One of the longstanding houses for great Oregon Pinot Noir, Lemelson Vineyards was founded by eminent environmental lawyer, Eric Lemelson who first began planting Pinot Noir in 1995. He created a high tech gravity flow winery which processed it’s first vintage in 1999. All farming practices are organic at Lemelson. Matt Wengel serves as Lemelson winemaker. Matt is a graduate of the prestigious UC Davis Enology and Viticulture program. Following his time workin harvests in Sonoma County, he worked in South Africa at Warwick Estate and had stops in Chile as well as upstate New York. He eventually accepted a position at Stags Leap Winery in Napa Valley and well as serving as assistant winemaker at Clos Pegase for several years prior to. Coming to Lemelson Vineyards.
I try a lot of Oregon wines as I reviewed more than 500 wines from Oregon in my last Oregon Report. The new Lemelson releases were really beautiful across the board. Matt has an excellent handle on Chardonnay as I have enjoyed these wines over the years. His 2015 Lemelson ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay (WWB, 91) has wonderful body and entices with its range and viscosity. Even better was the 2015 Lemelson ‘Meyer Vineyard’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 92) which shows a beautiful black fruit profile and has the stuffing to cellar for more than a decade. Learn more about these excellent new wines at http://www.lemelsonvineyards.com Here are the great new wines by Lemelson Vineyards.
2015 Lemelson ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay- The ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay shows lovely brioche accents with poached pear and marzipan on the nose. The mid-palate delights with serious weight. Brandy soaked pear, marzipan, Challah bread and vanilla creme brûlée flavors all nicely mingle in the glass. The tension and weight of this wine is really enticing. Drink 2018-2024- 91
2015 Lemelson ‘Chestnut Hill Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Located in the Chehalem Mountains, the Chesnut Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir begins with aromas of cola, red currant jelly, peat moss and red cherry starburst candy. The palate shows good weight with red and dark fruits mingling nicely. With good mid-palate weight and solid tension, this is another outstanding new release by Lemelson. Drink 2018-2028- 91
2015 Lemelson ‘Stermer Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- Sourced from the Yamhill-Carlton AVA, the 2015 ‘Stermer Vineyard’ Pinot Noir shows raspberry cordial, mulberry and cola aromatics. The silky texture to this delicate Pinot Noir is really great. Red currant jelly, forest floor, loganberry preserves and white rose water flavors all combine in the glass, connecting with good acidity. Bright, inviting, and on the sexy side, this will cellar nicely for a decade or more. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Lemelson ‘Meyer Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The Meyer Vineyard is located in the Dundee Hills and shows a decidedly darker fruit profile than the other Pinot Noir bottlings. The nose verges on chocolate with dark fruits prominent and suggestions of black tea. Ripe, plush and generous, the wine shows wild blackberry, huckleberry and black tea flavors that delight. Round and enticing, this rich Pinot Noir will cellar well for the next fifteen years. Drink 2018-2033- 92
2015 Lemelson ‘Thea’s Selection’ Pinot Noir- Dark in the glass, the ‘Thea’s Selection’ begins with a bouquet of black cherry cordial, Asian spice and suggestions of forest floor. The earthy tones on the nose add to the enjoyment. The acidity and brightness of the wine is fantastic, as is the mid-palate weight. Black fruits mingle with red fruits and lighter earthy and citrus rind tones. This will provide drinking enjoyment over the next decade. Drink 2018-2028- 91
2015 Lemelson ‘Jerome Reserve’ Pinot Noir- Sourced from a host of Willamette Valley Vineyards, the ‘Jerome Reserve’ shows beautiful blackberry, huckleberry and forest floor aromatics that build in the glass. The sense of weight and minerality is very good as the wine builds into wild blackberry, huckleberry and mulberry flavors with peat moss elements. Drink 2018-2028- 91