One one of my favorite wineries to visit in Woodinville, Novelty Hill-Januik is a gorgeous setting whether you are a tasting room neophyte or master sommelier. They generously donated their winery space for the Auction of Washington Wines this summer, which was a spectacular occasion. Previously I was there this summer visiting superstar winemaker Andrew Januik who guided me through the new releases that impressed from some hot vintages. Andrew recently spent some time working a harvest in Argentina. I think he had a blast down there. There are few Washington wineries that offer this range of quality wines at this price point. Year in and year out, Januik produces amazing wines from Sauvignon Blanc to Grenache to Syrah. If you have never had the chance to try the range of wines served here, it is a must visit. I tried more than 20 wines during my tasting and scored essentially all of them over 90 points, which I consider to be an incredible achievement.
The winery sources from some of the most esteemed vineyards in the state, including Champoux, Stillwater Creek, and Weinbau Vineyards. Truly what has consistently been one of the best Sauvignon Blancs in the state for the price is the 2017 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek’ Sauvignon Blanc (WWB, 91) is a downright killer value and impresses with its gorgeous minerality and range. This is one to purchase by the case.
Other impressive new release wines included the 2013 Januik ‘Columbia Valley’ Merlot (WWB, 92), which is another amazing value buy. I absolutely adore the new 2015 Novelty Hill ‘Cascadia’ Red Wine (WWB, 93), which is the third year that they have made this wine. The new edition shows a wonderful terroir driven palate, loaded with dark fruits. Learn more about this impressive new lineup of wines at http://www.noveltyhilljanuik.com/ Here are the fantastic new release wines from Novelty Hill-Januik winery.
2017 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek’ Sauvignon Blanc- The nose is reminiscent of pear, gooseberry and freshly cut grass. The palate has a wonderful texture and a lithe mineraity with poached pear, starfruit and vanilla cream towards the back end. This is just a stunning value. Drink 2018-2023- 91
2017 Januik ‘Sagemoor Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc- The wine has 20% Semillon blended in. The wine begins with aromas of lychee, Lemon zest and kumquat. The palate shows a good minerality and weight. Tree fruit and pink grapefruit flavors connect with buttered brioche. Round and generous, this is an outstanding effort. Drink 2018-2023- 91
2016 Novelty Hill Viognier- This begins with aromas of lychee, bright nectarine and candied ginger. The palate is lithe and rich as the wine shows an exotic edge with a wonderful freshness. Poached pear, lychee and starfruit flavors connect with a lovely minerality. Drink 2018-2024- 91
2016 Novelty Hill Roussanne- The 2016 Novelty Hill Roussanne is seriously good. The wine starts off with tree fruit aromas with a touch of lychee. The palate shows really good weight and tension with pear,. Green papaya and cantaloupe flavors. Drink 2018-2024- 92
2015 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek’ Chardonnay- Hazelnut and brioche with poached pear aromas fill the nose and the aromatics slowly build in the glass. The palate is rich and lithe showing wonderful weight. Bright starfruit, pear and creme brûlée flavors that impress. I can see this cellaring well for the short-term. Drink 2018-2026- 92
2016 Januik ‘Cold Creek Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Aged in 50% new French oak, this is a really good bottling by Januik. Bright pear and a touch of orange rind with lemon cream mark the nose on this great Chardonnay. The mouthfeel is really lovely as the wine unveils brioche, toasty oak, and roasted pineapple flavors that sit alongside tension. This will age brilliantly. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Merlot- The wine shows a wonderful bouquet of prune, red cherry and cigar ash. Bing cherry and bright raspberry flavors with a touch of chocolate mark the palate. I love the brightness of this wine and the minerality considering the obvious heat of the vintage. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Januik ‘Columbia Valley’ Merlot- The wine shows a nice range of dark and red fruits on the nose. The silky texture is fantastic as the wine unveils dark fruits with milk chocolate and a touch of sweet pipe tobacco. This is just a stunning value by the superstar winemaking team at Januik. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Grenache- The Novelty Hill Grenache is sourced from the Stillwater Creek vineyard. The vines are set on rocky basalt and are set on a south-facing slope. This begins with aromas of rose petal, bright cranberry and a touch of blood orange. The palate is lithe as the wine shows off a nice combination of citrus rind and red fruits. This finishes smooth. Drink 2018-2024- 91
2015 Novelty Hill ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc- The wine begins with mil chocolate and dark fruits on the nose. The texture and mouthfeel here is really lovely as the wine unveils blackberry pie, milk chocolate and black cherry. The finish is long and generous. This also shows really nice freshness on the palate. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Novelty Hill ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This rich Cabernet Sauvignon wine begins with aromas of black cherry, black olive and loganberry liquor. The palate shows nice richness and acidity with black fruits and chocolate with cassis. This finishes clean with minerals. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Januik ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The nose shows caramel, blackberry and milk chlorate. The aromatics are quite striking in the glass. Dark fruits mingle with black tea, black olive and cassis flavors. The mouthfeel and silky texture to this wine is fantastic. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2014 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon has pretty herbal aromas with black tea, black olive and sagebrush. The palate shows a wonderful tension and weight with a silky texture. Black fruits mingle with cassis and milk chocolate flavors. This shows a touch more intensity than the ’15 bottling. Drink 2018-2028- 93
2015 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- This exudes dark fruits with dark chocolate on the nose. The palate shows a good richness. The wine shows good tension with dark fruits and coffee ground flavors. This solid effort will cellar well in the short-term. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Januik ‘Ciel du Cheval’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The ‘Ciel du Cheval’ Cabernet Sauvignon by Januik shows a brilliantly perfumed nose of black fruits, sagebrush and milk chocolate. The palate shows good freshness and weight with dark fruits and red fruits mingling with mocha. Enjoy this great wine over the next decade or so. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Januik ‘Champoux Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Sourced from this esteemed Red Mountain vineyard, the wine shows off black tea, crushed mint and blackberry cobbler aromas. The texture here is really good as there is a wonderful purity of fruit. Dark fruits dominate the palate as the wine finishes exceedingly long. Drink 2018-2028- 93
2016 Novelty Hill ‘Columbia Valley’ Syrah- This begins with aromas of smoke, black olive and black cherry. Round and generous on the mouth, the wine unveils lovely red and dark fruit flavors. Easy drinking and delicious, and full of rich flavors, this is an outstanding value. Drink 2018-2025- 91
2015 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek’ Syrah- The ‘Stillwater Creek’ Syrah shows nice richness on the nose with blackberry cobbler and black tea with black olive and smoky accents. This shows nice elegance and balance with dark fruits and smoky accents coming into the palate. Drink 2018-2026- 90
2015 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Syrah- This begins with aromas of dried herbs with smoke and dark fruits. Dark fruits and a touch of blue fruits dominate the nose. The wine finishes with a light milk chocolate with sage accents towards the back end. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Januik ‘Ciel du Cheval’ Syrah- Sourced from one of the state’s great vineyards, this begins with aromas of dark fruits with chocolate. Deep and seductive, the wine reveals mocha, tar and cassis flavors. This finishes strong with minerals and dark fruits. Drink 2018-2028- 92
2015 Januik ‘Columbia Valley’ Red Wine- This is a blend of primarily Bordeaux varietals. The Cabernet dominant wine begins with aromas of black and red fruits with black tea accents. The palate shows good richness and balance with black tea, coffee ground and blackberry cobbler flavors. Drink 2018-2025- 90
2016 Novelty Hill ‘R.S.R.’ Red Wine- This Cabernet dominant wine begins with black olive aromas with red cherry and mocha. The palate comes off a touch lean with red and dark fruits mingling in the glass. Drink 2018-2024- 88
2015 Novelty Hill ‘Cascadia’ Red Wine- This is the third vintage of this wine and is the best rendition that I have sampled. Primarily Cabernet Sauvignon (64%) black tea and black fruits dominate the nose. The mouthfeel is wonderful as dark fruits and black tea with black olive dominate the palate. Fresh and lively, the will will have a long life in the cellar. Drink 2018-2028- 93
2015 Januik ‘Reserve Red’ Red Wine- This Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wine is a stunner by the amazing winemaking team of Mike and Andrew Januik. This red wine begins with aromas of teaberry, coffee grounds, blueberry compote and crushed mint. The palate shows good concentration and mouthfeel with wonderful tension and richness. Dark fruits and red fruits mingle with good concentration and light tannins. Delicious now, this will have an exceedingly long life. Drink 2018-2030- 93
2017 Spring Run Rose- The wine has a touch of residual sugar. Primarily Syrah this begins with flavors of pink grapefruit, red cherry and red raspberry candy. The wine shows a good astringency. Drink 2018-2022- 89
2015 Januik ‘Bacchus Vineyard’ Riesling- Bottled at 1.8% residual sugar the wine begins with petrol, white flowers and Granny Smith apple on the nose. The palate shows a good tension considering the heat of the site and the vintage. Tree fruit flavors dominate. Drink 2018-2022- 90