Winery - Lemelson
* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
It opens with sweet/tart raspberry fruit, a streamlined, well-defined wine underscored by tart, citrusy acids. It does not show the harmonious complexity of the blends, but it is a very pleasant wine, soft and approachable, sweet and smooth. A bit one-dimensional; it begins with fresh berry fruit, tosses in a hint of cherry tobacco, and leaves a slightly earthy impression in the finish, but fails to move in the mouth.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The Stermer, which I have enjoyed in previous vintages, gets kudos for achieving an alcohol level at a moderate 13.5% despite being harvested at less than two tons/acre. Tight, spicy and astringent, it falls quite short in the mouth, resisting efforts to open it up with additional breathing time. It is more of a component than a full-flavored, full-bodied finished wine.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Another star in a super lineup from Lemelson, the Stermer is lush with ripe, wild berries saturated in milk chocolate. The middle thickens into fat black cherry flavors, and it sails into a smooth, polished, satiny finish that tastes like ripe fruit on wet stone.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Though lighter than the excellent 2006 Meyer Vineyard Pinot Noir, this compensates with a graceful blend of sweet/tart cherry fruit, licorice, herb and moist earth. The alcohol is a full percentage point lower than the previous vintage, and somehow the wine seems more Burgundian as a result, yet with plenty of pretty, juicy fruit. Nicely done.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Sometimes a reserve designation on a Chardonnay simply translates to excessive use of new oak; here it brings a rich abundance of fruit, along with a density and texture rarely found in domestic Chardonnays. This is a fruit salad of a wine, to be sure, running through a farmer’s market’s worth of peaches, apples, pears, apricots, bananas and more. But it also brings the butter, the butterscotch and the barrel toast, layered in and wrapped around the fruits so it has the richness of a banana split, and some of the creaminess as well.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
A youthful, compact wine with pure, pleasurable fruit. The flavors run to berries red, blue and black, along with hints of cassis, spice and even cocoa. It’s a balanced, elegant wine that shows careful winemaking and good medium-term aging potential. —P.G.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
Labeled Willamette but located in the Chehalem Mountain AVA, this single-vineyard Pinot Noir from Lemelson captures a tight, spicy, herbal facet of the grape. It’s almost salty, with a strong pine resin flavor running down its spine, but in a very attractive way. This is distinctive, perhaps not for everyone, but extremely well made and terroir-driven. As the wine breathes open, beautiful berry flavors rise to the front of the palate.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This excellent, 20-year-old, dry-farmed vineyard is one of Oregon’s best. Cola scents set off a clean, perfectly ripened, elegant Pinot that clearly demonstrates the varietal character of the grape. Not a blockbuster, but a beautiful rendering of the varietal, with extra dimensions that seem to reflect the terroir. Structure to add complexity over time. —P.G.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
The winery calls this their “most precocious” Pinot, and indeed it is. Forward, fruity, sweetly flavored with grapes and berries, it also carries light spices and enough tannins for short-term cellaring.—P.G.
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* Expert NoteJanuary 12, 2012
This is a rich, barrel fermented style that delivers creamy, layered, textured flavors accented with flower, white pepper and mineral notes. A smack of butterscotch finishes it beautifully.
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