Who writes the Weinnotes newsletter?

The Weinnotes newsletter is written by A.J. Weinzettel, a wine journalist and podcaster who has written about Oregon wine country since 2019. Each issue tells the story of a winery and the people behind it, mostly in the Willamette Valley.

Where can I read more Weinnotes stories?

Every issue is in the Weinnotes newsletter archive at https://weinnotes.com/newsletter, and new issues are free by email at https://weinnotes.com/subscribe.

Dispatch · Saturday, December 4, 2021

de Lancellotti and a Crash Course in Biodynamics

Reading Voodoo Vintners led to a DM, and the DM led to a sunny pre-Thanksgiving afternoon in the barn with Paul de Lancellotti.

Monday morning, while I was taking Globgor for a walk, it was still a little dark out. At one point, a kid around 7 or 8 came out onto the street with a basketball and started shooting hoops. I thought to myself, “That’s cool.” As I walked by, I noticed it was a girl. I got the biggest smile on my face when I walked by and said, “Good morning,” as I do to everyone I pass. Walking away, my heart gleamed with pride that a 7 or 8-year-old girl has enough passion for getting outside in the cold dark morning to shoot hoops before school. I cannot wait to see what this generation of women creates for our future. There is so much more opportunity compared to 20-30 years ago. Society has opened up so much more than the 50s, 60s, and 70s.

Before I dive too far into the story this week, I want to share a couple of links you might find of interest.

Earlier this year, back in February, I started reading a book from Katherine Cole called Voodoo Vintners. It is a practical guide to getting your head around Biodynamic Farming practices. When Amazon delivered the book, I posted a quick story on IG, and I got a message from de Lancellotti Wines saying, “Early look into BD.” The publication date on the book is 2011, with a second printing in 2012. Ten years ago, Katherine was on top of it. Some of us, like myself, are a little behind the cool kids. I got another message from the de Lancellotti account saying, “I remember when she interviewed me, I thought I knew a lot then. Many years later, I am still learning about BD.” At that moment, de Lancellotti was on my list of wineries to visit.

The Voodoo Vintners book was fascinating, and I should reread it. There’s so much information, and it also highlights an appreciation for all of the work done in the vineyard. A few weeks back, I wrote about Troon, where I mentioned soil and regenerative farming. Some wineries feel BD is truly a voodoo practice, while others swear by it. Some people think Ford is better than Chevy also. In comparison, others prefer a Tesla over an Audi. For me, it is the passion for the land, the grape, and the quality of wine produced. If I were to buy a vineyard today, I would hands down farm it Biodynamically. For me, the teas act as a protectant, aka a probiotic for the vines. BD also gives back to the land instead of a one-sided take from the land approach to farming. I never in a million years thought I would geek out on agriculture and want to talk with superstar BD farmers, but here I am.

Fast forward from February to November, and I finally checked off my list a visit to de Lancellotti and talked to none other than Paul de Lancellotti. The Saturday before Thanksgiving, it was surprisingly sunny and warm. The winery was doing a special pre-Thanksgiving event. Red Hills Market served up some killer food accompanied by some down-home tunes. When I walked into the barn, Paul was serving wine, and he immediately recognized me even though we had never seen one another face to face. What a fantastic feeling and a terrific way to start off the event.

Before I jump the gun too quickly, let’s do a little history and foundational setting. The wines of de Lancellotti are sourced from the estate, Arlyn (Big shoutout and kudos to Janis), and the Anderson Family vineyards in the Dundee Hills. Paul is married to Kendall, whose last name used to be Bergstrom. A few wines from Bergstrom used to come from the estate vineyard until 2018. The vineyard was planted in 2002 with 4.5 acres under vine at the end of Calkins Lane. If Calkins Lane sounds familiar to you, it’s because Adelsheim, Arlyn, and a few others are on the same road. Note to self, I need to create a Calkins Lane loop inside my App.

The consulting winemaker is Robert Brittan, and Rusty from the Prince of Pinot has an excellent bio on Robert I am stealing, aka quoting.

Robert Brittan was the first winemaker at Far Niente, then spent 16 years as winemaker and estate manager at Stags' Leap Winery before fulfilling his dream of making Pinot Noir and Syrah from cooler climates. A graduate of University of California at Davis, he has over 30 years of experience in making wine. He is also the winemaker for Winderlea, former winemaker at Blakeslee, Lazy River and former winemaker at Ayoub. Robert’s spouse, Ellen, is a veteran of the wine industry as well and focuses on the sales and marketing of the Brittan Vineyards brand.

Brittan had made Pinot Noir in California but felt he could do better. He had made wine in Oregon before, as an undergraduate at Oregon State University in the 1960s. He sold a plot of land he owned in Napa Valley and used the proceeds and loans to buy a 128-acre forested tract on the edge of the Willamette Valley in 2004, a site that took him years to discover. The soils here are a mix of basalt and volcanic rock. He replanted 18 acres of vineyards on the property (some plantings of Swan clone Pinot Noir were retained, a rarity in Oregon), cleared some additional land, and planted additional 3.5 acres of Pinot Noir in 2008. He now has Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and six Rhone varieties across 21 acres. He is convinced that Rhone varieties can succeed in the Willamette Valley.

Getting back to the first pour and Paul recognizing who I was. Luckily, there weren’t too many people at the event yet, and I could chat with Paul for a couple of minutes. I mentioned our first interaction via DM and the Voodoo Vintners book. He recalled Katherine Cole interviewing him and saying to her how much he didn’t know ten years ago. As he progressed into the story, a name came out I wasn’t expecting to hear. Paul said, “Jimi Brooks was a pioneer behind BD and learned so much from him.” My arms were filled with goosebumps. Jimi played quite the role in Oregon wine. To hear his name come up in casual conversation outside of Brooks is quite the testament to his legacy!

More people started to show up, and it was time for me to walk around and take in everything. Off of the main room of the barn was “another room” per se with a long rustic table accompanied by a wood-burning fireplace. I don’t begin to have the words to describe how I felt. Saying the table was rustic doesn’t feel right. The term primitive comes to mind, but that doesn’t feel right either. It was cozy, down-to-earth, inviting, but nothing like any wine tasting I have been to before.

Wine can feel like it has an extra burden about it. So let me explain a little. Did you ever visit your Grandma’s house on Thanksgiving where she brought out the extra special china, along with the silver that was polished the week before because it was in storage for the past year? Then, sitting at the Thanksgiving table with all of the special plates and silverware, hunger subsided and was replaced, with your stomach churning into knots, fearful of chipping the plate or silverware and ultimately ruining Thanksgiving. Wine carries this same burden whether we want to admit it or not. Or maybe I am full of patootski, and I am the only one who feels this way. At any rate, the point I am ultimately trying to convey is that burden of having a proper Thanksgiving at Grandma’s house goes out the window when sitting down at the rustic table with a fire roaring while sipping the wines at de Lancellotti.

Hearing the fire roaring, enjoying multiple pours of wine from Paul while munching on some food from Red Hills Market, Paul was having a good time. There were easily 30-ish, maybe 40-ish people in attendance at this point in the event. Somehow Paul was keeping track of what wine everyone was at without hesitation. At one point, I was in the main room of the barn and overhearing a conversation between Paul and other guests. There was the mention of his family in Naples, but he had never been. With a prominent Italian last name, I wondered why he had never been, but also the question of why he hadn’t dappled in any Italian varietals. So much personal history I am curious about, but it isn’t exactly appropriate to ask.

Paul poured me a 2017 Pommard from the Lachini vineyard just right down the road towards the end of the event. He told me how much he likes Pommard and is grafting some this year onto the estate vineyard.

I got a certain vibe I thoroughly enjoyed when visiting de Lancellotti, and trying to put words to the vibe doesn’t give it justice, but I don’t have a choice. To try and summarize, visiting the winery gives you a truly rustic, authentic sense of what wine is meant to be. Forget the proper pretension. Wine is meant to be shared with friends and family for all to enjoy no matter what. Paul was having a blast pouring wine for everyone because of the pride of craftsmanship he takes in the vineyard to produce stellar wines for his friends and family to enjoy.

All of the wines were great, and you cannot go wrong with any of them. If you want killer tasting notes along with scores, here is a link to Owen Bargreen’s review. Some standouts for me include the 2019 Arlyn (maybe I am basis, but I doubt it), 2018 Onelia, and the 2017 Lachini. The other wines I tasted include:

2019 Estate Chard
2019 Estate Pinot
2020 Pinot Blanc

I have to admit there were other wines, and I did a horrendous job documenting. However, I will blame the fireplace, the food, and the ambiance for distracting me. I plan to sit down one on one with Paul for more stories to share with you in the near future.

To make an appointment for a tasting, visit the website, call the phone number (503-804-3352) and instead of asking to make a reservation for a specific date, ask to see when they are taking reservations. Then, when you do nail down a date to taste, let them know, “A.J. sent me!”

With Gratitude,

A.J.

PS - I am taking December 22nd and 29th off from the newsletter. Last year I took the last two weeks off as well. I like the idea of reflecting to create a better experience, and maybe I will use the time to get ahead a bit on writing. It isn’t very likely, but we can all hope just a teeny bit.

PPS - There is only one newsletter left for the year. I wonder what it will be? Here’s a hint for you, and maybe you can guess it. Next week includes an anniversary, Dick Erath’s 95 clone and Amphora.

PPPS - Are you tired of getting Christmas promos yet? If you are open to another one use promo code "gratitude" for $5.00 off my "Breath Life is too short for Bad Wine" shirt.

A.J. Weinzettel

Wine journalist & podcaster covering Oregon wine country