Chehalem Reserve Pinot Noir 2008
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Wine Spectator
Polished, open-textured and inviting for its cinnamon-accented red berry and wet earth flavors, mingling effectively on the refined finish. A bit disjointed, but cellaring should bring it all together nicely. Best from 2013 through 2020. 671 cases made.
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Wine Enthusiast
The 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir Reserve, sourced entirely from the Ribbon Ridge AVA, was a selection of the most elegant barrels in the cellar. It proffers a sensual perfume worthy Catherine Deneuve, a silky texture with subtle flavors of wild cherry and raspberry, outstanding concentration, and well-concealed tannins that will allow 4-6 years of graceful evolution. This lengthy, finesse-filled effort will be at its best from 2014 to 2023, but that is a conservative estimate.
Under the direction of founder/winemaker Harry Peterson-Nedry, Chehalem has taken full advantage of the great 2008 vintage and produced its finest set of Pinot Noirs to date.
Other Vintages
2016-
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Suckling
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James
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Robert
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Wine &
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Robert
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Chehalem is considered a vineyard winery, aiming to reflect what the vineyard has produced, purely, with minimal processing and without compromising great fruit. Their name, Chehalem, translates to Valley of Flowers in the Native American language, Calapooia. It’s their goal to follow the example set centuries ago: to treat the land with great care and to continue the mission of creating a sustainable future.
Their story starts in 1990 with the inaugural Pinot Noir harvest at Ridgecrest Vineyard. As those wines were releasing in 1993, Bill Stoller joined as co-owner. He subsequently purchased his family farmlands at the southern tip of the Dundee with the vision of planting it as our second estate vineyard.
In 1995, they purchased Corral Creek, the vineyard surrounding the winery. It became the third estate vineyard.
In early 2018, Bill became the sole owner of Chehalem, and by July, they had become the sixth Oregon winery to achieve B Corp status. This rigorous certification assesses companies to ensure they meet the highest standard of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability.
While the Willamette Valley and Pinot Noir are a like a fairy tale match made in heaven, most of Oregon is in fact, a glorious source of Pinot noir. Claiming over half of its total area under vine, Pinot noir also thrives in Southern Oregon’s Umpqua and Rogue Valleys where sedimentary and volcanic soils dominate hillside vineyards and cool temperatures create the perfect environment for Pinot noir. Also, Oregon’s Columbia Gorge is becoming increasingly popular for Pinot noir production. What sets Oregon Pinot noir apart from the Pinot of other regions, both New and Old World, is its innate combination of grace with both power and restraint.