Today it is my pleasure to share one of the outstanding historic wineries in the Walla Walla Valley. Seven Hills was started all the way back in 1988, and is a Walla Walla mainstay that makes consistently great Rose and well-balanced red wines. I’ve visited this winery many times and have always been impressed with the consistency of their lineup.
At the helm is winemaker Bobby Richards whom I visited with this spring. Richards is a Pacific Northwest native, originally from Albany, Oregon. It was back in 2009 when he worked a harvest at Benton Lane that he fell in love with both his current wife and the wine industry. Richards worked a harvest at Tranche Cellars before joining Seven Hills as a harvest intern in 2013 and after working his way up — today serving as Winemaker.
I love the new 2022 Seven Hills ‘Columbia Valley’ Sauvignon Blanc (OB, 91) which is a classy effort that has great flavor range and minerality. Even better is the 2020 Seven Hills ‘Pentad’ Red Wine (OB, 94) which is dense and chewy with loads of dark fruit flavors. Learn more about this historic winery at https://www.sevenhillswinery.com and here are my reviews of the new wines by Seven Hills.
2022 Seven Hills ‘Columbia Valley’ Sauvignon Blanc- White peach, kiwi and gooseberry mark the nose on this 2021 Sauvignon Blanc. The palate is soft with copious minerals and lovely melon and citrus fruits backing things up. Drink 2023-2028- 91
2022 Seven Hills Rose- One of the consistently great value Rose wines that I have tasted over the past decade, the 2022 Seven Hills Rose offers white peach and stony mineral notes alongside ripe red raspberry on the palate. With a soft texture, enjoy now and over the next five years. Drink 2023-2028- 91
2020 Seven Hills ‘SHW Founding Vineyard’ Merlot- This comes from their founding vineyard which was plated in the early 1980s. This is smooth with ripe red cherry, freshly tilled soil and blackberry flavors. Enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2023-2028- 91
2021 Seven Hills ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Merlot- Coming from this warm vintage, the 2021 ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Merlot offers black raspberry and chocolate notes alongside salty soils and plenty of mouth-watering acidity. Enjoy now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2023-2031- 92
2020 Seven Hills ‘Founding Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2020 Seven Hills ‘Founding Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon shows a smooth texture with black tea an exotic spices on the palate, with a brilliant core of black fruits and pipe tobacco flavors. Enjoy now. Drink 2023-2029- 92
2021 Seven Hills ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- For years this has offered great value, as the 2021 edition shows savory herbs alongside a brilliant core of black cherry, blackberry and copious minerals with espresso ground accents. Drink 2023-2033- 92
2020 Seven Hills ‘Pentad’ Red Wine- The 2020 ‘Pentad’ blends all five Bordeaux varietals. Despite the obvious challenges of the vintage, the 2020 ‘Pentad’ is shining brightly with bold black tea and mountain huckleberry flavors that mingle well with freshly tilled salty soils and Turkish coffee notes on the palate. Full-bodied, enjoy now and over the next five plus years. Drink 2023-2030- 94