I love Washington wines that capture great richness and poise. This combination has been a consistent theme in Pepper Bridge wines over the years. Located in a gorgeous country setting outside of Walla Walla, the winery is set on a hill with stunning views of the estate vineyards —Pepper Bridge, Seven Hills and Les Collines, some of the famed vineyards in Washington. Head winemaker Jean-François Pellet, has a longstanding history in the Washington wine industry. A third generation wine grower, Pellet’s wines have received considerable acclaim.
Pellet has degrees in both enology and viticulture and has previously interned in Germany, Switzerland and the Napa Valley. After graduating, he managed vineyards and made wine in Switzerland and Spain. Along with making wine in Spain, he was responsible for managing 500 acres of vineyards, designing a new winery and developing a market for the product. He then worked at famed Heitz Cellars for four years until he was recruited to work at Pepper Bridge.
‘JF’ as he is fondly known as, is one of the great people you will meet in Walla Walla wine. Humble and incredibly knowledgable, I look forward to my visit with JF each year and was fortunate to meet up with him in 2020 prior to the Pandemic. His new release wines come from the warm 2017 vintage. I found them to be beautiful across the board. I am consistently impressed with his Merlot wines and his 2017 Pepper Bridge Merlot (OB, 93) exhibits great tension, with a rich mouthfeel and beautiful varietal typicity. This one has some great cellaring potential. Even better is the 2017 Pepper Bridge ‘Seven Hills Vineyard’ Red Wine (OB, 94) which is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and has gorgeous dark currant tones with good weight and viscosity. Learn more about Pepper Bridge at www.pepperbridge.com. Here are the great new release wines from Pepper Bridge winery.
2019 Pepper Bridge Sauvignon Blanc- The 2019 Pepper Bridge Sauvignon Blanc is a vibrant and beautifully textured new release that really needs a bright sunny day. Layers lemon oil and kiwi combine with green papaya and gooseberry tones on the palate. Seamless and soft, showing a great combination of weight and finesse, this beautiful wine will provide drinking enjoyment over the next seven plus years. This is Washington meets Bordeaux Blanc. Drink 2021-2027- 92
2018 Pepper Bridge Merlot- The 2018 Pepper Bridge Merlot is a beautiful new wine by the talented Jean-Francois Pellet. Sourced from mainly the Seven Hills Vineyard (63%), as well as the Pepper Bridge (30%) and Octave (7%) vineyards, this shows off beautiful cocoa powder covered Bing cherry and sandalwood tones alongside graphite and red raspberry cordial on this beautiful bouquet. The palate is deep and plush, showing off a silky texture and great sense of mouthfeel. Rich red and dark fruits parade alongside milk chocolate and coffee grounds on the palate. The length adds to the enjoyment, as this outstanding new wine is best enjoyed over the next ten plus years. Drink 2021-2031- 93
2017 Pepper Bridge ‘Trine’ Red Wine- The 2017 ‘Trine’ is a silky blend of 42% Cabernet Franc with 32% Cabernet Sauvignon and smaller portions Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Aged in 41% new French oak before bottling, this shows nice sagebrush tones with a great core of dark fruits, with coffee ground and tobacco leaf undertones that all meld in the glass. The palate is silky smooth with a soft texture and great sense of elegance. The length adds to the enjoyment as this beautiful wine will cellar well for the next fifteen years. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2017 Pepper Bridge ‘Seven Hills Vineyard’ Red Wine- The 2017 ‘Seven Hills Vineyard’ red wine combines mainly Cabernet Sauvignon (55%) with smaller parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. The working pieces here are really great, with ripe dark currants that mingle with sagebrush, mocha, tar and blackberry compote on the palate. The flavor density here and range is wonderful, as this beautiful wine is really only starting to show its potential now at the three year mark. Drink 2021-2038- 94
2017 Pepper Bridge ‘Pepper Bridge Vineyard’ Red Wine- A blend of 52% Merlot with 23% Malbec and the remainder Petit Verdot and Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2017 ‘Pepper Bridge Vineyard’ is a beautiful effort from this warm vintage that brilliantly combines poise and richness. Once on the nose this takes on layers of ripe red and dark fruits with menthol and chocolate tones that all take shape in the glass. The sense of freshness and tension is wonderful here as dark currants and pipe tobacco combine with blackberry cordial and Turkish coffee with herbal undertones on the palate. With gratifying length, this outstanding new wine will cellar well over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2017 Pepper Bridge Cabernet Sauvignon- Composed of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder small parts Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the wine was mainly sourced from the Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills Vineyards. This has beautiful balance with great tension and mouthfeel. Ripe cassis and anise tones combine with coffee grounds, huckleberry and sage accents on the palate. Firm tannins hold everything in place, as this brilliant new Cabernet Sauvignon has a long life ahead of it. Drink 2021-2035- 94