Fall 2004
Dear Friends,
Greetings! We want to welcome many of you who are new to our mailing list and receiving our annual Fall newsletter for the first time. We also extend a special hello to our loyal friends and supporters who have been with us since our first release – the 2001 vintage.
With another fine harvest behind us and wonderful Fall colors transitioning us into the holiday season, it is with much excitement that we announce the second release of our “S” Willamette Valley Pinot Noir. In it’s 2002 debut, the “S” was an overwhelming favorite and quickly sold out! We only wish we could’ve offered more of it! The WINE ENTHUSIAST, Nov. 2004 had this to say about our 2002 “S”
| Smokey and aggressive, this is a wham-bam style with enough saddle leather to call in the cavalry. Toast, coffee, smoke and caramel pile in the oaky flavors. It's big, rough-hewn and tannic, but tasty. 88 Points |
Oregon’s fourth vintage of the new century will likely be characterized as another super ripe, fruit-forward vintage. TWO THOUSAND AND THREE vintage should be particularly rewarding to those who managed well in the vineyard and who adhered to meticulous winemaking practices. Several heat spells resulted in high sugars which will ultimately yield higher alcohol wines. Our winemaker, Isabelle, believes this may very well be the ripest vintage in the last two decades of Oregon winemaking. Our young vines were cropped to approximately 60% of their naturally yielding fruit, with none of the blocks yielding more than 2 tons to the acre.
The 2003 ‘S’ or la Sorella della famiglia (‘sister’ to the Family Estate Pinot Noir) is once again made by Peter Rosback of Sineann for us with 100% Estate fruit from our vineyard on the footstep of the Chehalem Mountain range.
Tasting notes ~
2003 LACHINI VINEYARDS ‘S’ WILLAMETTE VALLEY PINOT NOIR
“Even better than the 2002 ‘S’,” offers Peter. The 2003 ‘S’ was harvested 1.5-2 weeks later than our 2003 Lachini Family Estate Pinot Noir, resulting in a big, rich and deeply concentrated Pinot. It is full-throttled, fruit-forward and offers heady aromas of ripe black cherries and a touch of toasted oak. Deep saturated ruby in color, it is rich and extracted, with well-focused layers of wild blackberries, dark cherries and brambleberries. Finishes lively, with spicy and jammy tones and a nice underlying silky texture. Should benefit from some short-term cellaring. Nectar de cerises, or cherry nectar. Alcohol 14.7%, pH 3.65 |
We also have a limited amount of 2002 Lachini Family Estate Pinot Noir magnums available for sale. This is an excellent, age-worthy Pinot from an exceptional vintage. Tasting notes and reviews for Lachini Vineyards 2002 Estate Willamette Valley Pinot Noir can be found on our website www.lachinivineyards.com.
Our wines continue to be represented in some of the finest restaurants and retailers along the West Coast (CA, OR, WA and ID). As we grow and increase our production, we are thrilled LV wines will reach additional markets in early 2005 across the United States, such as - IL, NY, NJ, CO, AZ, HI, FL, NC, NV and TX.
PLEASE VISIT US THIS THANKSGIVING WEEKEND at the vineyard! 18225 Calkins Lane, Newberg ~
We will be pouring our “old” gems (our first two releases) - the 2002 LV Estate as well as our inaugural 2001 Pinot Noir from magnum along with futures of our 2003 Lachini Family Estate Pinot Noir. We are open Friday-Sunday, November 26-28 from 11-4:30pm. We expect we’ll sell out of our 2003 “S” following this weekend. The good news is we will have more wine to offer with our Spring mailer for the 2003 Family Estate Pinot Noir ~ 700 cases.
IMPORTANT: As you know, we have very limited production. Please mail us your order along with payment in full (including shipping), at your earliest convenience in order to secure an allocation. Orders should be received no later than Nov. 24, 2004. All wines will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. We will confirm your order with deposit of your check and enclose your receipt in your shipment due to arrive in the second week of December. We can only ship wine to addresses in states listed in the box on the enclosed order form. If you live in a state not listed, you will need to provide an acceptable alternative shipping address. We can also retain your order for a nominal charge at a storage facility in McMinnville, OR. Another option that is growing in popularity is wine storage facilities. 55 DEGREES provides temperature controlled wine storage in St. Helena, CA. Inquiries should be directed to Neil Aldoroty, Owner at 707.963.5513 or www.fiftyfivedegrees.com. One of the neat things about this option is that you can have your wine stored and then when you are thirsting for some of the sweet nectar of the vine, you can arrange alternative transportation to ship it to yourself. This also may be of great interest to those who visit Napa regularly or would like temperature-controlled, personally secure wine lockers and a host of related services. We will work with you and their friendly staff to make sure your wine is delivered to their location and in good hands. Thank you for your kind consideration.
In closing, we sincerely appreciate your continued interest in our wines and enjoy hearing your comments, and entertaining your questions. We are also grateful to support so many wonderful causes and having been able to spend time with many of you over the course of various auctions and events.
Making wine from a new vineyard, learning to understand and nurture it’s unique terroir, is a bit like having a new baby; something we can appreciate with the birth of our daughter, this past summer. We dedicate the 2003 vintage to Giselle as a symbol of our 3rd vintage & our 3rd child. The “S” program continues to allow us to learn from additional winemaking styles with our vineyard in order to guide the long-term potential for our special estate wines. Our goal remains to produce world-class Pinot Noir. We wish you and your family happiness and a wonderful holiday season.
Saluté!
Marianne, Ron, August, Gianluca and Giselle
