six vineyards. We select barrels that show the most forward, perfumed fruit, with good complexity and length. We have Thea’s wishes in mind when we blend this Pinot noir, and have tried to please her. We hope you are also pleased with the result!

Our 2004 Tikka’s Run Pinot Gris is a blend of fruit from our Wascher and Chestnut Hill Vineyards, as well as from Andy Humphrey’s Adria Vineyard. Fruit from each vineyard was harvested and fermented separately in stainless steel before finishing their evolution in neutral (used) oak barrels. The 2004 Tikka’s Run boasts a nose of citrus fruits and pears, with hints of kaffir lime. Its flavors again hint of pears, and the finish reminds us a bit of lemon meringue pie.

To make a classic Chardonnay in the Burgundian sense, with both richness and restraint, elegance and agability, one must be committed to bringing the same painstaking detail to the Chardonnay winemaking that one brings to Pinot Noir. Low yields, indigenous yeasts where possible, and, to get the best possible expression of an individual vineyard's terroir, a rigourous barrel-by-barrel selection is made pre-bottling, selecting only those which best express the vineyard's character. The percentage of new French oak is also paramount, and must not be too high, or the terroir of the vineyard risks being obscured. After some 14 months in barrel and one in vat, our Wascher Vineyard Chardonnay is bottled and left to further round out in bottle until its release date, a full two years after the harvest.