This Oregon pinot noir was a light, clear ruby red in the glass, offering an overwhelming hydrogen sulfide smell, which eventually blew off. Like many of its youthful peers from this vintage, the Chehalem 2007 Pinot Noir 3 Vineyards Willamette Valley (13.5%) is best served decanted, for it did start to show off some deep red fruit, especially cherry notes, after some time in the glass. On the palate, the Chehalem provided very bright acidity, leading to some sour strawberry notes, but then followed by a long cherry finish. We paired the Chehalem 2007 3 Vineyard with a dinner...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Oregon chardonnay was a bit disappointing in terms of what it delivered at its price point of $19. In the glass, this wine was a very light yellow color offering faint notes of tropical fruit and very muted mineral notes. On the palate, it was outright flat, with weak acidity and little to show for the varietal. We ended up not finishing the bottle of this lackluster wine, for it wasn't worth filling our glasses with something that left us wanting. The Chehalem 2007 INOX Chardonnay Willamette Valley (13.5%) did not meet the bar in terms of bouquet,...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) This Oregon pinot noir started out well, then took a bit of slump during our meal, before recovering the next day. On the eyes, the Chehalem 2005 3 Vineyards Pinot Noir (13.2%) was a translucent garnet color. On the nose, it offered red berry fruits including strawberry and raspberry with slight hints of earth and dusty dirt. On the palate, there was cherry and strawberry with balanced acidity. With dinner, the Chehalem 3 Vineyards pinot evolved to show sweet, candied cherry flavors. Kari thought it tasted a bit metallic, almost tinny. On the...

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Posted by Thad W. at 09:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)