Novelty Hill-Januik Winery

A recent visit to Novelty Hill-Januik showcased some highly impressive new release wines. Superstar winemaker Andrew Januik guided me through the new releases that impressed from some hot vintages. Andrew recently spent some time working a harvest in South Africa and he talked about the incredible differences between winemaking in Washington and in South Africa. I was very impressed with his new Andrew Januik wines, the 2013 ‘Lady Hawk’ (WWB, 93) and the 2013 ‘Stone Cairn’ (WWB, 93). Both Cabernets maintained the minerality of the Januik lineup, while slightly deviated towards richness and viscosity. These are impressive bottlings for the cellar. There were some highly impressive mainstays that I reviewed as well. One of the best Sauvignon Blancs in the state is the 2014 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek’ Sauvignon Blanc (WWB, 91) which shows wonderful fruit and brisk minerality from a hot vintage. This wine is perfect for a hot summer day.

Other impressive new release wines included the 2013 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Syrah (WWB, 93), which showed a dense array of flavors. Both the massive 2013 Januik ‘Champoux Vinyeard’ Cabernet (WWB, 94), and the 2013 Januik ‘Reserve Red Wine’ bot have some massive potential but need some time in the bottle for the flavors to fully integrate and for the tannins to dissipate a bit. These wines will cellar gracefully for at least another decade. Check out the impressive new lineup of wines at http://www.noveltyhilljanuik.com/ Some of these wines can be found at Costco, especially the Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Cabernet and Merlot. Look for many of these wines at great Northwest area wine shops and higher end supermarkets. Here are the highly anticipated new release wines from Novelty Hill-Januik winery.

2014 Novelty Hill 'Stillwater Creek' Sauvignon Blanc- This intense wine has bright aromas of poached pear, gooseberry and Meyer lemon zest. There are flavors of poached pear, gooseberry, Granny Smith apple and green papaya. Drink 2016-2020- 91

2014 Novelty Hill Rousanne- Aged in neutral oak, this wine yields bright aromas of starfruit, Gala apple, and nutmeg. There are flavors of cut grass, poached pear, nutmeg and Gala apple. Lithe and delicious open style wine. Drink 2016-2021- 91

2013 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek’ Chardonnay- The Stillwater Creek Vineyard is a cool site that produces some exceptional Chardonnay. This lovely bottling starts with aromas of nutmeg, brioche, poached pear and Pazzaz apple. This leads to flavors of poached pear, cantaloupe and Gala apple with suggestions of mushroom. Gorgeous and open style Chardonnay with a strong acid backbone. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2014 Novelty Hill Viognier- This wine opens with bright aromas of poached pear, vanilla cream, and Pazzaz apple. There are flavors of red delicious apple, Bartlett pear, and hints of mushroom with starfruit. Balanced style of Viognier, with excellent structure. Drink 2016-2021- 90

2015 Januik 'Sagemoor Vineyard' Sauvignon Blanc- This balanced Sauvignon Blanc has aromas of earl grey tea, gooseberry and Bartlett pear. There are flavors of poached pear, Pazzaz apple, nutmeg and lovely weight. Gorgeous bottling here that will be perfect for summer. Drink 2016-2020- 90

2014 Januik ‘Cold Creek Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Sourced from the Cold Creek Vineyard, the wine opens with aromas of starfruit, red delicious apple and Bartlett pear. There are flavors of Pink Lady apple, Bartlett pear and a lovely vanilla cream finish. Bright and balanced wine with nice weight. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2013 Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Merlot- This exceptional value wine begins with aromas of milk chocolate, red cherry and red bell pepper. There are flavors of red cherry, mocha and red raspberry with suggestions of pipe tobacco. Gorgeous and open style Merlot wine. Drink 2016-2025- 91

2013 Novelty Hill 'Stillwater Creek Vineyard' Sangiovese- This intriguing Washington Sangio opens with aromas of red cherry, pipe tobacco and sandalwood. This leads to medium weight flavors of red cherry, cedar, red raspberry and sagebrush. Lovely and lithe, with light dusty tannins. Drink 2016-2024- 91

2013 Novelty Hill 'Stillwater Creek Vineyard' Grenache- The wine begins with aromas of rose petals, red cherry, pomegranate and red currant. There are flavors of red raspberry, pomegranate seed, blood orange and blackberry preserves. Lovely range of flavors here. There is a plush texture and seamless quality to the wine. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2012 Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Cabernet- This Cabernet wine begins with aromas of sandalwood, cassis, mocha and graphite. There are flavors of mocha, blackberry pie, graphite and creme de cassis. Gorgeous wine with a lovely texture. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Novelty Hill 'Stillwater Creek Vineyard' Cabernet- This wine opens with aromas of red bell pepper, anise, spicebox and blackberry jam. There are flavors of blackberry cobbler, black cherry, black olive and mocha. Gorgeous bottling here, this will cellar beautifully. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Syrah- This Syrah starts with aromas of black pepper, anise and black cherry. There are flavors of blackberry, black cherry and black olive with hints of smoked meats. This is an exceptional value wine from Novelty Hill. Kudos to Mike and Andrew Januik. Drink 2016-2024- 92

2013 Januik Columbia Valley Merlot- This dense bottling starts with aromas of blackberry cobbler, cedar and red cherry with red bell pepper. There are flavors of red cherry, cherry tomato and blackberry jam. This has a silky texture and is seamless. Gorgeous bottling here that is an excellent value from this great vintage. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2012 Januik Columbia Valley Cabernet- This impressive Cabernet bottling begins with aromas of Turkish coffee, creme de cassis and blackberry cobbler. There are flavors of black cherry and black olive with coffee and cedar accents. Graphite and mocha in there as well. It is hard to find value like this in the Cabernet market. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Januik ‘Ciel du Cheval Vineyard’ Cabernet-The Cabernet wine starts with aromas of sagebrush, green bell pepper, smoked meats and blackberry compote. There are flavors of blackberry pie, coffee grounds, tar and milk chocolate. Lithe and polished, this will have a very long life. Drink 2016-2028- 93

2013 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet- This follows up the highly impressive 2012 bottling. This wine was largely sourced from the Quintessence vineyard. This Cabernet starts with aromas of mocha, blackberry graphite and cedar. There are flavors of blackberry pie, cedar, mocha, blueberry compote and Turkish coffee. Masculine and layered, this is a gorgeous wine. There is a plush mouthfeel and a lovely texture. This is delicious straight out of the bottle. Drink 2016-2029- 93

2013 Andrew Januik 'Lady Hawk' Cabernet- This is primarily Lady Hawk vineyard fruit with some Alder Ridge vineyard fruit blended in. The wine starts with aromas of mocha, blackberry preserves, creosote and sagebrush. There are flavors of blackberry pie, mocha, sandalwood, black olive and green bell pepper. Lovely mouthfeel and fruit weight to this intense but balanced Cabernet. Try to wait another year before enjoying. Drink 2017-2029- 93

2013 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Syrah- The Syrah begins with aromas of red cherry, mocha red bell pepper, and anise. There are flavors of black cherry, black olive and mocha. Dense and layered, this is a gorgeous effort. Drink 2016-2025- 93

2013 Januik 'Champoux Vineyard' Cabernet- One of the best sites in the state for Cabernet, the wine opens with aromas of mocha, sagebrush red cherry and red bell pepper. There are deep flavors of blackberry preserves mocha black cherry black raspberry and creosote. Gorgeous bottling here that showcases this special vineyard. Drink 2017- 2029- 94

2013 Januik Reserve Red- This intense wine begins with aromas of red bell pepper, mocha, red cherry and blackberry pie. There are rich flavors of black olive, black cherry, black plum, coffee grounds and graphite with moderate tannins. Dense and deep, try to not touch this for another two years. Drink 2019-2030- 94

2015 Spring Run Rose-This Rose wine is a joint venture between Januik and Novelty Hill. The wine starts with aromas of red cherry, blood orange, red raspberry and rose petals. The wine has flavors of red cherry, pink bubblegum and red raspberry. Drink 2016-2020- 89

2015 Januik Riesling-This excellent Kabinett style Riesling begins with aromas of starfruit, petroleum and Pazzaz apple. There are flavors of golden delicious apple, poached pear, wet stone and lovely mineral backbone. Drink 2016-2022- 90