Saturday, June 5, 2010
Bergstrom and de Lancellotti
Just up the hill from Adelsheim are Bergstrom and de Lancellotti. Bergstrom's tasting room is open daily, and sometimes shows some de Lancellotti wines as well. So, Kenall Bergstrom is married to Paul de Lancellotti, and the two labels share a winery. De Lancellotti was only begun as a separate label a few years ago, when Paul wanted to branch off and make his own wines. Still, the two labels are very similar in style, quality, and price. It's also worth noting the the Bergstrom-de Lancellotti clan are among the owners of the Inn at Red Hills and the attached restaurant, Farm to Fork, and were instrumental in the development of that project.
So, on a warm afternoon, still riding the buzz of our awesome experience at Adelsheim, my friend and I continued up the hill to the Bergstrom tasting room. The tasting room itself is small, with lovely views looking south and east over their vines, and up the hill on the opposite side of the main road below. Being a weekday, the tasting room was empty except for the girls working there. It was about an hour before they closed, but I still got the vibe that they were annoyed at us arriving so late. They were perfectly cordial to us, but I just didn't get the feeling that they really wanted us to taste their wines. Even dropping my industry card, and attempting conversation with them about the vintages and terroir didn't help.
I'd seen Bergstrom's label around, but probably hadn't tasted their wines in three years. A week before this, I was at the industry tasting of the Indie Wine Festival, and a friend told me I had to check out de Lancellotti. I was impressed. The wines are fairly indicative of the Chehalem Mountains AVA, I think. They're delicate in fruit, but still structured and tannic, providing some body and character. Paul himself was there, and was incredibly charming, relaxed, and knowledgeable. We spoke about de Lancellotti and Bergstrom, so I made a point of stopping by.
The wines at Bergstrom were great. Overall a slightly larger style of pinot than de Lancellotti, with a nice smokiness that's well-integrated with the fruit. Complex and subtle, these wines are some I would like to drink over several hours to see how they developed, and learn more about them. I think the structure will allow them to be cellared for up to ten years, too. This holds true for de Lancellotti as well.
So, as much as I like the wines, I just didn't have a great experience at their tasting room. I felt like I was keeping the women there from doing something more important. Plus, while their wines and labels are lovely, I can find things as good at a slightly cheaper price point, and with less attitude from the people selling it to me. Unfortunately overall I was left with mixed feelings about their product. The vibe at the tasting room is linked with the flavor of their wines for me now. Sad.
So, on a warm afternoon, still riding the buzz of our awesome experience at Adelsheim, my friend and I continued up the hill to the Bergstrom tasting room. The tasting room itself is small, with lovely views looking south and east over their vines, and up the hill on the opposite side of the main road below. Being a weekday, the tasting room was empty except for the girls working there. It was about an hour before they closed, but I still got the vibe that they were annoyed at us arriving so late. They were perfectly cordial to us, but I just didn't get the feeling that they really wanted us to taste their wines. Even dropping my industry card, and attempting conversation with them about the vintages and terroir didn't help.
I'd seen Bergstrom's label around, but probably hadn't tasted their wines in three years. A week before this, I was at the industry tasting of the Indie Wine Festival, and a friend told me I had to check out de Lancellotti. I was impressed. The wines are fairly indicative of the Chehalem Mountains AVA, I think. They're delicate in fruit, but still structured and tannic, providing some body and character. Paul himself was there, and was incredibly charming, relaxed, and knowledgeable. We spoke about de Lancellotti and Bergstrom, so I made a point of stopping by.
The wines at Bergstrom were great. Overall a slightly larger style of pinot than de Lancellotti, with a nice smokiness that's well-integrated with the fruit. Complex and subtle, these wines are some I would like to drink over several hours to see how they developed, and learn more about them. I think the structure will allow them to be cellared for up to ten years, too. This holds true for de Lancellotti as well.
So, as much as I like the wines, I just didn't have a great experience at their tasting room. I felt like I was keeping the women there from doing something more important. Plus, while their wines and labels are lovely, I can find things as good at a slightly cheaper price point, and with less attitude from the people selling it to me. Unfortunately overall I was left with mixed feelings about their product. The vibe at the tasting room is linked with the flavor of their wines for me now. Sad.
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