I love the wealth of great winery projects in Washington State. Founded by Brad Bergman and Doug Frost, MW, MS, Echolands has released a very impressive inaugural set of wines. Frost has an illustrious wine career, and is one of three individuals in the world to hold simultaneously the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles, achieving his MS in 1991 and MW in 1993. He also authored ‘The Spanish Wine Guide (third edition 2009’) and is a contributing editor of the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails, due to be released in 2020. Winemaker Taylor Oswalt is a fellow Whitman College alumnus, who previously served as enologist at Mark Ryan and has worked harvests at a host of great Washington wineries. Taylor also has a masters in wine microbiology from Washington State University.
I can imagine that he is excited to produce wines from the new Echolands estate vineyard which was planted in May 2019, as this ‘Taggart Vineyard’ is an exciting site that had only ever been used for pasture and wheat lands since its settlement in the mid-19th century. Set on deep Loess soils, this will be an exciting development to see the wines from this new site.
The new releases are sourced from some great vineyards in the Walla Walla Valley including the Riviere Galets and Seven Hills Vineyards. Frost mentioned that the 2018 vintage "as our first vintage, it was a relatively effortless and worry-free vintage, especially in comparison to 2019 and 2020. The season was sunny, warm and ended mildly. It was a gentle introduction to the roller-coaster of winemaking." I’ll fully admit that I adore Grenache when it is made correctly. The 2019 Echolands Grenache (OB, 93) is downright sexy wine with enticing range and a pillowy texture. Learn more about this fantastic new project at echolandswinery.com Here are my reviews of he beautiful new wines my Echolands.
2019 Echolands Grenache- Sourced from the Riviere Galets Vineyard in the Walla Walla Rocks AVA, this shows a light dusting of white pepper with guava puree, red cherry cordial and shades of wet stone with green olives that all mingle in the glass. The palate is lithe and very pure. Beautiful layers of red fruits meld with orange peel, green peppercorns and shades of Umami. Gorgeous now, this will provide drinking enjoyment for the next eight years. Drink 2020-2028- 93
2018 Echolands Syrah- The 2018 Echolands ‘Les Collines Vineyard’ Syrah is another outstanding inaugural release from this upstart Walla Walla winery. Once on the nose this takes on layers of smoked brisket and garrigue, woven together with wild blackberry and Hoisin sauce. The palate is fresh and beautifully textured with a lithe sense of minerality. Ripe dark fruits march on with minerals, dried herbs and venison tones on the palate. Delightful to savor in its youth, enjoy this beautiful and elegant Syrah wine over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2020-2028- 92
2018 Echolands ‘Seven Hills Vineyard’ Red Wine- The 2018 ‘Seven Hills Vineyard’ Red Wine combines equal parts Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (40% each) with 18% Cabernet Franc and a splash of Petit Verdot. Ripe dark currants mingle with dark chocolate shavings, dried herbs and black tea tones on the nose. The palate is plush, showing off a silky texture. Rich dark cherry, huckleberry and mocha tones mingle with minerals and loamy soils on the palate. Complex and delicious even in its youth, this has another ten years or more ahead of it. This shows similarly after opened for several hours. Drink 2020-2033- 92