PinotFile, Vol. 8, Issue 8, December 24, 2009
Privé 2008 le nord was included in PinotFile's list of 2009 Oregon Pinot Noir All-Americans. Our wine was one of only eleven Oregon wines to be so honored.
PinotFile, Vol. 8, Issue 6, November 29, 2009
2008 Privé Vineyard le nord
Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. Lovely aromas of black cherries, black raspberries and a hint of exotic spices. Rich and forthcoming with a blackberry and black cherry core clothed in caressing tannins and possessing the right touch of balancing acidity. More lush and forward than the le sud bottling. A dreamy wine with a creamy texture that is approachable now but will benefit from more time in the cellar. If this wine was a lover instead of a wine, it is the one that would make you abandon your family, leave your job, and forfeit your hard-won position in the community for just one more fling.
2008 Privé Vineyard le sud
Moderate reddish-purple color in the glass. The nose exhibits plenty of green garden, Provencal herbs, brier patch and savory spice from the oak. A moderately rich berry core is very tasty with memorable midpalate saturation that picks up intensity with time in the glass. An herbal edge dominates the fruit initially, but the next day from an opened and re-corked bottle the fruit and spice came out to play with complete resolution of the herbal influence. Flat-out delicious the next day. This wine is meant for aging while you drink the le nord, and will be every bit as good in 3 to 5 years.
Andrew Turner, Ponzi Wine Bar Notes, June 27, 2008
I have to say first off that Tina and Mark Hammond are some of my favorite wine personalities in the Willamette Valley. Their enthusiasm for everything they do and the love that they have for the land that they call home and make wine from is nothing short of contagious. Every year, I wish I had just a bit more of the generous allocation they share with us. They have been friends of the Ponzi Wine Bar since we opened and our friendship continues to this day. In fact, we remain the only retail outlet in the world for their two Pinot Noirs. The Le Nord bottling, sourced from the northern-most vineyard, is always pretty and feminine in style. It consistently has an intoxicating floral perfume to the nose with background nuances of freshly dug forest floor, ripe bing cherry and raspberry preserve flavors fill the mouth. With just about 150 cases produced, our allocation never lasts for more than a couple of weeks. If you love pure, sexy Pinot, you owe it to yourself to try one of the best!
PinotFile, Vol. 7, Issue 9, January 1, 2009
Privé 2006 le sud was included in PinotFile's list of 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir All-Americans. Our wine was one of only eleven Oregon wines to be so honored.
PinotFile, Vol. 6, Issue 49, December 26, 2007
Both the 2004 Privé le sud and le nord were included in PinotFile's list of First Team Pinot Noir All-Americans 2007. Our two wines were the only Oregon wines included among the eleven selected wines.
The Herbfarm Restaurant
I was one of the 16 judges this year at the Northwest Wine Summit at Timberline Lodge. As you know, we DON'T know what any of the wines are during the 3-day judging, but your stem tag number was "108" and I gave it my highest rating and kept wondering whose wine this might be.
I'm wondering now, if there is any of the "le nord" available. I believe that we have the most comprehensive selection of the Oregon Pinot Noir anywhere (see our list at www.theherbfarm.com), so adding a couple bottles or cases would be great.
Thank you,
Ron Zimmerman
Ron Zimmerman
The Herbfarm Restaurant
14590 NE 145th Street
Woodinville, Washington 98072
Andy Perdue, “Oregon Winery to Watch,” Wine Press Northwest, Spring 2004
If you want the wines made by our Oregon Winery to Watch, you might want to hurry.
Privé Vineyard near Newberg is perhaps Oregon's smallest winery at 250 cases, and it's quickly becoming one of the state's most exclusive. Under the direction of wife-husband team winemaker Tina Hammond and viticulturists Mark Hammond, Privé Pinot Noir is gaining high acclaim.
At last year's Northwest Wine Summit, the largest judging of Northwest wines, the Privé 2001 Le Nord Pinot Noir earned Best Oregon Wine. And that was the Hammonds' first release.
Word of the wines traveled fast. The first vintage sold out in six months, the second in two weeks. Now, everything goes quickly on futures, and there isn't even enough for wine shops. Just three restaurants get Privé for their lists: The Dundee Bistro, Joel Palmer House in nearby Dayton and The Herbfarm in Woodinville, Wash.
While it seems success has happened almost immediately for the Hammonds, it's actually been a long time coming.
Their two one-acre vineyards contain Pommard clone Pinot Noir vines that are nearly a quarter-century old. The Hammonds bought the place nine years ago and sold their grapes to top Yamhill county producers.
"We knew the potential of our vineyard because we had been growers for several years," Tina said.
In 2001, they took the plunge and launched Privé.
Their house and winery sit in the midst of the vineyards, which are called Le Nord (North) and Le Sud (South).
Le Nord is about 75 feet higher in elevation and results in 170 cases of wine by the same name. It sees 100% French Oak - 30% new - and sells for $37 per bottle.
"It's got an unusual personality," Tina said, "It's an elegant Pinot Noir with nice layers and complexity. It's our crowd-pleaser."
The lower vineyard, Le Sud ripens a bit earlier, but the grapes are allowed to get ever-so-slightly riper, and the wine sees 100% new French oak.
"This wine was an experiment to see if these old vines could hold up to so much new oak," Tina said. "I felt the intensity of the wine would do well and would give it a little better aging."
The wine shows well in its youth but also should age beautifully. The 85 cases retail for $45 per bottle.
Privé (French for "private") isn't expected to grow in case production. The Hammonds are hands-on and want to keep it that way. They carry every cluster from the vineyard to the winery and inspect each before it is crushed.
"We can't buy grapes like we're growing," Tina said. "Unless I stumble upon some, we don't plan to expand."
Now, Mark has built a Burgundian-style winery with stucco walls and a red-tiled roof that feels Old World and might well remind visitors of a stroll through Côte de Nuits. The Hammonds even planted a lavender field around the winery to further that feeling.
For now, the winery is open during Yamhill county's big Memorial Day weekend event and by appointment. With so little wine available, the Hammonds have decided to stay closed during the Thanksgiving weekend event. Instead, they will focus on special events. Mark is building an outdoor wood-fired brick oven, and the winery will have vineyard luncheons for mailing list customers.
The good news is the mailing list is still open, so if you love hand-crafted Oregon Pinot Noir, your opportunity to enjoy Privé is now.
Locals Win at Wine Summit
Tina and Mark Hammond of Privé Vineyard, Newberg, brought home a gold and "Best Wine in Oregon" title for their 2001 Privé Vineyard pinot noir le nord and a bronze for their 2001 Privé Vineyard pinot noir le sud. Their vineyard is 24 years old, but 2001 was the first vintage for the new owners.
Gold medals went to: Amity Vineyards 2002 Willamette Valley select-cluster riesling; Hauer of the Dauen 2001 Willamette Valley late-harvest riesling; Lemelson Wines 2000 Willamette Valley Jerome's Reserve pinot noir; Stag hollow 2000 Willamette Valley reserve; Yamhill Valley Vineyards 1998 Willamette Valley Tall Poppy pinot noir.
Silver Medals were won by: ADEA, Amity Vineyards, Anne Amie, Ridgeview, Chehalem, Elk Cove, Hauer of the Dauen and Lemelson. Bronze medals were won by: Amity Vineyards, ADEA, Anne Amie and Duck Pond Cellars.
The panel of judges included Jack Czarnecki, owner and chef at Joel Palmer House in Dayton, and Ken Wright, owner and winemaker at Ken Wright Cellars in Carlton.