Tag Archives: cameron

Wine of the Day: Cameron Dundee Hills Chardonnay 2015 10-15-16

Cameron Winery Dundee Hills Chardonnay, Willamette Valley 2015 750ML ($21.95) Buy Now: $19 special

Cameron Winery Dundee Hills Chardonnay, Willamette Valley 2015

A visit from John Paul of Cameron happens often here at Vinopolis, yet not often enough. No other Willamette Valley winemaker displays his sort of charisma and laid-back, quasi-genius: the mastermind behind Clos Electrique has an electrified brain, it seems. He makes us laugh, and shares his wines. Granted, as John pointed out, the oak has yet to integrate, but the silkiness, suppleness, and succulence already signal a charming cuvee: Give this wine a few months or more before consumption. You’ll be glad you did, and even gladder that you swooped some up before this Cameron wine goes the way of all the others… out of stock soon enough. – Daniel

Wine of the Day: Cameron ‘Dundee Hills’ Pinot Noir 2014 6-18-16

Cameron Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills 2014 750ML ($31.95) Buy Now: $24 special

With each release from Cameron, don’t it always seem to go that you don’t know what you’ve got ’till it’s gone? Each time the wine comes into the shop, five-or-so cases high, I wonder how soon until our shelves need replenishing. The point being, this stuff sells – with good reason, too! We’ve secured another stash, but that’s not to suggest this little guy will be around forever…

The Dundee Hills cuvee is declassified Abbey Ridge + Clos Electrique selections from younger vines; the body is light but not flighty body, with rambunctious cherry and raspberry fruit leading into an herbal and measured finish. It’s probably the most precise and elegant release from Cameron in 2014, and warrants a drinker who occupies the space between decadent and disciplined – that is, to say, I suggest you buy ten or twelve bottles and drink a few now and a few later. Oh, Dundee Hills ’14. I could drink a case of you, darling. Still I’d be on my feet. I would still be on my feet. – Tyler

Wine of the Day: Cameron ‘Saignee of Pinot Noir’ 2014 6-11-16

Cameron ‘Saignee of Pinot Noir, Willamette Valley 2014 750ML ($21.95) Buy Now: $18 special

This is a pretty wine from every perspective. For starters, it’s another episode in the series of sub-$25 selections from Cameron which have been a hit this year. Then there’s the contrast of the ruby-rose juice and the electric-teal label that has my graphics receptors feeling all fuzzy… We haven’t even opened the bottle yet!

The saignee method entails ‘bleeding off’ the juice after limited contact with the skins – in this instance, of Pinot Noir. In this case, the resultant wine has some nice body to it, with lush cherry elements, rhubarb, strawberry, and a perfect little kiss of white pepper. We can’t get enough of it personally, but are happy to share our staff for rose-lovers and Cameronites nationwide! – Tyler

Wine of the Day: Cameron Clos Electrique Blanc 3-31-16

Cameron Clos Electrique Blanc, Dundee Hills, Oregon 2013 750ML ($81.95) Buy Now: $66 special

I’ve made my love for Cameron’s wines no secret within these pages, and there’s likely no end in sight. The reds have been very good company during my first Portland winter – now, however, with an eye towards the spring, I’m excited to drink more of John’s wonderful white wines.

The first thing that the 2013 Clos Electrique Blanc conjures to mind is the lead-in to my notes from the first tasting: “Wow.” It’s so darned easy to drink, with an everlasting finish and lots of layers to sort through as the wine aerates. As I wrote previously, “…honeysuckle, citrus, tarragon, and honey cover the palate while remaining lively and buoyant. Layered and charming, maintaining a balance between force and elegance.”

This one, like many of the Camerons, will age wonderfully. Not that I suggest you exercise any restraint. Drink up, my friends… – Tyler

Winemaker’s note: “Clos Electrique is farmed organically which means that we use elemental sulfur during the growing season to prevent growth of powdery mildew and use copper hydroxide and leaf removal in the vicinity of grape clusters to inhibit botrytis. Insect pests are generally kept in check by cultivation of predatory insects with integrated cover crops. This is one of the warmer vineyard sites in the Red Hills of Dundee and usually is harvested during the second half of September. Yields of the ‘blanc’ generally yields 2.0 tons per acre (27 hl/hectare).”