a’Maurice Cellars is a winery dedicated to Maurice Schafer who built one of the largest and most successful timber companies in the Pacific Northwest. The Schafers, Tom and Kathleen, created the first registered sustainable vineyard in Washington State. Tom Schafer is the visionary of àMaurice. Tom spent two years studying the Walla Walla Valley, and found a south-facing parcel of land up Mill Creek. This was the spot for their estate vineyard which has produced an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 93) coming from the 2014 vintage.
Tom and Kathleen Shafter’s daughter, Anna Schafer, serves as a’Maurice winemaker. Anna has worked harvest for superstar winemaker Paul Hobbs at his Viña Cobos estate in Argentina in both 2006 and 2007. She is a highly talented winemaker, as her releases were very impressive across the board. Anna has two a’Maurice wines sourced from the esteemed Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Their Grenache and Syrah releases (WWB, 92) both showed wonderful terroir and purity of fruit. Learn more about this great winery at https://www.amaurice.com Here are the excellent new wines from a’Maurice Cellars
2016 a’Maurice Cellars ‘Boushey Vineyard’ Viognier/Marsanne- This shows beautiful creamy aromatics with poached pear and lemon meringue. Refreshing and refined, with good poise, this wine brings flavors of Japanese pear, heavy cream and suggestions of cantaloupe. This finishes long with heavy cream. Drink 2018-2022- 91
2016 a’Maurice ‘Sparrow’ Viognier- Sourced from their estate vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley, this wine brings ripe favors of white peach, lemon zest and honeydew melon. The acidity is bright as the wine has a lovely mouthfeel and great texture. Drink 2018-2022- 91
2016 a’Maurice Cellars ‘Boushey Vineyard’ Grenache- The wine shows a lovely translucency and begins to unveil aromatics reminiscent of red cherry candy, dill and suggestions of wild strawberry. Delicately balanced and downright delicious red fruit flavors are delivered on the mid-palate. The soft and plush mouthfeel makes this especially good. There is a marvelous purity of fruit on display. Drink 2018-2026- 92
2015 a’Maurice Cellars ‘Boushey Vineyard’ Syrah- Dark in color and delightfully smoky on the nose, the wine slowly brings together dark fruit and earthy aromatics. Plush on the mouth, this Syrah shows off black tea, cigar ash, black olive tapenade and blackberry cobbler flavors with nice minerals. The range here is lovely. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 a’Maurice Cellars ‘The Artist’ Red Wine- A compelling blend of 38% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc, this wine has a gorgeous label done by artist Carl Morris. The bouquet is sightly intoxicating with dark and red fruits mingling with a touch of milk chocolate and sagebrush. Balanced and showing a nice generous mouthfeel, the wine shows off medium to heavy weighted flavors of black tea, coffee ground, cassis and anise. This will cellar marvelously over the next decade or so. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2014 a’Maurice Cellars ‘The Artist Mason’ Red Wine- You are presented with another stunning label here, this time a rendition done by Alden Mason. Dark fruits and a touch of chocolate mark this largely Cabernet Sauvignon wine that has smaller parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc blended in. Soft and round on the mouth, this delivers black tea, mocha and sagebrush flavors that are impossible to resist right now. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2013 a’Maurice Cellars ‘The Artist McCool’ Red Wine- This beautiful wine is a blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Cabernet Franc and 20% Merlot. This starts off with aromatics reminiscent of red cherry compote, black tea, and a touch of coffee grounds. The palate is smooth as the wine delvers a nice combination of black and red fruits with medium weight and nice acidity. This is a touch out of balance right now but is still downright delicious in the glass. Drink 2018-2025- 90
2013 a’Maurice Cellars ‘Night Owl’ Red Wine- The ‘NIght Owl’ is a silky blend of 55% Merlot with lesser parts Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, all sourced from the Walla Walla Valley. This starts off with sage, boysenberry liquor and clove aromatics. The herbal tones here really add to the wine. The mid-palate reveals medium weight flavors reminiscent of cigar shavings, black tea, licorice and suggestions of blackberry jam with milk chocolate. Delicious now, this will drink well over the next decade. Drink 2018-2028- 91
2014 a’Maurice ‘Reserve Owl and Crown’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Rich and decadent on the nose, the wine shows off mocha, sagebrush and Asian spices on the nose. The mouthfeel is seriously good as this silky wine tends to glide through the mid-palate. There are generous flavors of milk chocolate covered cherry, anise, creme de cassis and sagebrush. This is an outstanding wine that will be best served after a two plus hour decant for the moment. Enjoy this great wine over the next fifteen years. Drink 2018-2033- 93