Bergstrom
2004 Pinot noirs - Part 2
Bergstrom Shea Vineyard Pinot noir 04
Bergstrom "Cumberland Reserve" 04
Release and tasting notes
September 20, 2005
Bergstrom's 2004 Pinots continue to be released, with the Bergstrom
Shea 04 available this week. It's Josh's favorite wine of the
vintage, and it's a lucullan, lavish, plush, luxuriant wine, a
different and original take on Shea fruit, with good acidity and tannins
structuring one of the biggest Oregon Pinots around, from any vintage.
It's a cellar selection, for wine collectors who seek out the very best
from each vintage and don't mind cellaring a wine for the most impressive
results.
http://www.northwest-wine.com/Bergstrom-Pinot-noir-shea.html
This is Bergstrom's second Shea Pinot- the 2003, while a lovely wine,
was Josh's first experience with Shea fruit, and the vintage was a tough
one, with a tendency to high alcohol in wines made from fruit verging
on over-ripeness. Not so the 2004. The 2004 vintage was small, but the
fruit was choice, prized for its tiny grapes full of intense flavors.
The 2004 Bergstrom Shea reminds one of the
Bergstrom Arcus 03 (Wine
Spectator 95 points) - Josh no longer has access to the Arcus Vineyard
fruit, and this Shea Vineyard wine proves a worthy successor to it.
it's as opulent and powerful as the Arcus 03, with more of an emphasis
on black cherry and deep red fruit flavors than the Arcus's currant
and blackberry flavors. Aromas
of griotte cherries, rose petals, black raspberries, decadent baking
spices (cinnamon, clove, vanilla), and a nice dollop of creamy toasty
oak are accompanied by a "shot silk" mouthfeel which is lifted by great
acidity and sound structure for further ageing.
Less than 200 cases of this 2004 vintage wine were made from a very
special 7 acre block of the covetted East side of the Shea Vineyard.
This is down from 400 cases of the 2003, and the decrease in harvest
size greatly increased the intensity of scent and flavor. The wine's
balanced acidity and tannic structure make this a wine to lay down for
longterm cellaring. While the wine is a delight right now, the patient
collector will enjoy this beauty for 8-12 years.
Bergstrom Pinot noir Shea Vineyard 04 $49.45/$54.95
http://www.northwest-wine.com/Bergstrom-Pinot-noir-shea.html
###########################################
For those of us who'd like to start enjoying the Bergstrom 2004 wines
a bit sooner than the Shea will be ready to drink, this is the last call
for last week's featured Pinot, the
Bergstrom Pinot noir "Cumberland Reserve" 2004 $31.46/$34.95
http://www.northwest-wine.com/bergstrom-winery-pinot-noir-cumberland.html
The wine is still available, with extended tasting notes from
Josh and Avalon now online at the link above.
Josh says: "The Cumberland
Reserve is our proprietary blend of Pinot Noir, hailing from the Hyland
Vineyard, the Bergstrom Vineyard, the de Lancellotti Vineyard and Palmer
Creek Vineyard, showcasing fruit from four different soil types and
appellations (McMinnville, Dundee Hills, Chehalem Mountains, and Eola
Hills respectively.) The grapes from these vineyards are harvested, fermented
and barrel aged separately and then married together after 11 months
of ageing in 50% new French oak cooperage (Francois Freres, Meyrieux
and Sirugue coopers.)"
"As always, the Hyland Vineyard’s old vines are the base
wine with intense perfume, concentration and tannic structure. The Cumberland
Reserve is meant to showcase a rustic style of Pinot Noir reminiscent
of older Oregon vintages, using mostly Pommard and Wadenswil clone vines
to create structure and intensity. The wine is then softened and lifted
with additions of Dijon clone selections from the younger vine blocks
from the other vineyards to make this wine more accessible in its youth
while still retaining great ageability."
At $31.46, it's Bergstrom's real deal of the
2004 vintage. Production
was down by 40% from last year, and increased intensity and complexity
are the rewards.
###########################################
Read Josh Bergstrom's comments on the 2004 vintage here:
http://www.northwest-wine.com/bergstrom-winery.html
He says: "The 2004 Vintage was bizarre from the very
get go, starting actually in 2003 with one of the hottest and driest
years on record, so the vines roots were lacking water for the beginning
of the 2004 season. The winter was marked with the extremes of mild warm
spells and frigid ice storms........" (continued on the linked page above).
###########################################
As long as we're talking Pinot noir, it's last call for the
Sineann Pinot noir"Resonance" 04 $43.16/$47.95
http://www.northwest-wine.com/sineann-pinot-noir-resonance.html
Last year, Wine Spectator gave the 2003 vintage 94 points, so it's flying
out the door. This vintage, the better, smaller harvest allowed Peter
to make a wine every bit as succulent as the 03, with more structure
for cellaring. It's full of deeply plummy richness, with hints of violets
and toasted coffee bean in the nose, and a gamey, wild character through
the flavors and into the luxuriant finish. A few of the bottles are closed
with the new glass corks. If you'd like some of this wine, it's a good
idea to go ahead and order now, only a few hundred cases were made.
Personally, I'd buy the Sineann Old Vine Zinfandel
04 $32.39/$35.99 this week. It's "one of America's finest
Zins" according to the Guyot guides. Less than 400 cases
were made, and it's still available from Avalon.
http://www.northwest-wine.com/sineann-zinfandel.html
################################
I'm soooo ready to start writing about the Shea Wine Cellars 2004 Pinot
noirs, but that's for next month (have to restrain myself). Let's just
say, Sam Tannahill is one heck of a winemaker (he used to make wine at
Archery Summit), and he's worked with the Shea fruit now for six years,
and the grapes produced from Shea in 2004 were some of the best ever.
Have to stop, hold me back, I can't start gushing --- yet.
Best regards,
Jean, Marcus, Chris, Kevin, and Wendy
Jean Yates
Owner
Avalon Wine
201 SW 2nd Street
Corvallis OR 97333
www.avalonwine.com
jean@avalonwine.com
Marcus Looze
Manager
541-752-7418
marcus@avalonwine.com
Chris Haggerty
Customer Service
541-752-7418
store@avalonwine.com
Kevin Hanscom
Shipping Manager
(working his tail off right now, with weather cooling down
and all those cellared orders going out)
541-752-0907
shipping@avalonwine.com
Wendy Brown
Accounting
541-752-7418
wendy@avalonwine.com
|
