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Over the years we have come to realize that the Draper clone, planted at Abbey Ridge in 1976, produces the superior fruit from the Chardonnay section of the vineyard. In 2002 this was especially true so we have chosen to blend only the three measly but wonderful barrels that we gleaned from this vintage. With a long hang time the sugars were uncharacteristically high even though there was plenty of acidity. This produced respectable alcohol levels to give the wine great mouth feel. The classic Burgundian aging technique (leaving the wine on its sediment for nearly 2 years) contributes an additional layer of yeastiness.

With vines approaching 30 years old Abbey Ridge consistently delivers some of the most complex wines from Oregon. Since it is typically ripe late in the harvest season, it shows its best when October weather cooperates (as it did in 2002). Though the '02 Abbey Ridge is already exhibiting its trademark aromas of lavendar, rose petal and rosemary overlaying dark cherry, expect it to continue to improve for several years. We picked only the most stunning barrels for this blend so supplies are limited.

Dear old departed Arley, possibly the only dog on the planet to have a vineyard block named after him, would be wagging his tail over the '02 offering from his vines. This wine offers a highlight of the vintage with wonderful complexity and leanness. It has a smoky exterior due to its secret clonal selection and bright cherry notes on top. But the signature experience is the lingering finish which goes on and on even after the glass has been set down. Because it is drinking extremely well now, it will doubtless appear on wine lists in the few locales where it is available.

This is the winemaker's favorite wine for 2002. It is also the bookkeeper's favorite wine, the vineyard manager's preferred wine and the absolute creme de la creme for the CEO of Cameron Winery. Confession: this is a really small winery and I wear all of those hats but my wife would do flips over it if she could do flips...she does do pretty cool cartwheels though! Five different clones of Chardonnay (5) and one clone of Pinot blanc were fermented with the ambient yeasts from the vineyard and left to age in older barrels for 21 months. You could easily lose it in a blind tasting of white Cote de Beaunes.

This wine is never for the faint of heart. The 2002 is gnarly and singing with black fruit overlade with bacon fat and any other meat that you can conjure up in your mind. It is not a wine for the masses but if you like classic old Burgundies from places like Nuits Saint-Georges then you will love this offering. It sat in our cave at 57 degrees (Fahrenheit) for nearly 2 years before it offered itself up for bottling. The fleet of foot will be rewarded while everyone else will have to find a friend in the first category.

The quantity of Pinot bianco fruit in 2003 was a bit smaller than usual and this probably contributed to the extra intensity of stone fruit aromatics. We also picked it a bit earlier so as to be more in line with typical Friulian approaches to this varietal. Consequently the alcohol levels barely reached 12.0% and the wine retained a nice core of acidity. It is the perfect wine for shellfish and is, frankly, damn good all by itself!

A sleek new wine in a very sleek new package makes the '03 Giuliano a must buy. The blend is proprietary but this year's offering included Chardonnay, Auxerrois, Pinot grigio, an albino clone of Pinot grigio and a bit of moscato all fermented in stainless steel. Floral notes mix with traces of flint and the mouth is full and rich. The Giuliano is a perfect match for so many food courses from oysters to cassoulet. It is named for the next generation of Cameron, Julian, who conceived of the idea for the wine and had a hand in selecting the blend (all at the heart-throb age of 17). Now he races around Portland on his little Vespa and pitches his product to the best restaurants in town.

Oh when oh when will the Bureau of Alcohol finally grant us approval for our Red Hills of Dundee appellation. While it languishes in bureaucracy, however, our village wine from the Red Hills will continue to handle the less exciting appellation of "Willamette Valley." This wine is probably our most consistent offering from vintage to vintage. Since it is all barrel fermented and left on the yeast sediment for 1 year, it is always rich and full-bodied and a long finish. It is the only Chardonnay at Cameron which sees new French oak but, at that, only a small percentage. With the '03 vintage the alcohol is slightly higher than the previous offering but still weighs in at only 13.1%.