Tom Mortimer and Le Cadeau Vineyard

Did you miss my email last week? Yeah, I missed it too. It didn’t go out. I think there have been three times in the past 5 years where I missed my own deadline. One of those times, the power was out. Not a bad record if I say so myself, but still I know you were sorely disappointed. You might be asking why I was late. Well, there are a lot of events kicking off for the Thanksgiving weekend. One of them is Friendsgiving, which was amazing last year, but this year, Holy Toledo, Batman, it is looking to be a showstopper on November 30th. This is not why I was late though. Do you remember me mentioning another project of mine called Block 55? Well, I have been working closely with people behind the scenes of the Indie Wine Mixer, getting tickets ready for their event happening Saturday, November 23rd, and Sunday, November 24th. You have to attend both events, and just wait—there is more coming!

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There are times like last month where I have a long chronological timeline leading up to a wonderful backstory. This month, not as much, but let me tell you about a guy named Tom Mortimer. He didn’t grow up with dreams of running a vineyard, nor did he come from a family of winemakers. In fact, for a good chunk of his life, wine was just another thing on the dinner table. Like many of us, he didn’t stumble into his life’s passion overnight. But when he did, it was like finding a missing piece of the puzzle.

Let’s back up a bit. It’s the mid-1980s, and Tom was working in the paper and packaging industry. One day, on a business trip to San Francisco, a colleague introduces him to a 1974 Martini Cabernet. At the time, Tom knew nothing about wine. It was just a bottle shared over dinner. But as it sometimes goes, that bottle became a turning point. A spark was lit. He didn’t jump headfirst into the wine world that night, but the seed was planted.

Fast forward a few years. By now, Tom is in sales and marketing, still in the packaging world. Part of the job? Entertaining clients. And what’s a good dinner without a bottle of wine? Tom found himself with the daunting task of choosing from a wine list. To say it was a little overwhelming at the time is an understatement. So, he started studying wine, not just to keep up with the Joneses but because, well, he got hooked. A casual interest turned into a full-blown hobby. He began collecting bottles from around the world, taking mental trips to Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Napa from his own living room.

But the story really gets interesting when we shift to Oregon. In 1994, Tom and his wife, Deb, visited friends in Newberg. Being exposed to the rolling hills, the deep green vineyards, the crisp air. Tom fell in love with the region almost immediately. And let’s be honest, who wouldn’t? It’s a special kind of place.

Now, Tom wasn’t content with just falling in love with Oregon from afar. In 1997, he bought a 28-acre plot of land on Parrett Mountain. But here’s the kicker: this land wasn’t some picture-perfect vineyard ready for planting. Nope. It was rugged, forested, filled with volcanic basalt rocks, and had never been cultivated. Most people would’ve taken one look and walked away. But not Tom. He saw potential where others saw fir trees and rocks.

Over the next two years, Tom and Deb cleared the land, turning that rugged hillside into what would eventually become Le Cadeau Vineyard. It wasn’t easy. In fact, it was downright grueling. For the better part of a decade, Tom commuted from Minneapolis to Oregon, spending his weekends working the land. I mean, imagine flying out on Thursday night, spending all weekend digging up rocks and meeting with contractors, then flying back to Minnesota to sit at your desk on Monday morning. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was part of the process.

Tom often jokes about “grape dirt” and how it talks to you. When you buy land in wine country, you’re not just buying dirt. You’re buying into a lifestyle, a commitment, a dream. That dirt starts whispering, “Plant me. See what I can become.” And so, in 1999, the first vines went into the ground.

Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the process of starting a vineyard from scratch, let me tell you, it’s not for the faint of heart. It’s years before you even get a grape worth picking, and in the meantime, all you’re doing is writing checks. Tom likes to call it the “eight-year open wallet experience.” You spend, you work, and you wait. And then you wait some more.

By the mid-2000s, the vineyard was finally taking shape, and Tom was starting to make wine. But it wasn’t just about making wine for the sake of it. Tom wanted to make something truly special. He was after greatness, the kind of wine that makes you stop in your tracks. And he was willing to experiment to get there. He worked with different clones, tried different rootstocks, and paid attention to every little detail. The rocky, volcanic soil on Parrett Mountain presented challenges, but it also had the potential to create something extraordinary. The best wines in the world often come from the toughest soils.

Speaking of wines, shall we dive in!?

The tasting room for Le Cadeau is in Dundee. It’s in the same building as the Dundee Hotel and Wooden Heart. If you haven’t stayed at The Dundee or ate at Wooden Heart, you need to get on that! Talk to Jenna at the Dundee and Yvette at Wooden Heart. Back to Tom and Le Cadeau.

Walking into the tasting room, Brian was enthusiastic and handed me a glass of Blanc de Noir. You know it never hurts starting off a tasting with a glass of Sparkling. I wasn’t aware Le Cadeau had Sparkling and when Tom came over he let me know it is something they don’t do every year. This was the 2017 Blanc de Noir and spent four and a half years en tirage. Other years of their Sparkling include 2011 and 2013. Another interesting fact I adore like something fierce is that Kenny, aka Dr. Bubbles, is now in charge of making their Sparkling.

If you don’t know Kenny, him and his wife Allison started Arabilis. I first heard about this project in 2021 when I did my Sparkling report. Over the last few years they released some amazing Pinot and Chardonnay. Earlier this year they released their first Sparkling. Kenny also has a Phd in Sparkling which is why Travis from de la boue calls him Dr. Bubbles.

Sitting across the table from Tom in the room off of the tasting room he dove into some backstory. In 2008, there were five winemakers on the team. Tony Rynders was one of the winemakers. Pierre Millemann was a consultant from 2015 to 2022. If you are unaware of Pierre he also consulted with 00 Wines. His worldly knowledge is something fierce. Do a Google search on his name and you will see what I mean.

Have you heard the name of Isabelle Dutartre? She was the winemaker at Deponte for a long time and is now looking over Domaine Drouhin’s Roserock label. Well, she was the winemaker for Tom in 2002. Other winemakers in the mix include Harry Peterson-Nedry, Steve Ryan, Jim Sanders, and Josh Bergstrom.

Why in the world would I mention all of these winemakers? Well, when you look at the Tom’s backstory he is all about making world class wine. Not only does his vineyard have 18 different clones of Pinot Noir, he wants world class winemakers.

For some reason I keep rambling and haven’t really talked much about wine. Let’s resolve this shall we?

The 2023 Vin Rose is very different from most Roses. It is a blend of 60% Pinot Noir and 40% Chardonnay. This was only the third time Tom has produced a rose and there are only 65 cases available. The acidity on this wine was great and follows a similar profile of most Roses.

The 2021 Chardonnay was aged 14 months in neutral French oak with 5 additional months in stainless. I don’t have many notes on this wine and I wish I would have. When I interviewed Kelsey from Arden she asked me, “What is the typical profile of an Oregon Chardonnay?” I gave an answer, but now when I taste an Oregon Chard that question lingers in the back of my head. If I had a second chance to answer that question, I would answer, “I don’t think there is an Oregon Chardonnay profile. There are so many different soil types, oak profiles, and regimes that there isn’t just one.”

Enough of my pondering about Oregon Chardonnay. The next wine was the 2021 Cote Est Pinot Noir. If you are a clone geek this one is a goodie! It it comprised of Dijon 667, Dijon 115, Dijon 114, Pommard, & Calera. With that many clones, the only question to answer is, “How was it?” Well, I think it was great. There was a solid structure of tannin allowing the medium dark fruit to shine now and I would love to revisit this wine in 5,10 and 15 years from now to see how much of that long spicy finish stays in tact!

The 2019 Merci Reserve Pinot Noir is comprised of Mt. Eden, Calera, Swan, Hanzell, and a Vosne-Romanée selection. I have never heard of Hanzell or Vosne-Romanee, but I am going to keep my eyes peeled other possibilities in the future. On entry this wine portrayed itself as a little bigger and brighter, but the mid-palate was smooth, soft, and elegant. Not what I was expecting at all. With the long subtle finish, this is a wine I would love to open up at the beach, sliding glass doors open to the ocean, with a fire roaring inside and a big ole storm outside.

The 2021 Pierre Reserve is based off of Pierre’s protocol. This was going to La Cadeau’s 20th Anniversary wine. I can understand why, it was delicious. And yes, that was my note. Apologies for not having more detail.

The final wine of the tasting was the 2019 Pierre Reserve. Again this was an excellent wine and comparing it to the 2021 I found it to have a little more tannins. Tom let me know this one had 100% new oak, which would explain the tannin and I can only imagine what this wine will taste like in 20 years.

20 years for a bottle of wine to age. When I first got into wine, I never even imagined a wine aging for 20 years. I was told keeping a wine for more than a year was pushing it. Goes to show how much I have learned and I am drinking better quality wine compared to that point in time. I was poured a 2014 Oregon Pinot Noir yesterday and I was told how pleasantly surprised they were to see the wine was holding up after 10 years. After looking at the color in the glass, and tasting the wine it easily had another 10 years. I think the hospitality person thought I was crazy, but I would gladly put a wager on it!

Tom has incredible patience and he has to in the wine business. Stories where a person buys a plot of land, clears it, plants vines, and produces wine are rare. It is even more rare to hear the number of clones Tom has on his property. He meant what he said about setting out to make world class wine. Patience and perserverance is paying off big time for him!

I know you drive through or visit Dundee quite a bit. On your next visit, stop by the tasting room for La Cadeau, say hi to Brian and tell him, “A.J. sent me!”

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With Gratitude,

A.J.