From Cristom, we drove West afew miles, then up a rural road to Bethel Heights. I've been a fan of Bethel Heights wines for a number of years now and was really looking forard to tasting the wines. At the tasting room, we were greeted by Patricia Dudley. After discussing the wines with her, she told me she had something surprising to tell me, but wouldn't speak about it until we had finished our tasting. The wines:

2002 Pinot Blanc Sauvignon Blanc-like nose of lemons and pears. Off dry. .4% residual sugar. 86

2002 Pinot Gris Lime, melons, and canteloupe on the nose. Fruity. 86

2000 Chardonnay Nose of oak and tropical fruit. Buttery. 88

2000 Pinot Noir Freedom Hill Floral nose of cherries. Rich. A little coffee on the finish. Almost ready. 90

2001 Pinot Noir Estate Light nose of dark berries. Simple. 86

2001 Pinot Noir Flat Block Reserve Nose of berries and sweat. Lush fruit. Ready. 90

2001 Pinot Noir Southeast Block Reserve Nose closed. Not bad, just blah. 86

2001 Pinot Noir West Block Reserve Red berry nose. Rough. 86

2001 Syrah Del Rio Vineyard Nose of cocoa and leather. Ripe fruit. 88

When we finished tasting the wines, Patricia asked my opinion of the Flat Block Reserve, which I had scored a 90. She told me Harvey Steiman had rated this a 73! Obviously Mr. Steiman and I tasted vastly different wines. I can only think of two scenarios that would allow this kind of discrepancy. The first, which I discount as the less likely of the two, is that the wine was not damaged, just bad, and Bethel Heights changed the wine in the bottle. What I consider more probable is that the wine was damaged during shipment, as the tasting wasn't done at the winery. If that were the case, I'd think Mr. Steiman experienced enough to recognize that the wine had been damaged. Whatever the reason, I have no doubt he would not give the wine I tasted anything like a 73.

General impressions: I've never had a white from Bethel Heights I'd consider buying, but their reds have been sturdy and well-made. I expected a little more from their 2001 Pinot Noirs.