Chehalem Ridgecrest Vineyard Pinot noir 08

Lots of everything in this wine, starting with brilliant, saturated, red-purple color and transitioning immediately to vanilla and spice from fruit and a nice oak complement. Structure is great (from the 33% whole cluster) with big, still tightly wound black cherry fruit and wood spice to balance. The weight is impressive, and the finish, despite still being tight, is long and refined. The wine is big, but balanced with excellent acid and moderate tannin. It will age as well as our two or three best vintages and legitimately belongs in the same family as 1999, 1998, 2002, 1994, and 1993. - the winery

2008 Wine Spectator - 93 points - Light, almost delicate, with a haunting cherry and tropical core wafting through a veil of rose petal and jasmine. The finish lingers with almost imperceptible tannins and an undertone of dark chocolate. Drink now through 2018. - H.S.

2008 Wine Advocate - 91 points - The 2008 Pinot Noir Ridgecrest Vineyard adds more aromatic complexity to the mix. Medium ruby in color, it offers up a nose of sandalwood, tobacco, smoke, floral notes, black cherry, and black raspberry. Medium-bodied in the mouth, it displays outstanding volume, layers of spicy fruit, a sense of elegance, and a lengthy, seamless finish. It has the structure to evolve for 3-4 years and will offer a drinking window extending from 2013 to 2023.

Under the direction of founder/winemaker Harry Peterson-Nedry, Chehalem has taken full advantage of the great 2008 vintage and produced its finest set of Pinot Noirs to date. - Jay Miller

2008 Tanzer - 92 points - Bright ruby-red. Seductive perfume of candied red berries, sassafras and incense, with a suave floral nuance that builds with aeration. Offers sweet red and dark berry flavors that show a liqueur-like intensity, with slow-building mineral and spice notes adding vivacity and back-end lift. The long finish features a juicy dark fruit character. This will benefit from at least another five years of bottle age. - Josh Raynolds

2006 Vintage Tasting Notes

2006 Wine Spectator - 92 points - Firm, with effusive raspberry, plum and currant fruit that pushes right through a layer of chewy tannins to make this especially expressive, hitting notes of cinnamon and licorice as the finish goes on and on. -H.S.