The various wines that we produce at Cameron Winery may be divided into roughly two groups: those that we like and those that we don't like! All of the Pinot noir and most of the Chardonnay are crafted using traditional Burgundian techniques which tend to generate wines reflecting the soil from whence they came. For Pinot noir this approach emphasizes fermentation from the natural yeast present on the grape skins, long cool maceration of the grapes prior to commencment of fermentation and finally peak temperatures of over 90 degrees Farenheit when one may induce beautiful women to take a plunge into the tank. For Chardonnay it means fermenting in the oak barrels with indigenous yeasts and drawing out the fermentation over an extensive period due to the cool temperature of the cellar. In either case, the wines are given long residency in barrels of varying ages. Both Chardonnay and Pinot noir are aged for nearly 2 years before racking and bottling without filtration. The average cellar temperature at Cameron is around 58 degrees, guaranteeing that the maturation process will take plenty of time.

Cameron's choice of barrels for its wines is equally crucial to the final product. For Pinot noir, we buy our barrels from a wonderful cooper who lives in the village of St. Romain in Burgundy. His name is Claude Gillet and every year he visits our cellar, tastes the wines and makes recommendations for barrels. He has never failed us and continues to produce impeccable barrels every year. For Chardonnay we tend to favor the barrels of Dargaud et Jaegle, an eccentric cooperage near Macon. Part of their production process includes dipping the unfinished barrels into scalding hot water which leeches out some of the bitter wood tannins. This necessarily softens the influence of the barrels and yields Chardonnay with a sweet, supple finish.

Both the red and white wines which receive our single-vineyard designation are extremely age-worthy. At the present time Pinot noir from the 1990, 1993 and 1994 vintages are drinking superbly with following vintages still waiting their turn. Chardonnay from the 1990 vintage is just passing its absolute prime while 1993 is just approaching it. At the other end of the spectrum are the Northern Italian-style wines. By adding an "i" to Cameron and filling the label with lots of words in Italian, you will mistake us for the real thing! At present we produce two wines in this category, both of which are proprietary blends. The first, called "Giovanni" uses Pinot bianco as the base wine to which various quantities of Pinot grigio, Auxerrois and Chardonnay are added until an aromatic ensemble is produced redolent of pears and freshly sliced Pippin apples with a dash of rosemary added. The second, called "Giuliano" uses Chardonnay as the base wine to which is blended small amounts of Muscato, Pinot bianco, Pinot grigio and Auxerrois in order to create a minerally wine with high tone esters and grip on the middle palate. In both cases the wines are fermented in stainless steel and bottled in the late winter while the fruit esters are fresh and lively. As befits wines made in a similar fashion in the region of Friuli, these are intended to be drunk within a year or two of their inception.