Friends, as we slowly wind down another wonderful Washington Wine Month I wanted to share with you one of the jewels of Washington wine. DeLille Cellars has a longstanding history in the Washington wine industry. Legendary winemaker, Chris Upchurch, help craft the first Bordeaux style white wine in Washington. They currently make what I consider to be the best of its kind, their Chaleur Estate Blanc:

DeLille Cellars was the first winery in Washington to focus on creating Bordeaux style wine blends. DeLille owns a 20 acre vineyard in Red Mountain and also sources from some of the 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. This winery has expanded production in recent years, but quality has remained exceptional.

Winemaker Jason Gorski, has previous stints at Chateau St. Michelle and Spring Valley prior to coming to DeLille. He makes some really stunning wines. A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to taste some of his wines in the barrel and was very impressed. Most of the red wines came from the 2016 vintage — one that saw generally ideal growing conditions which has reminded some winemakers of the 2008 and 2012 vintages. The wines that I tried are exciting red wines, with wonderful freshness, verve and good concentration. A mainstay that is looking good right now is the 2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Signature’ Syrah (WWB, 92-94) which has wonderful richness and weight, as well as acidity. This is going to be a truly outstanding wine. I am also excited to see how their 2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Grand Ciel’ Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 94-96) evolves, as this is a downright stunner right now, showing incredible viscosity and tension. Learn more about DeLille and their great wines at www.delillecellars.com Here are the great new wines currently in the barrel from DeLille Cellars.

2015 DeLille Cellars Grenache -92-94

2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Signature’ Syrah- 92-94

2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Doyenne’ Red Wine- 91-93

2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Grand Ciel’ Syrah- 92-94

2016 DeLille Cellars ‘D2’ Red Wine- 91-93

2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Harrison Hill’ Cabernet Sauvignon- 92-94

2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Four Flags’ Cabernet Sauvignon- 93-95

2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Grand Ciel’ Cabernet Sauvignon-94-96

2016 DeLille Cellars ‘Lot 3’ Cabernet Sauvignon- 94-96

2017 DeLille Cellars ‘Le Petit Doux’ Dessert Wine- 92-94