Where did you go De Lancellotti?
Newberg, Oregon
Tasting in August 2015
By Sean Overpeck
Let me take you back in time to Atlanta, Georgia in 2008. The Great Recession was just starting as the banks realized that people who only made $2,000.00 per month could not afford an ARM (adjustable rate mortgage) with a payment of $1,700.00 per month on their houses and still manage to pay all their other bills, plus eat, and buy their pay per view wrestling matches. I wonder what made them think they could? Obama was not yet elected, and the restaurants were not going under yet. So in Buckhead, a suburb to Atlanta that is actually a city within itself, where most of the wealthy live, the restaurants were booked out, and people were spending money like no tomorrow.
This is where I saw a wine cellar of over 500 bottles at a restaurant called Aquaknox (it went under in the recession, now only at the Venetian in Las Vegas). One of the wines on their list was called the De Lancellotti from Bergström Wines in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. We would do tastings from time to time, and I had already had a few other Willamette wines that I enjoyed like the Dobbes Family Estate, Witness Tree Vineyards, and Brandborg Winery to name a few. So we did a tasting of the De Lancellotti, and it was smooth and damn good. I said to myself that if I ever went to visit the Willamette, then Bergström would be on my list. Well, in 2015 that did happen, and my first question was where did the De Lancellotti go? Lets find out shall we….
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From vineyards home page:
In 1999, Josh Bergström, the fourth of five children, returned home to Dundee from a postgraduate program in Viticulture and Enology in the Burgundy region of France. With him, he brought his fiancée Caroline, and the two were married that fall in the Bergström Vineyard. Bergström Wines was also born that fall as the young couple harvested their first vintage of Pinot Noir from high-quality fruit purchased at a neighboring winery. Currently, Josh is general manager, winemaker and vineyard manager at Bergström Wines, and Caroline manages the sales team.
Bergström Wines consists of five estate vineyards totaling 84 acres that span across four of the Willamette Valley’s best appellations: The Bergström Vineyard, Silice Vineyard, Winery Block, Gregory Ranch and Le Pré du Col. Each estate vineyard is farmed without the use of harsh chemicals, systemic or fertilizers, and the winery produces approximately 10,000 cases of ultra-premium and extremely sought-after wine each year, including two Chardonnays and nine different Pinot Noirs.
The Bergström Family believes world-class Oregon wines from the Willamette Valley's preeminent hillside vineyards can be achieved only through nonindustrial, artisanal winemaking. We farm all of our estate vineyards using biodynamic methods, and since 1999, we have been a leader in the sustainable farming of wine grapes in Oregon.
Main review:
The Bergström family under Josh, who was one of five children growing up in Sweden, came to the United States building his new American dream as a doctor. He and his family settled near Portland, yet even though being in the medical field, Josh wanted to go back to his Swedish roots of agriculture, specifically wine. In Sweden, the dream of wine is a “gargantuan” task. (“Gargantuan” like the Francois Rabelais' 16th century giant gargantua) There are very few wineries in Sweden, examples of some are the Kullahalvöns Vingård or Arilds Vingård in the new Kulla Wine Region; Höganäs, which is closer to Denmark and much warmer throughout the year. Josh Bergström has been focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for nearly twenty years, but his true love is Syrah from the Northern Rhône, and the latest label from the winery is the Gargantua, an attempt to produce the finest class of Syrah on the western coast of the United States.
My fiancé and I were on a day long wine tasting of the Willamette in August of 2015, where we stopped at Bergström as one of the three wineries on my list. I had just returned from Iraq on a much needed rest and relaxation, and we had each chosen three wineries a few weeks before that we wanted to visit. Bergström came to mind first as I remembered the Atlanta De Lancellotti story from earlier.
The property was amazing, from the tasting room you can see views of the Red Hills of Dundee in the distance, and an older styled barn straight out of the 1800’s with the family crest and logo muriel painted onto the side. I would have had no problems sitting on their porch at the cast iron table and chairs looking out into the vast expanse of vineyards for the remainder of the day and into the evening, and be as content as I could be on any perfect day. I had the woman I loved with me, so what more could I ever ask for? Oh wait, where did the De Lancellotti go?
The tasting consisted of five wines, two Chardonnay’s and three Pinot Noir’s, with the tasting notes and pricing listed later on. During the tasting the manager had a plate of rocks and soil on display, and explained that this was all over the vineyards, which is very similar to the Chablis and Bourgogne wine regions in France, where the vines have to work extra hard to get water, making a stronger and more full flavored grape. This is a great benefit to Pinot Noir’s grown in this area versus California where they get more water, and the vines are lazy. The second chardonnay on the tasting, the Old Stones, had all the same characteristics of a Chablis grown in this type of soil. It was outstanding.
The first question I had as the tastings progressed, and as I looked at the wine listings was of course, where did the De Lancellotti go? As recent as 2010 Robert Parker had given it a score of 93 on The Wine Advocate. I honestly was looking forward to a purchase. Then it came time to do the tasting of the 2013 Silice Pinot Noir; ripe, heavy berry’s, velvet, and spice on the nose, with cherry and liquorish candy notes to the taste, medium body and medium tannin, with a lite finish. Man did this taste similar to the De Lancellotti. Well, guess what? A change in name but grown in the same area, produced roughly the same way. Where did you go De Lancellotti? You went to Silice, and I fell in love all over again. Yet to my surprise as good as that was and how I fulfilled a small item from my wine bucket list, the Gregory Ranch Pinot Noir was bolder, and packed a wonderful punch. Between that and the new De Lancellotti, I think I found my favorites.
Now lets see how I and the critics rate the wines, plus give you some tasting, cost, and general winery information….
96 - 100
|
is Extraordinary
|
90 - 95
|
is Outstanding
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80 -89
|
is Above the Average
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70 - 79
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is Below the Average
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60 - 69
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poor / appalling / “Cac”
|
Review basics:
Wine, Dine, & Play’s Rating
|
97 points
|
| Robert Parker The Wine Advocate | 2010: 93 points on the De Lancellotti Vineyard Pinot Noir 2011: 94 points on the Gregory Ranch Pinot Noir |
| Wine Speculator | 95 points on the Le Pré du Col Vineyard Pinot Noir |
| Wine Enthusiast | 95 points on the Silice and vineyard Pinot Noir 94 points on the Shea Vineyard Pinot Noir |
| All Accolades | Bergström Accolades |
| Wines Produced | Red: Pinot Noir, Syrah Chardonnay |
| Regulatory | AVA: American viticulture Association |
These wines remind me of:
Wine tasters that work for Robert Parker, Spectator, and others base their reviews on a single wine giving it a specific point system rating. These reviews and accolades are the make and brake to a winery, as all media and most wine drinkers will look at this ratings and judge on purchasing the wine, or bypassing to a neighbor winery. The ratings given for The Wine, Dine, and Play Blog are the overall experience, not just the wine. From the tasting of the wines, prices, customer service, property, and the style of the winery such as what category it falls into, boutique or a commercial giant are a few of the items I look at when giving a rating for a review.
For those who do not know, Willamette Valley is closely compared to the Bourgogne in France, as it is on the same lines of latitude as Burgundy. Burgundy or Bourgogne however you like to pronounce it is known for its Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. The most expensive wines in the world are grown in this region from Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, with the Romanee-Conti Grand Cru, Cote de Nuits, which sells for around $12,000 American Dollars (£8,320.00) per bottle. Josh Bergström finished his postgraduate program in Viticulture and Enology in the Bourgogne, which may also explain the fact that his vineyard is second to none with its Pinot Noir production, receiving such high point accolades from Robert Parker, others, and me.
I would compare this tasting at Bergström Family Vineyards to the Domaine Guy & Yvan Dufouleur in the Bourgogne or even Domaine William Fèvre in Chablis, both of these outstanding Château’s have a 1st Cru similar to the Old Stones and the Sigrid Chardonnay we both tasted. I would pair this wine to go back to Josh’s family roots in Sweden with a sampling of Rösti (or Röschti) potatoes which resembles a potato pancake. Then top those potatoes with some Scandinavian Smoked Salmon that would have even Captain Ahab stop his search for the white whale near the Maelstrom (Sweden/Norway) of perditions flames and have a bite to eat with some Old Stones Chardonnay. For the De Lancellotti now Silice Pinot Noir or even the Gregory Ranch, why not a take on an American classic with French roots with a Meatloaf Cordon Bleu. Ground beef and pork put together, and layered inside with sliced ham and Swiss cheese, baked to perfection. This dish screams De Lancellotti…I mean Silice.
Bouquet & Palette Notes:
Wine & Grape:
|
Nose (Bouquet):
|
Palette Experience:
|
2012 Old Stones Chardonnay
|
Winemaker: Classic aromas of saffron, passion fruit, lemon candy, ginger, sweet oak spices, cinnamon, and a mineral saline note. |
Winemaker: Bright and crystalline like a laser bean with a sweet core of sugar cookie, ripe citrus, granny smooth apple, tea type spice, and mineral structure. |
2013 Sigrid Chardonnay
|
Winemaker: Notes not on web page |
Winemaker: Notes not on web page |
2013 Silice Pinot Noir
(The new De Lancellotti)
|
Winemaker: Ripe and generous, heavy lifted perfume of roses and sweet purple violets, ripe cane fruits, cinnamon red hot candies, dark cherries and distinct spice and earth notes of graham and incense. |
Winemaker: Sweet with ripe pomegranate, rhubarb and cherry fruits, floral candy notes and a finish reminiscent of ripe Oregon strawberries. |
2013 Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir
|
Winemaker: aromas of pipe tobacco, dark chocolate, citrus oils, savory herb garden, black cherries, and mint. |
Winemaker: There is sweet bright crunch of fruit in the mouth with succulent acidity which drives this wine’s energy. This wine possesses a core of dark red fruits and sweet spices in the mid palate with very fine dusting of sweet tannins and a long finish. |
2013 Gregory Ranch Pinot Noir
|
Winemaker: I had the 2013, but the only tasting notes from the winemaker were 2014: Deep, dark brooding perfume of black fruits, beef bouillon, spice cupboard, black licorice, savory herb garden, and tobacco leaf. |
Winemaker: Rich flavors of black cherry and black raspberry coat the mouth. Silky smooth with fine grained fruit and wood tannins that give this wine not only power, but grace. |
Other Willamette Valley favorites on Wine, Dine, and Play:
Bottle Prices
(excluding taxes)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00
**Currencies chosen reflect the world’s major travelers and restaurant connoisseur’s**
Wine Selction:
|
Currency in the top wine producing countries: | Price Chart : |
2013 Bergström Vineyard Pinot Noir (750 ml)
|
||
$85.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
$113.00
|
Australian Dollar (AUS)
|
$$$
|
$113.00
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$$
|
¥554.00
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥¥¥
|
€76.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€€
|
£60.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
££
|
$127.00
|
New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
|
$$$
|
R1312.00
|
South African Rand (ZAR)
|
R
|
2013 Gregory Ranch Pinot Noir (750 ml)
|
||
$60.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
€54.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€€
|
£42.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
2013 Sigrid Chardonnay (750 ml)
|
||
$60.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
€54.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€€
|
£42.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
2013 Silice Pinot Noir (750 ml)
|
||
$65.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
€58.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€€
|
£46.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
2012 Old Stones Chardonnay (750 ml)
|
||
$65.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
€58.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€€
|
£46.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
2013 Croft Vineyard Pinot Noir (750 ml)
|
||
$70.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$$
|
€63.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€€
|
£50.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
££
|
2014 Rose of Pinot Noir (750 ml)
|
||
$30.00
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
€27.00
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
|
£21.00
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
Cost of wine tasting in USD (p/p):
Tasting Menu:
|
$20.00 |
Fee refundable with $100 purchase or more
Château or Vineyard Owner:
Josh and Karen Bergström
Vineyard &Tasting Room Address:
18215 NE Calkins Lane,
Newberg, Oregon 97132
GPS Coordinates:
45.348902
-123.050295
Tasting Room Information:
Hours:
|
Monday - Sunday: 10:00 am - 4:00 pm |
Tasting room:
|
+1 503.554.0468 |
| Website: | Bergström Wines |
| Email: | Contact Winery |
| Social Media: |
Facebook Link |
| Twitter @Bergstromwines | |
| Josh’s Blog |
Review by:
Sean Overpeck (CFE)
I am based out of St. Petersburg, Florida working in the food service industry for the past twenty years, and am currently with the American Embassy as the Executive Chef in Basra, Iraq. Formally I have worked with groups contracting in Afghanistan, Dubai, and Antarctica, also working in restaurants in and around Atlanta prior to the wars. I have also owned a catering company and served proudly in the United States Army food service program. The idea for the Wine, Dine, and Play Blog started in late 2012 after a trip to Jordan, when I was asked by others to write down the experiences from a few Jordanian restaurants, plus the wine from the region that I tasted, and locations of interest such as Petra, and the culture. Since that time, nearly 200 articles have been written on restaurants, including fifteen from the worlds top 100 lists of San Pellegrino and the Elite Travelers Guide; exotic world locations such as Dubai, Petra, and African Safari’s; food recipes & Grand Food Dictionaries; country cuisines such as Afghan and Peruvian; and of course wine from vineyards in California, Oregon, the Carolina’s, South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia
Who is John Galt?
“I like cooking with wine; sometimes I even add it to the food.”
TTFN
