Chehalem

Make no mistake, the brains and drive behind the Chehalem winery is founder, partner and co-winemaker Harry Peterson-Nedry. In a world where the “art of winemaking” is a common refrain, Harry is Mr. Science. He’s a chemist by profession, but he caught the wine bug in the 1980s with the planting of his 37-acre Ridgecrest Vineyard. Yet there’s no conflict between the two realms for Harry. As he stated in the spring 2008 Chehalem newsletter, “Innovation is the nexus of rational, scientific, left-brain thought and spontaneous, innovative, right-brain thought.” Taking this approach, he tinkered with types of yeast, ripeness level, fermentation temperature and their appropriate levels, and other variables to quantify what makes better wine. That was during his formative wine years back in mid-’80s. Further trial and error found that whole-cluster pinot noir fermentations may be superior in dry years, but problematic in rainy years.

Interesting. I only know that the proof is in the pudding — or in this case, the pinot noir.

Joining Harry as Chehalem’s other winemaker is Mike Eyres. This is what the Chehalem website notes about Mike, a transplant from New Zealand: “When he is not at the winery, Mike is likely careening along an Oregon waterway in his kayak, keeping up with the Portland restaurant scene, and drinking beer.” Now, this is my kind of a guy! Together, Mike and Harry produce pinot noir, pinot blanc, chardonnay, riesling, and gamay noir. Of special note is their passion for riesling, which they view as the white wine of the future for Oregon. Chehalem has developed a cult following of loyal customers snapping up its riesling. Still, it’s Chehalem’s chardonnay wins my vote. Named “Inox” (French for “stainless”), Chehalem’s brand of chardonnay is devoid of the oaky flavors that were popular years ago.

WineTrail enthusiasts will discover Chehalem’s new tasting room located alongside Hwy. 99W in Newberg. Inside, the colors are a striking combination of parakeet green and lark blue — to match the colors of the “Inox” label. In essence, the warm colors of the tasting room and friendliness of the staff reflect the origin of the winery’s name: Chehalem is a Native American word meaning “gentle land” or “valley of the flowers.”