Januik and Novelty Hill

Sitting across from Andrew Januik, I was not surprised with his grin, looking very content as we tasted through the wines. A few weeks back I had the pleasure in tasting with one of the outstanding young winemaking talents in Washington State. Andrew Januik learned from one of the best, Mike Januik, who was formerly head winemaker at Chateau Ste. Michelle and Col Solare before starting his own winery. Mike is a master of crafting great wines from literally any varietal. For years I have admired his Chardonnay wines that show insanely good aging potential — even from hot sites like the Cold Creek Vineyard. These guys are also crafting some of the greatest values wines in the state.

One of my all-time favorite wineries to taste at, Januik/Novelty Hill is a must visit for anyone checking out the Woodinville wine scene. The winery is modern and spacious, with one of the area’s top outdoor spaces. If you have never been to Januik/Novelty Hill, then you are in for a treat.

While the space is gorgeous, the wines are even better. I love the 2019 Januik ‘Sagemoor’ Sauvignon Blanc (OB, 91) which a great core of freshness with great melon tones. I was really impressed by the 2018 Januik ‘Stillwater Vineyard’ Viognier (OB, 92) which has great verve and a soft texture, with outstanding length. The red wines from Januik and Novelty Hill were really impressive across the board. One great value is their 2018 Novely Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Malbec (OB, 93) which completely overdelivers for the price.  Learn more about these great wines at https://www.noveltyhilljanuik.com Here are the outstanding new wines by Januik and Novelty Hill.

2019 Januik ‘Sagemoor Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc- Tones of lychee and gooseberry with Japanese pear all fill the nose. The palate is plush with a soft texture and layers of melon, pear and starfruit flavors, with a good sense of minerality. Enjoy over the next several years while the great sense of freshness is intact. Drink 2020-2024- 91

2019 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Viognier- This beautiful new Viognier has 6% Roussanne blended in, as the wine delivers lots of honeysuckle, Bartlett pear and green papaya tones on the nose. The texture here is insanely good, as is the wonderful sense of length. Drink 2021-2026- 92

2019 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Roussanne- The nose here is seriously good with ripe peach and lychee tones that mingle with shades of wet stone on the nose. The freshness and texture here really entice as Japanese pear, nectarine and nutty and damp earth undertones. Outstanding to enjoy now, enjoy over the next five to seven years. Drink 2021-2026- 92

2019 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Novelty Hill has been sourcing wines from this great, cooler site for Chardonnay since 2002. A large clonal selection here, this was aged in 33% new French oak prior to bottling. Buttercream and Macadamia nut tones mingle with wet stone and Pink Lady apple on this fantastic bouquet. The mouthfeel and length are outstanding, as is the wonderful mouth-watering acidity here. Enjoy this beautiful wine over the next seven to ten years. Drink 2021-2028- 92

2018 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Grenache- The 2018 ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Grenache is another outstanding bottling by the talented Andrew Januik. Pretty red florals mingle with Mandarin orange rind and guava puree on this exotic bouquet. The mouthfeel here is outstanding as this beautiful wine delivers plenty of bright red fruits with tobacco leaf and blood orange zest undertones. Drink 2021-2028- 92

2018 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Malbec- The 2018 ‘Stillwater Creek Vineyard’ Malbec overdelivers, as does much of this lineup. The nose is gorgeous with espresso bean, dark chocolate shavings and blueberry compote with violet undertones. Soft, round and generous, this delivers gobs of dark and blue fruits with espresso bean tones. The long finish lingers. This is just killer for being under 30 bucks. Drink 2021-2031- 93

2018 Novelty Hill ‘Il Corvo’ Red Wine- This is the first edition of this wine that is Cabernet Sauvignon dominant red blend with smaller parts Sangiovese, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The nose delivers plenty of spicy dark fruits alongside graphite and tar tones. The freshness here is really good as the blackberry, scorched earth and graphite tones all impress, with lighter tobacco leaf tones. Drink 2021-2031- 92

2018 Novelty Hill ‘Oxbow’ Red Wine- A blend of Grenache, Mourvedre and Syrah, the 2018 ‘Oxbow’ shows dried herbs and smoky undertones alongside a rich core of blackberry and huckleberry tones on the nose. The palate is fresh with wonderful finesse and a greta mid-palate sense of weight. This seamless wine that delivers plenty of dried herbs,  mulberry and dark fruit tones is absolutely singing now as thawing will provide plenty of drinking enjoyment over the next eight tot en years. Drink 2021-2029- 92

2018 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc- The 2018 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc is a gorgeous effort from this exciting vintage. Bell pepper tones with mocha and anise mark the nose. The palate shows similar traits with a great core of dark fruits and chocolate fudge alongside bell pepper. The seamless texture adds to the enjoyment. Drink 2021-2033-93

2018 Januik ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2018 Januik ‘Columbia Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon is an awesome wine by the talented Andrew Januik. Once on the mouth the freshness and finesse beautifully compliments the core of espresso grounds, huckleberry pie and shades of Black Forest cake that all delightfully come together on the palate. This is really tough to beat at this price point. Drink 2021-2031- 93

2018 Januik ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2018 ‘Red Mountain’ Cabernet Sauvignon is a really great showing that also has some outstanding aging potential.  Scorched earth, tobacco leaf, blackberry compote and tar with black licorice all imposes on the palate. This is seriously good stuff. Drink 2021-2037- 93

2018 Januik ‘Quintessence Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvinvon- The 2018 ‘Quintessence Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon is an awesome wine that shows plenty of power and viscosity with a great veil of tension. Right away you are impressed with the massive core of dark fruits with tobacco, milk chocolate and scorched earth tones on the palate. Drink 2021-2038- 94

2018 Januik ‘Ciel du Cheval Vineyard’ Syrah- I adored the 2018 ‘Ciel du Cheval’ Syrah. You have to love the smoky tones on the nose with salted meats and black olive tapenade. The palate shows really great flavor density and weight with light tannins and smoked meats alongside black olive and blackberry compote. This is downright delicious wine that shows a great acid backbone. Drink 2021-2033- 94