Fall 2009
2008 Pinot Noir, S ◊ 2008 Windy Hill Pinot Noir ◊ 2007 Spur ◊ 2007 La ContradaGreetings from the Willamette Valley!
It’s hard to believe we’re releasing our 8th vintage and to think how our portfolio of wines has grown over the last several years. Even more humbling are the many accolades we receive from the wine press & wine professionals, the continued respect we garner from our peers and the overwhelming interest you continue to show for our wines. Thank you! We’re now settling into the total production that we intended some time ago upon purchasing and developing our Estate vineyard. Our primary focus continues to be growing uncompromising quality in the vineyard to producing uncompromising quality in the bottle!
It is now our pleasure to offer the first of our Pinot Noir’s from the exceptional 2008 vintage and our first cabernet-based wines from the 2007 vintage in Columbia & Walla Walla Valleys in Washington! After two years of waiting patiently for these tremendous wines to mature, we’re thrilled to share them with you. We did not bottle a Pinot Port in 2008 as we felt the quality was compromised. For our 2008 releases, we are committed to maintain the same pricing as our 2005 through 2007 vintages.
We are moving toward a paperless offering with our 2010 Spring release. If you haven’t already done so, kindly provide us your email address to ensure timely communication and ensure your will receive your desired allocation. Club members and mailing list members with emails will receive their allocations first. As our thanks, shipping will be included once again on all 12 bottle orders placed by November 30. We will update your email address with your order or separate email to info@lachinivineyards.com.
The 2008 vintage in the Chehalem Mountains shows a tremendous opulence similar to the ripe vintages from 2002-2004 and 2006. I can tell you with great confidence that these wines will be well received by the press and consumers alike. Dr. Jay Miller, The Wine Advocate (Issue 185, 10.31.09) offered upon his visit to Oregon earlier this summer “…appears to be a top vintage – the 2008 waiting in barrel.” The wines have it all… intensity of fruit, complexity in the mid-palate, acid and tannins in balance with generous structure and complexity. Mother Nature in concert with meticulous viticulture practices gave us powerful wines that can be enjoyed both young and over the long-term. In our opinion, the 2008 vintage will best be remembered as one of top vintages in the past decade; wonderfully perfumed, revealing great purity, depth and lengthy finishes. A vintage for fans of big, ripe Pinots!
The 2008 Lachini Vineyard ‘S’ Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains or la Sorella della famiglia (‘sister’ to our Family Estate Pinot Noir) is again crafted by Peter Rosback of Sineann for Lachini Vineyards with 100% Pinot Noir from our Estate vineyard. This is one of the silkier, fruit-forward ‘S’ Pinot Noirs since we began crafting with the 2002 vintage.” Only 325 cases produced!
Alcohol – 13.8% | pH – 3.40 | Harvested began on October 11th and concluded on October 22rd, 2008
50% Dijon clones, 45% Pommard + 5% Waidenswil from our East, Middle & West Blocks | Aged 12 months in 100% French Oak barrels (40% new & 40% one-year old / 20% two-year old)
The 2008 ‘S’ was harvested roughly one week later than our 2008 Estate Pinot Noir through our various blocks.It offers an enticing nose of black cherry, sandalwood ,incense, smoke and truffles followed by a dense, full-bodied and layered wine. The flavors are savory and sweet with plenty of sliky tannins leading to a long, pure finish.
| The Wine Advocate rates the 2008 Willamette Valley vintage ~ 92 POINTS Still tannic, youthful or slow to mature. Drink or hold |
‘06 Lachini Pinot Noir, S, Willamette Valley 90 POINTS The Wine Spectator
‘05 Lachini Pinot Noir, S, Willamette Valley 90 POINTS Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar
‘04 Lachini Pinot Noir, S, Willamette Valley 90 POINTS (Editors’ Choice) Wine Enthusiast | 90 POINTS Burghound
The 2008 Lachini ‘Windy Hill Vineyard’ Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast is the new darling to our Pinot Noir portfolio. We couldn’t help ourselves when this fruit presented itself; and we even came back for more with the 2009 growing season. A blend from the Spirit Hill, Vesinos and Northface blocks of approximately 10 year old Dijon & Pinot Noir 13 clones. The soils are sedimentary with varying depths and the rows are planted on both steep and gradual slopes. The Windy Hill vineyard is located in Cotati off Hwy 101 and benefits from the cool evening winds and early morning fog that rolls from the coast just westward.Alcohol – 13.2% | pH – 3.56 | Harvested on October 11th, 2008 and trucked up Hwy 5! | Aged for 12 months in 100% French Oak barrels (30% new, 35% one year old & 35% two year old)
The most feminine of our Pinot’s in the 2008 lineup, it reveals a certain elegance and grace in the glass and on the palate. Ruby red, revealing gobs of bing cherry and strawberries along with subtle perfume of rose petal notes, Asian spices, smoke and forest floor. Silky, mouth-coating fruit with velvety texture. Only 145 cases produced!
| The Wine Spectator rated the 2008 California Pinot Noir vintage - “BEST VINTAGE EVER!” Drink or hold |
INAUGURAL RELEASES ~
2007 Spur, Cabernet Sauvignon, Columbia Valley consists of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon blended with 20% Cabernet Franc while the 2007 La Contrada Red Wine, Walla Walla Valley is a Bordeaux-inspired blend comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. La Contrada gets its namesake from the Palio in Siena, Italy. Each year, thirteen districts compete on horse. Our goal was to feature a wine from a “district” (Contrada) or AVA from Washington. Needless to say, both wines were sourced from some of the finest vineyards in the state of Washington; including Boushey, Cold Creek, Sagemoor, Seven Hills, Heather Hills and Old Stones. Only 125 cases of each wine were produced! We expect these will be quite well received and disappear fast. They were crafted in large part by Jaime Brown of Water’s Winery & 21 Grams in a fruit-forward, but balanced style. The wines were aged in 40% new French oak for 24 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered. 2007 is recognized amongst Washington’s finest vintages which yielded massive, extracted, high-octane reds. These spectacular wines offer rich concentration, mid-palate depth, and fairly lengthy finishes with tell-tale tannins making for very age-worthy wines. We invite you to visit our website to view the labels and learn more about each wine – www.lachinivineyards.com .
| The Wine Advocate rates the 2007 WA vintage ~ 92 POINTS Still tannic, youthful, slow to mature. Drink or hold |
LAST CALL ~
In case you missed the recent reviews of our 2007 Estate & Cuvee Giselle Pinot Noirs from The Wine Advocate & Wine Spectator, we’ve included them on the back of your order form. The good news is that we still have these wines available for purchase. We’d hate for you to miss these wines which will be fairly long-lived. These wines are fashioned for classical-style. Each seeks to express nuances, texture, depth, intrigue, complexity and balance. We strive for native yeast or spontaneous fermentations, age in no more than thrity percent new French oak, and bottle them unfined and unfiltered.
2007 Lachini Family Estate Pinot Noir, Chehalem Mountains is a beautiful blend of Pinot Noir clones from our three Estate blocks, each contributing unique expressions of their respective clones as well as revealing the unique Willakenzie series soils expressions. Includes a small percentage of whole cluster and wood fermentation for added complexity. Ruby-red, with a spicy, vibrant bouquet of raspberry, kirsch, white pepper, truffle and mocha. Structured, layered mid-palette with a long, integrated finish. Packs plenty of flavor punch without any excess weight. This is wine for the discerning Pinot / Burgundy fan and will reward patience. The Estate Pinot Noir has now been in the bottle for over one year and is coming around nicely; yet still very youthful.
2007 Lachini Pinot Noir, Cuvee Giselle, Chehalem Mountains is a blend of our finest 12 barrels to express the optimal characteristics of each vintage and our Estate vineyards’s unique . Deep ruby-red with a beautiful bouquet of dark cherries, plus hints of woodsmoke, allspice, black tea and dried flowers. Broad, fleshy red and dark berry compote flavors integrate with cassis, silky tannins and finish with a good mineral lift.Turns sweeter on the finish, ending with a strong raspberry quality.
OPEN HOUSE EVENTS ~
Please join us at the Lachini Vineyard ~ 18225 Calkins Lane, Newberg 97132 to sample our new releases. We encourage you to join us on Saturday or Sunday, Nov. 21st /22nd from 11:00AM – 4:00PM. Additionally, we will be open over the Thanksgiving weekend (FRI & SAT ONLY, 10:30AM-4:30PM). Current releases: 08 ‘S’ and Windy Hill Pinot Noirs, inaugural release of ’07 Spur Cabernet Sauvignon & Bordeaux-inspired red-blend (La Contrada); along with the last of our ’07 Estate & Cuvee Giselle Pinot Noirs. We’ll also have a limited number of large format bottles at significant discount from our library – while they last. We look forward to visiting with you!
SHIPPING: To secure your desired wines, please mail us your order along with payment in full (including shipping) at your earliest convenience. Orders should be received no later than November 30, 2009. As each of these wines is very small production, we cannot guarantee they will still be available up to the deadline. Your order will be confirmed by processing of your credit card or deposit of your check. We will enclose your receipt in your shipment due to ship the 1st & 2nd weeks in December (weather permitting). If you live in a PROHIBITED state (see our ORDER FORM), you will need to provide an acceptable alternative shipping address. Please let us know if you would prefer to pick up your order at the vineyard over one of our open house weekends. Simply specify on your order form.
NEWS ~
We still have a limited number of L’VIP club memberships available. There is presently no cost to join, and you will receive two mixed cases per year in addition to many benefits – including attending one of our complimentary ‘guest chef’ dinners. L’CONNOISSEUR wine club is also open. Please inquire if you wish to join; we would be happy to mail or email you a brochure. || The last of our Estate Vineyard was just planted to more Dijon clone Pinot Noir. We are thrilled that we will be harvesting and crafting our first Chardonnay in 2010 and will sell it exclusively to our club members and at the new tasting room we will be building.
We hope you’ll delight in purchasing some of our wines. We have held prices in the face of increased material and farming costs, and yet we are offering special incentives to make Lachini wines a part of your everyday life and/or cellar. We’re offering free shipping for case purchases which equates to savings of 10-15%. In addition, purchases of six plus bottles will receive a 10% discount while purchases of twelve or more bottles will receive a 15% discount. Furthermore, L’Connoisseur & L’VIP wine club members receive an additional 10% & 20% discount, respectively on purchases of six or more bottles! Ultimately, we hope you will continue to enjoy and share our estate grown, biodynamically-farmed Pinot Noirs!
From our dream to your table ~ Your enjoyment is our passion.
Grazie & Saluté!
Marianne, Ron, August, Gianluca and Giselle Lachini
