Friends, we bring you as part of Washington Wine Month a collection of the premier boutique wineries in the state. No Girls was initially started by superstar vigneron, Christophe Baron (Link to my Cayuse Vineyards feature here) as a project winery with Cayuse GM Trevor Dorland. The style of winemaking focuses on the unique terroir of the ‘La Paciencia Vineyard’. The ‘La Paciencia (patience) Vineyard' was planted between 2003 and 2005, and is located near the Armada vineyard, as the first couple of vintages of wine from this vineyard were declassified. The name ‘No Girls’ is connected with the history of Walla Walla. Christophe purchased a building in 2002 that was a former brothel. In his new building, Christophe noticed the words ‘No Girls’ painted on the wall— and the wine label is an actual photograph of the former brothel. Their first vintage was in 2008 and No Girls has been a remarkable success since then.
Elizabeth Bourcier has been at the helm of this incredible project since 2011. I saw a little twinkle in her eye as she poured these special wines for us. Needless to say Elizabeth is crafting some of the best wines on the west coast. It is hard to describe the flavor and aromatic range that she is able to capture in the glass. The Grenache from this special vineyard, the ‘La Paciencia Vineyard,’ is truly one of a kind — it shows a remarkable purity and ranges from bacon fat to blood orange and everything in between. This is the kind of wine that you race to the store to buy. . . if you could. Sadly, these are highly challenging to find in the retail market, sometimes available at WineBid but typically only able to procure through the No Girls mailing list. The 2015 No Girls ‘La Paciencia Vineyard’ Grenache (WWB, 97) is one of the top wines I have sampled in the past year from Washington. It has dazzling tension and insane range. One of the top Tempranillo wines from North American that I have sampled, the 2015 No Girls ‘La Paciencia Vineyard’ Tempranillo (WWB, 94) also shows remarkable range and a really beautiful texture. This remarkable wine is truly one of a kind. Learn more about this special boutique winery at https://nogirlswine.com/nogirls/
2015 No Girls ‘La Paciencia Vineyard’ Grenache- The ‘La Pacencia Vineyard’ was planted over the course of three years (Grenache, Syrah and Tempranillo, three acres each). The 2015 Grenache from this vineyard is one of a kind and is truly one of the top bottlings in the state. This incredible wine was aged in a combination of neutral oak and stainless steel prior to bottling. The nose is completely intoxicating with blood orange, wild strawberry, horse manure, guava puree, forest floor and black tea. The palate shows an insane range of flavors. Blood orange rind, forest floor, white truffle, red currant jelly and Umami. The dazzling minerality really impresses despite this wine obviously came from a warm vintage. It is highly impressive that superstar vigneronne, Elizabeth Bourcier, was able to capture this level of minerality from this vintage. The saline and savory aspect of this wine makes your mouth water and captivates the senses, as this is nearly impossible to put down right now. Drink 2018-2028- 97
2015 No Girls ‘La Paciencia VIneyard’ Syrah- The 2015 No Girls ‘La Paciencia Vineyard’ Syrah is a stunning effort from this challenging vintage that saw serious heat spikes. Made by Elizabeth Bourcier starting in 2011, this begins with intense aromas of green olive tapenade, bacon fat, Umami, and roasted Marcona almond. The aromatic range here is beyond seductive. The palate shows a wonderful elegance with red fruits and meaty as well as seaweed character with a silky mouthfeel. The salinity and freshness and mouth-watering acidity to this wine is simply outstanding.This will cellar well for a decade but I love drinking this wine young as the tension really adds to the enjoyment. Drink 2018-2028- 96
2015 No Girls ‘La Paciencia Vineyard’ Tempranillo- The wine was aged in 20% new French oak prior to botting. This wine is truly one of the best Tempranillos in North America. This begins with aromas of smoked meats, wet stone, Umami and peat moss. The wine shows wonderfully juicy red fruits with a meaty character and a wonderful saline steak. Drink 2018-2028- 94
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