Winery - Carabella
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This deceptive Pinot, from one of Oregon’s newly-coined AVAs, enters with light cranberry and strawberry flavors, but keeps piling on nuances. First it adds in some baking spice, hints of cardamom and caroway, then seems to gain in weight and strength as it sails across the palate. The fruit moves into layers of plum and sour cherry, and the toasty tannins add still more depth to the elegant finish. Lovely effort in an elegant style.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Big fruit, fleshy and round, dotted with apple-pie spices. It’s reasonably soft, a gentle, warm and fuzzy lapdog of a wine, that finishes with noticeable heat.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The Carabella vineyard shows its best stuff in 2004. Lovely aromas of fruit, cola, herb and cedar waft from the glass. Classic Pinot, elegant and complex right off the bat. Beautifully structured and harmonious, this wine is a lovely example of how the best Oregon wines straddle the line between the succulent fruit of California and the acid-driven structure of premier cru Burgundy.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This 100% barrel-fermented Chardonnay leads you seductively with a softly fruity approach, filling out throughout the mid-palate with a lovely blend of stone fruits. Layers of sweet cream, spicy, pepper and hazelnuts keep it interesting right into a lingering finish. The length and texture really set this wine apart from the pack.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is one of the first wines to put the new Chehalem Mountains AVA on the label. This is home turf for the estate vineyard. This is great fruit, fully ripe and simply packed with luscious flavor. The winemaking pushes it a bit, and there are hints of volatility, but it pulls itself together into a truly delicious midpalate loaded with fruits, nuts and butterscotch. Dense and resonant, this is a wine that keeps on going, and you can’t help yourself—you want another glass.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A very tasty wine, loaded with fleshy, fruity flavor. The dominant note is fresh cut pear, dappled with cinnamon spice. Round and balanced, it’s a delicious bottle with just a slight hint of residual sweetness.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
An unusual style, with light scents of fennel leading into intriguing flavors of caraway, arugula and pear. However, after a promising start, the wine fades quickly into a light, tart finish.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This excellent grower/producer has crafted a ripe, muscular Pinot Noir with the accent on spicy cranberry, plum and cherry compote. Adding complexity are the unfolding barrel flavors— chocolate in particular—and a suggestion of root beer that marks it as Chehalem Mountains fruit.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Barrel-fermented in French oak, this expressive wine makes a compelling case, as do all the wines of Carabella and neighbor Chehalem, for this new Oregon AVA. Bright apple-flavored fruit is laced with plenty of buttery oak, oily nut flavors, sweet cream and spice, with the acid underpinnings to cut through any rich sauces.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Carabella’s tasty, toasty take on Pinot Gris is a blend of two clones, mostly fermented in stainless steel, but with a third of it fermented in neutral oak. The resulting wine is elegant and complex, a mix of white peach and pear, toasted hazelnuts and butterscotch. Simply delicious.
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