Oregon is home to a wealth of small, top class wineries that seem to consistently over-deliver for the price. Paul and Kendall de Lancellotti founded their own winery and both were both early partners of Bergstrom Wines in 1999. They chose to plant their own vineyard in 2001 which was 16 acre Chehalem Mountain parcel focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Flash forward several years, de Lancellotti Family Vineyards was founded in 2005 focusing on producing high quality Pinot Noir that showcases specific terroir and vineyards.
For years I have admired the wines of Robert Brittan who serves as consulting winemaker for de Lancellotti. The new wines came from 2019 which had some massive challenges at harvest and a very even growing season. Don’t miss out on the 2019 de Lancellotti ‘Le Mie Figlie’ Chardonnay (OB, 92) which is plush and beautifully textured with great finesse and salty tones. Even better is the 2019 de Lancellotti ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir (OB, 93) which has great depth and stony tones with a silky texture. Learn more about these great wines at http://www.delancellottifamilyvineyards.com/ Here are the great new wines by de Lancellotti.
2019 de Lancellotti ‘La Sorella’ Chardonnay- Sourced from Anderson, Formaglini and Hyland Vineyards, ripe orchard fruits with lemon curd and stony undertones fill the nose. The palate is soft and plush with good verve and excellent length. Shades of lemon oil and salted Macadamia nut add to the enjoyment here, as this beautiful wine will cellar well over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2021-2029- 91
2019 de Lancellotti ‘Le Mie Figlie’ Chardonnay- Soft and generous once on the mouth, the 2019 ‘Le Mie Figlie’ Chardonnay evokes lemon zest and toasted brioche tones as well as hints of honeydew melon and saline drenched pear on the palate. With plenty of body and finesse, this beautiful wine will provide drinking enjoyment over the next decade. Drink 2021-2031- 92
2019 de Lancellotti ‘Estate’ Chardonnay- The 2019 de Lancellotti ‘Estate’ Chardonnay is a brilliant new bottling that utilizes Dijon clones 96 & 76. Aged for ten months in French oak, this shows heady Challah bread, banana and toasty oak tones on the nose with shades of Meyer lemon rind. The palate is plush and seamless as this effortlessly glides across the drinking experience, yielding copious citrus and orchard fruits alongside a seamless texture and bright veil of tension. Gorgeous in its youth, this has another decade or more to go. Drink 2021-2033- 93
2020 de Lancellotti ‘Pinot Nero Bianco’ White Pinot Noir- Flinty tones match shades of white peach, golden delicious apple and nutty tones on the palate, with a good degree of finesse. This is best enjoyed over the next several years. Drink 2021-2024- 90
2019 de Lancellotti ‘La Sorella’ Pinot Noir- The 2019 ‘La Sorella’ shows off a soft mouthfeel with forward red currents and red cherry candy alongside minerals and damp earth undertones. Lighter to medium-bodied, enjoy over the next five plus years. Drink 2021-2026- 90
2019 de Lancellotti ‘Famiglia’ Pinot Noir- Soruced from the ‘Formaglini Vineyard’ in the Chehalem Mountains AVA, the ‘Famiglia’ evokes black truffle and a dusting of white pepper alongside bright and youthful red fruits on the nose. The palate is soft and round, delivering lighter to medium-bodied sour red fruits that collide with minerals, orange zest and smoky/earthy undertones. This is packed full of finesse. Drink 2021-2029- 91
2019 de Lancellotti ‘Arlyn Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The 2019 ‘Arlyn Vineyard’ Pinot Noir exudes class with its silky texture. Guava and red rose water combine with wild mushroom, orange rind and shades of cran-cherry on the palate. Fresh, vibrant and mineral-driven, this will go for another decade or more. Drink 2021-2033- 92
2019 de Lancellotti ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir- The 2019 ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir by de Lancellotti is a gorgeous effort in this somewhat challenging vintage. Once on the nose this takes on teaberry alongside guava puree, blood orange zest and shades of cardamom dusted cranberry that all meld in the glass. The palate is fresh and vibrant with a silky texture and shows nice stony undertones. Ripe red fruits collide with stony minerals, and tilled soil tones on the palate. Gorgeous now, this has a long way to go. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2019 de Lancellotti ‘Onelia’ Pinot Noir- This densely packed, 100% whole cluster fermented Pinot Noir is another glorious showing by de Lancellotti. The palate is round and generous, delivering loads of ripe red fruits alongside citrus zest, wet stone and peat moss undertones. Glorious to enjoy even after a two hour decant in its youth, this will cellar well over the next fifteen years. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2019 de Lancellotti ‘La Corsia’ Pinot Noir- The 2019 ‘La Corsia’ Pinot Noir is shining brightly now even at the two year mark. Utilizing Dijon clone 667, this beautiful wine sat in French oak for fifteen months before bottling. The resultant wine is fresh and wonderfully textured with very pretty red fruits that mingle with baking spices, orange rind, and tobacco undertones. The generous length and lift of the wine adds to the enjoyment. Drink 2021-2035- 93