BHVineyard, did you get my e-mail I sent you? I've had some trouble with my mail account lately and wanted to make sure.

BHV,

Some of us are getting very anxious to order your wine. What's the word?

VM

Got that right, VM. I'm looking forward to at least a case of this juice after Carol & I got to share a bottle with BHV earlier this year.

VM, Stemor, et. al.--

Thanks so much for your continued interest and kind words about the '02 Le Cadeau!

It's interesting... I never imagined how it would feel to have knowledgeable wine-folks taste your first wine as you anxiously await what you hope won't be an overly critical review. Fortunately, most such events have resulted in favorable comments. (Though I could have done without the corked bottle of '03 that I recently poured for a prospective distributor ; fortunately, I had a spare ). [That said, I don't see screwcaps in the Le Cadeau near-future].

Please be assured that the delay in bringing the '02 to market is NOT a thinly veiled plot to tease all of you! Rather, I just can't begin to explain all the legal hurdles and sequencing that is required to bring a wine to market for the first time.

We are now about 6-weeks away from release. The timing only hinges on the lable printer's schedule and the time it takes to get the labels from the printer in CA to the labeling line in OR. And then there is the matter of the corrugated cases and repacking after labeling.... And the fact that this is decidely not my "day job". (Case in point, when the owner of a distribution company asked me recently how many cases there were, and I replied: "450"; he said, "OK, so what else do you do to survive?").

Having been at this now 9-years since Mrs. BHV and I began looking at the raw land that eventually became Black Hole / Le Cadeau Vineyard, I figure: What's another 6-weeks to "get it right"? But to anyone that wonders why good wine is "reasonably expensive" (... I make no excuses for all the "unreasonably expensive" wine on the market), don't forget to include the 9-years of working capital (without any revenue) in your calculations! A simple "P & L" review doesn't even come close to telling the story! (And that doesn't even count the "free" labor I got from Latour67 when he helped move a few rocks around the vineyard!).

But as for the schedule, your continued patience is much appreciated... the vino is coming soon! And I've got you covered; there's plenty to go around. And the '03 will follow behind.

Speaking of the '03, Montrachet tried a bottle of this-- along with Duke Riley and Winetex. Most reviews have been quite positive... but I guess I better get the '02 to market before we start an '03 stampede.

Again... thanks all... it will be out soon!

Glad to hear it. The '02s I've tried have been almost all excellent.

I had the pleasure of trying this wine again last weekend when Tom Mortimer was in town for Otis' Cellar Diminishment Party. The wine was bottled and was just as good as when Tom brought it in last year. Better with some age in fact. 93 points.

VM

VinoMe, thats great to hear. Tom always said it was going to get better with age, and from the sounds of things it is.

2002 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Willamette Valley -- this is the third opportunity I've had to drink this wine in the last 6 months, and it shows better each time. Beautiful deep garnet colour; cherry and berry nose with hints of barnyard; full-bodied, silky wine, good acidity, loaded with Byng cherry and raspberry flavours, hints of earthiness and a light mineral element; long finish, with fruit easily outlasting the tannins. Around 90-91 pts, with improvement likely over the next couple of years.

We had a bottle of this tonight. I pretty much agree with SeaQ. I think this wine needs time. It was decanted two hours ago and is still improving. This has the fruit and acidity to age, like almost all the better 2002 OR PNs. Right now, I see this as an 89 point wine, but with a great potential for future development. I would not be surprised to see this as a 92 or 93 point wine in a few years. I think what BHVineyard has accomplished is amazing. In a few short years, he's produced a wine with deep flavor and the backbone to age for years. I think the overwhelming majority of OR PN is consumed far too young. I bet this will be excellent in 2 years and likely stunning in 5.

I brought one of my bottles to dinner last night with some friends. We went to a french restaurant called Vie. I thought this was wine was drinking just great now. It still has that fresh minerally character. Excellent structure and balance in this wine. Elegant. Really, this is what Pinot should be. There is no hurry to drink this wine but it is soooooo good now. Everyone including our waiter loved it. 92-93 points.

VM

I thought I would link some other notes that were part of a blind tasting. FWIW, this bottle was decanted and left to breathe for half an hour, after which it was poured back into the bottle, re-corked and transported to the restaurant. We drank it about 4 hours later.

2002 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir Black Hole Vineyard - Willamette Valley, Oregon
Decanted 2 ½ hr’s. Nose of cherry and asian spice. These young, promising vines shyly reveal flavors of cherry turning to black cherry at mid-palate with notes of asian spice and a hint of cinnamon and clove. Very fine to silky tannins with good acidity, this is impeccably balanced with an elegant, polished structure that broadens on the back of the tongue and elevates slightly on the finish. Drinks well now with 2+ hr’s decant time and should continue to develop for the next 3-5 years. S91 2/12/2006

Had another bottle of this wine, the best bottle yet.

Garnet red; nice nose of cherry, spicecake, smoke, hint of vanilla; cherry and berry flavours, great acidity, soft tannins and some pepper joins the fruit on the finish. Delicious!

2002 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir - Willamette Valley, Oregon
Atlanta Off-line (Bone's Restaurant, Atlanta, GA): Decanted 2 hr’s. Similar notes as before of well balanced and elegant dark cherry and asian spices, but I thought the nose was a little more shy this tasting. Paired superbly with the seared Tuna. S91 9/15/2006

Damn, PH! Great minds think alike! We opened a bottle of the 02 Le Cadeau for Thanksgiving as well. And a mighty fine pairing it was with the Turkey and all the trimmings!

My impressions are similar. The 02 is really showing some class right now. It's developing into a seductive, nuanced wine. Delicious.

Gonna have to make a run to Bassins and stock up on some more of this.

quote:

Gonna have to make a run to Bassins and stock up on some more of this.

Let me know if you do. I'd like a few more! If I make it there first I'll give you a shout.

PH

Don't you rascals go and forget your old buddy

I had this for Thanksgiving too. While it worked fine with the food, alone it had a glaringly hollow midpalate. Up front nice cherry flavors, on the back end spices including a touch of clove which I really like, but in the middle -- nothing. I'm hoping I just found this at a bad stage and will hold my other three bottles for at least a year. Seems like everything is there, just needs to fill in. 87 points

Like EIT, I find the 2002 to be a little simple. I'm not expecting them to fill out much in the future, so I'm drinking up over the next year or so. The 2003s, however, I think are markedly superior and those I will hold onto for some time.

2002 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (11/25/2006)

Tom and Deb brought this wine into Chicago for a tasting dinner over Thanksgiving with their 2003 and all three 2004's. I think this wine has put on a little weight since the last time I've had it. This wine is showing all of the vineyard characteristics that impressed the first time I had it. Wonderful minerality reflecting the rocky soil. Great depth and a long finish. 92-93 points.

VM

2002 Le Cadeau Pinot Noir - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (7/2/2007)

Opened another bottle at dinner with some friends on our anniversary at Hawkshead Inn in South Haven last weekend. It was the first time they had a Le Cadeau and were impressed. Consistently fine wine. 93 points.

VM