I recently got together over Zoom with Chehalem Winemaker Katie Santora. We talked extensively about Chehalem Winery, the Willamette Valley and her journey to date as a Winemaker. We also covered a myriad of other topics such as wine closures and fermentation methodology. Of course we also tasted a selection of Chehalem Wines.
Katie has been at Chehalem for 8 years and took over the reins as Head Winemaker a short time after Bill Stoller purchased them. You can, and should watch of our chat below. Here are the wines we tasted and my notes on them.
Chehalem 2019 INOX Willamette Valley Chardonnay ($20)
So often, unoaked Chardonnay seems either like an afterthought or is at best innocuous. INNOX from Chehalem flies in the face of all that. Despite not seeing any oak at all this Chardonnay has depth, mouthfeel, texture to spare and firm acid. It’s also got lots of tart leaning Orchard fruit and a dash of spice. There’s nothing simplistic here, other than being simply delicious.
Chehalem 2019 Chehalem Mountains Pinot Gris ($20)
The methodology for producing this Pinot Gris and the INOX Chardonnay are very similar. In a sense the results are too. The fruit here is brighter and there a bit more juiciness going on but that’s the Pinot Gris talking versus the Chardonnay. You expect some fruitiness with Pinot Gris and you get it in a very measured way. This is a delightful wine that shows how serious New World Pinot Gris can be in deft hands.
Chehalem 2019 Chehalem Mountains Rosé of Pinot Noir ($25)
They’ve only been making Rosé for a short while at Chehalem, and an intentional one for only very recently. But they’ve dialed it in pretty quickly and are now producing a beautiful wine that you’re simply not going to want to put down once you taste it. Starting from the perfect light salmon hue to the fresh red fruits and all the way through the stone fruit and orange zest that emerges on the back end, this is a terrific example of Rosé.
Chehalem 2018 Ribbon Ridge Grüner Veltliner ($30)
In addition to their widely distributed wines, Chehalem makes a number of wines that are mainly earmarked for their tasting room and wine club. This wine is one of them. It was fermented in equal parts stainless steel, neutral oak, and concrete egg. From the first whiff to the last sip there’s an undercurrent of lemony characteristics here, from a bit of zest on the nose to hints of curd on the back palate. Mineral notes and firm acid are evident too in addition to stone fruit, Rich texture and mouthfeel however are what set it apart.
Chehalem 2018 Chehalem Mountains Pinot Noir ($30)
Chehalem produces a distinct array of Pinot Noirs. This, their most widely distributed Pinot is the one that seeks to represent their overall home AVA. For being the equivalent of their “entry level” Pinot Noir there’s lots of depth and intricacy in this wine. It leans, in aromas and flavors, toward dark fruit and spices. It a couple of clicks brawnier than what one may think of sometimes as Pinot Noir, but the mountain fruit leads to a lot of that heft. It’s a young wine that has a decade of useful drinking life ahead of it at minimum. Give it some air and it softens and expresses it’s charms quite readily. For $30 this is a very good value in Pinot Noir.
Chehalem 2016 Ridgecrest Vineyards Gamay Noir ($25)
This is another of their small production wines. I’m sort of wild about Gamay and specifically requested to taste this wine which is actually between vintages at the moment so they pulled some out of their library. This is a bold, deep and dark example of Gamay that doesn’t betray its 4 years at all. It has lots of leather, dark fruit and spice. A firm vein of acid keeps things mouth watering. It’s really tasty now but will benefit from another few years of age.
Katie and I taste 5 of the wines together, check it out below.