I tasted this 2 years ago and found it flavorful but a little harsh. It has evolved nicely. A fairly light red colored wine, having a harmonious blend of light mushroom earthiness with raspberry and red currant flavors, it is a complex creation. Very nice acidity but fairly low in tannins. Pleasant decent finish. This wine now breaks into the low 90's where I had previously placed it at an 88.

Dick

Dick, that vineyard was planted in 1995 so that must have been the first vintage produced. I tried the 2001 at the winery and found it a little tannic, being so young, and rated it 88-90.

The best Chehalem PNs we tasted at the winery were:
2001 Ridgecrest 93
2000 Rion Reserve 92
2002 3 Vineyards 92
2001 Rion Reserve 91
2001 Corral creek 91

Stoller is an interesting vineyard.. It's very young. Bill Stoller has put tons of money into it and is hell bent on making it the best vineyard in Oregon. It's going to be great one day I think. I wonder about the soil up there though. Before 95 that land was a turkey farm for a 100 years or so. Working at Penner-Ash last year I saw some of Scott Paul's Stoller fruit come in and it had a really high Ph... I talked to some people about it and they said that it comes in most years like that due to 100 years of turkeys living on the land... You get the picture.

Perhaps that harshness I had tasted in this wine 2 years ago reflected turkey dung. I hope it has mellowed. Seriously, that is an interesting fact and raises the question to me about soil acidity and whether a potential vintner can chemically alter the soil somewhat before he plants his vines.

Dick

I thought the 2000 was a pleasant wine