A few weeks back I had the great opportunity to try all the new release wines from DeLille Cellars. One of the longstanding Woodinville wineries, under famed winemaker Chris Upchurch, DeLille Cellars was the first winery in Washington to focus on creating Bordeaux style wine blends. The winery is very prominent on the Red Mountain AVA with its own 20 acre vineyard along with other top sites in the Yakima Valley. DeLille Cellars currently produces six Bordeaux-styled wines including Grand Ciel, Chaleur Estate Rouge, D2, Harrison Hill, Four Flags and Chaleur Estate Blanc. Growth has continued for DeLille the past few years. In 2013 Bacchus Capital Management provided significant growth capital to DeLille Cellars, which was first founded in 1992 by Charles and Greg Lill, Jay Soloff and Chris Upchurch. You can taste this great attention to detail in the glass.

Tasting with winemaker Jason Gorski, he talked about his latest vintage releases, as well as the exciting 2014 vintage for red wines. Some of the red wine barrel samples were exceedingly impressive, including the 2014 DeLille ‘Chaleur Estate Red (94-97) which showed intoxicating aromatics and rich viscosity on the mid-palate. Jason is following executive winemaker Chris Upchurch at DeLille, which is not an easy feat, but his new releases show his incredible attention to detail. The texture, viscosity, balance and rich fruit flavors in his wines show that Gorski is truly one of the best young winemakers in the state.

Tasting at the Carriage House in Woodinville is a great spot to enjoy these wines, as they have a fantastic outdoor area that is perfect for a great Seattle summer day. DeLille now has a super chic wine lounge in Kirkland called Maison DeLille Wine Lounge (http://www.delillecellars.com/MaisonDeLille), that has some of their great new releases by the glass, as well as small bites. I had a chance to stop in there the other day and was really impressed with their space, which adds a ton of value to the Kirkland downtown business district. Learn more about DeLille and their great wines at www.delillecellars.com Here are the great new release wines from DeLille.

Barrel Samples:

2015 DeLille Cellars Rousanne- ‘Barrel Sample’ (91-94)

2014 DeLille Cellars ‘Signature’ Syrah ‘Barrel Sample’-(92-95)

2014 DeLille Cellars ‘Grand Ciel’ Syrah ‘Barrel Sample’ (91-94)

2014 DeLille Cellars 'Doyenne' ‘Barrel Sample’ (91-94)

2014 DeLille Cellars D2- ‘Barrel Sample’ (92-95)

2014 DeLille Cellars Merlot- ‘Barrel Sample’ (92-95)

2014 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Red ‘Barrel Sample’ (94-97)

New Wine Releases:

2014 DeLille Cellars Rousanne- The 2014 DeLille Cellars Roussanne is an exceptional bottling that showcases the exceptional Rhone fruit from the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. This wine begins with aromas of banana, lychee, cut grass and Gala apple. There are flavors of red delicious apple, Bartlett pear, starfruit and cantaloupe. Rich effort and nice balance. A tremendous effort in this very hot vintage. Drink 2016-2023- 93

2013 DeLille Cellars ‘Signature’ Syrah- The 2013 DeLille Cellars 'Signature' Syrah is a wonderful offering from this estate. Weighing in at 14.9% alcohol, this generous and open style Syrah begins with aromas of bacon fat, cassis, baking spices and black olive. This leads to flavors of black cherry, blackberry preserves, black olive and suggestions of black truffle. The texture is gorgeous and you beg for another sip with this intense combination of structure and fruit weight from this hot vintage. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2013 DeLille Cellars 'Grand Ciel' Syrah- The 2013 'Grand Ciel' Syrah is one of the most impressive Syrah bottlings that I've sampled from this estate and showcases the warmth and intensity of the vintage. With a glass-staining, inky hue, the wine begins with aromatics of black tea, Asian spices, blackberry preserves, smoked meats and roasted figs. This leads to deep flavors of blackberry jam, coffee grounds, mocha and black olive. Gorgeous and generous style wine. Drink 2016-2026- 94

2013 DeLille Cellars Merlot-This winery only Merlot is composed of DeLille's finest barrels of Merlot, according to the winemaker. The wine begins with aromas of prune, red cherry and red bell pepper with anise. This leads to flavors of red bell pepper, red cherry, black tea and black olive. This dense treat is impossible to resist right now. Drink 2016-2028-94

2013 DeLille Cellars 'Four Flags' Cabernet- The 2013 DeLille Cellars 'Four Flags' Cabernet follows up the highly impressive 2012 bottling and is sourced from the Grand Ciel, Upchurch, Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun vineyards. This wine begins with intense aromatics of black tea, Asian spices, dark chocolate and Turkish coffee grounds. The wine has rich flavors of mocha, blackberry cobbler, anise and creme de cassis with suggestions of black olive and creosote. This is exotic and memorable wine that will have a long life. Drink 2016-2031- 95

2013 DeLille Cellars 'Harrison Hill' Cabernet- The 2013 'Harrison Hill' Cabernet from DeLille is a stunner that will reward the patient drinker. The wine is a blend of 65% Cabernet, 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. This has aromatics of baking spices, mocha, coffee grounds and sagebrush. This leads to flavors of blackberry compote, loganberry preserves, mocha and leather. Lovely viscosity and minerality to this esteemed bottling. This is a polished, dense and layered treat that shows that DeLille's winemaking team are on top of their game. Try to resist this for at least another year. Drink 2017-2031- 95

2013 DeLille Cellars 'Chaleur Estate' Red Wine- The 2013 DeLille Cellars 'Chaleur Estate' Red Wine is a complex blend of 65% Cabernet with 25% Merlot and 10% Cabernet Franc. The wine has a bouquet of creme de cassis, mocha, black olive and black cherry. There are dense flavors of wild blackberry jam, black cherry, crushed Arabica beans, and creme de cassis. The mouthfeel is exceptional and voluptuous in this hot vintage red wine. Drink 2017-2031 - 94