Lemelson Pinot Noir Willamette Valley 2021

You’ve heard of this thing called fire, right? Bringer of light, comfort and cooking in primordial times? And in much more recent times, burner of vineyards and creator of smoke-tainted wines. 

Just this past week, I returned from a trip to Oregon and thankfully, fire was not the primary topic of conversation. The 2022 harvest is in, and it’s big, abundant and healthy—and without any fire issues. 

Alas, the sad backstory is that the 2020 vintage had tremendous fire issues, and that is what most producers would presently be selling. Many Oregon producers, including Lemelson, skipped the 2020 vintage entirely because of fire / quality issues, leaving them with a huge donut in their P&L statements because of no wine to sell. So what to do?

Lemelson, in essence, can produce what it wants, when it wants, without the pressure of a balance sheet to manage (Eric Lemelson is that wealthy). So, they ditched the 2020 vintage. But, this also left workers at the winery in a lurch. So, the team came together to create this wine - “Willamette Valley Pinot Noir”. What is the difference between this and their “regular” Thea’s Reserve Pinot Noir? It’s twofold. 

First, this wine is held for 6 months in oak, whereas Thea’s traditionally sees 15 months in oak, and then more bottle aging (hence having no Thea’s to sell right now). 

Second, it’s got purple on the label. The color. Yes, that is the second major difference. Lemelson has never changed its labels, until now. And yes, the horizon picture on the label is purple. Purple sunsets happen in Willamette, and it's beautiful. 

This wine was created to help the winery to “bridge the gap” - satisfy customers, not lose them, keep workers employed and get something out to the market. And that is it. So the point of this email?

I tasted this wine and loved it, and think it’s a HUGE value. It’s Thea’s, which will be going up to $45 release price when it comes back, but with less aging on it. Yes, it’s a little fresh and boppy right now, and could use some time to calm down in the bottle. But that’s also part of its charm - it’s vibrant, exciting, bright and invigorating Willamette Pinot Noir. And, it’s half the price of Thea’s! 

They didn’t make a ton, and I snatched up all that I could. Which wasn’t much, hence this quiet Monday-morning offer. I wanted to get this email out to you, who have purchased Lemelson before—because I don’t want anyone to have it except those who truly love Lemelson. Please be sure to get some today, before it's gone.