Calkins Lane Wine Event

Spring comes slowly in Oregon. Throughout March and into the beginning of April we've had rain (quite normal) but we've also had temperatures in the 30's and 40's which is just nasty! So it was with great delight that I headed out to the annual Calkins Lane wine event under clear blue skies and temperatures promising to reach into the 60's today.

Calkins Lane is home to some of our favorite Pinot Noir produces in the Chehalem Mountain AVA. Wine made from the grapes grown here has a distinctive earthy nose that lets you know right where the the grapes were grown. Last year, a group of 5 wineries within a mile of each other on Calkins Ln decided to hold an open house where they charged a single fee that was good for tasting at all 5. All proceeds were donated to ¡Salud! - a collaboration between Oregon winemakers and healthcare professionals to provide access to health care for Oregon's seasonal vineyard workers and their families.

My first stop was Adelsheim Winery. Founded in 1971 by Dave and Ginny Adelsheim, it is one of Oregon's older Pinot Noir producers. They've just opened a new tasting room which is considerably larger than the old one. Today they were tasting the following wines:
2007 Caitlin's Reserve Chardonnay - crisp and very clean with notes of apricot. A touch of new French oak gave it just a nice bit of toast.
2008 Pinot Noir Rose - refreshing with a huge strawberry nose.
2006 Elizabeth's Reserve Pinot Noir - very warm, smoky and dark with a hint of cedar.
2007 Boulder Bluff Pinot Noir - smooth and earthy, but not as smoky and dark as the '06 Elizabeth.
2007 Anna-Louise Pinot Noir - lots of dark fruit (plum and black cherry) and very warm for an '07.

Next up was ArborBrook Vineyards. They are a relative newcomer to Calkins Ln; I believe that 2004 was their first vintage (and a nice one too!). Dave and Mary Hansen own the vineyard, and Laurent Montelieu is their winemaker. We enjoyed the 2004 and 2006 vintages of their Pinot Noir very much, but 2007 was challenging. The '07 Pinots are light and subtle - making it harder to find the dark earthiness that we enjoy in Calkins Ln wines. We last tasted the '07 Pinots in February. Today they were tasting:
2008 Croft Vineyard Pinot Gris - using fruit from near Monmouth, this Pinot Gris was fermented 100% in stainless steel. It was crisp but very light and less interesting to me.
2007 ANA Vineyard Pinot Gris - sourced from the Dundee Hills, this Pinot Gris was barrel fermented sur lies and is much fuller and rounder than the Croft. Pale yellow in color, it tastes lightly yeasty with good acid. Hints of citrus and vanilla.
2007 Heritage Cuvee Pinot Noir - both the nose and taste of this wine have intensified since Feb. becoming darker and earthier. Tannins have smoothed somewhat, but could still use more time.
2007 Estate 777 Block Pinot Noir - Very light in both color and flavor intensity, this is a subtle wine. So far I still prefer the Heritage. We own bottles of both Pinot Noirs, and it's interesting to see how they are developing over time.

My next stop was Lachini Vineyards. They are usually closed except for Memorial Day and Thanksgiving, and I believe the last time we tasted here was the weekend before Thanksgiving last year when we inadvertantly crashed a members-only event. They were very kind and let us taste anyway. All of their wines except the 'S' Pinot Noir are made by Laurent Montalieu. Today they were tasting:
2007 Lachini Vineyards Pinot Noir 'S' made by Peter Rosback of Sinnean from Lachini estate fruit. Fairly dark Calkins Ln nose, somewhat tannic, warm and earthy. Some bleed off during fermentation to concentrate the flavor.
2007 Lachini Estate Pinot Noir - Darker and richer than the 'S', somewhat tannic. Very nice, as usual.
2006 Lachini Estate Pinot Noir - much riper and fruitier than the '07 with dark fruits on the nose. Not quite as earthy as the '07 however.
2006 Cuvee Giselle Pinot Noir - Huge strawberry nose with lighter fruits than the '06 estate.
2006 Il Mulinell0 - a Bordeaux blend using fruit from Klipson and Ciel du Cheval in Washington. Very smooth and drinkable, finer tannins than the 2005.
2006 La Bestia - a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon using fruit from Klipson, this is big and earthy, much smoother than the 2005.
2006 Pinot Noir Port - Fairly light and a little harsh.

The next property north is Bergstrom Winery, known for their Riesling and Pinot Noir. We've tasted their wines a couple of times and enjoy them very much. They used to be open by appointment only, but will now have regular tasting hours. Emily Freiler, who we got to know when she was the tasting room manager at Scott Paul wines, is now pouring at Bergstom. Today they were tasting:
2007 Dr. Bergstrom Riesling - we loved the 2006, but they weren't pouring the 2007 on our last visit, so it was great to finally get to try it. It was crisp with refreshing minerals and just enough sweetness to balance the acidity. Very nice.
2006 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir - this is their "value" wine, and frankly I was disappointed. It was tight and tannic and somewhat bitter.
2007 Winery Block Pinot Noir - a big wine for an '07, this had dark fruits and was somewhat spicy. Somewhat atypical for Calkins Ln fruit.
2007 de Lancellotti Vineyard Pinot Noir - wow, this was really nice. Nice dark fruits (plum and black cherry), hints of cedar with plenty of tannin. Good Calkins Ln nose too!

My last stop was right next door to Bergstrom: the de Lancellotti Family Vineyards. Paul de Lancellotti is Josh Bergstrom's brother in law, and they share fruit from the estate vineyard. Paul makes just one Pinot from his fruit, and it is a nice one. He was tasting 2 vintages:
2006 Estate Pinot Noir - big and fruity, but not over the top. Mostly Pommard clone with some Dijon 115 for added interest. Dark fruits and long finish.
2007 Estate Pinot Noir - this was a barrel sample (he'll be bottling in the next week) and it was really nice. Somewhat lighter than the '06, it still retains a dark fruitiness. May want to drop in to taste on Memorial Day weekend.

The event was very well done, and a great value too - $30 for all 5 wineries is less than what you'd pay normally just to taste at Bergstrom and Adelsheim (and you get 3 more on top of that!). I was concerned that it was going to be a zoo given the nice weather, and while they did have good crowds at each place, it wasn't bad at all. While most folks came in their private vehicles, there were a few limos, and I even drove past a full size tour bus blocking one lane of the road in front of ArborBrook on the way home. I guess I timed that right!