The Chehalem Mountains Appellation
is Oregon’s newest Appellation established in 2006. This Appellation encompasses the
area directly southwest of Portland and, as such, is probably the coolest part of the Willamette
Valley. We choose to source fruit from this cooler area because it is so distinctly
Oregonian – and so radically different from the fruit that we source from California.
Specifically, the grapes from the Chehalem Mountains tend to ripen at lower sugars with
higher levels of natural acidity. Fortunately, they also tend to show great physiological ripeness
at these lower sugar levels and thus we are able to utilize some whole cluster fermentations
with these wines. We believe this provides them with an additional level of complexity.
The 2006 Siduri Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir is a blend of 52% Muirfield Vineyards,
37% Arbre Vert Vineyards, and 11% Beran Vineyards Pinot Noir. It contains both older
Pommard Clone fruit (actually thought to be a Coury selection brought over from Burgundy
as a “suitcase clone”) as well as some of the newer-to-America Dijon clones.
The 2006 Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir has already received a 91 point rating from Pinot
Report Magazine. It was described this way: “Medium ruby color; deep, smoky, spicy aromas;
ripe, rich cherry flavors with spice and some smoky oak; silky texture; good structure
and balance; long finish. Deep and smoky flavors make this a perfect match for grilled
meats.” We simply think the wine tastes fantastic.
Production: 280 cases
Released: January 2008
~ Medium ruby color; bright herbal, raspberry aromas; rich, ripe raspberry fruit; herbal, floral notes; subtle and a bit elegant in the mouth; sweet oak; good structure and balance; long finish. This Pinot has an elegance and a pretty fruit profile that makes it great for the table.
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