Today we share one of Red Mountain’s finest, Upchurch Vineyard. The location is one of the most scenic in the state. Anchored in the southwestern part of the AVA, the winery has expansive views of the Columbia Valley from their estate create an incredible panoramic effect. For those who have never visited Upchurch Vineyard, I implore you to visit if nothing else for the beauty of the site.
One of the legends in Washington wine, Chris Upchurch crafted the finest Bordeaux style white wine for DeLille, the ‘Chaleur Estate Blanc’ in the mid-1990s. This wine has achieved incredible acclaim since that time and not only is one of the great white wines made in Washington but it rivals any Bordeaux Blanc style wines made in the new world.
There is little doubt that Chris has been making one of the most inspired Sauvignon Blancs in Washington, his 2021 Upchurch Vineyard ‘Southwest Facing’ Sauvignon Blanc (OB, 94) is dense and beautifully textured stuff with glorious length. I also adored the new 2021 LTL Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 93) which is a steal at under 50 bucks. Don’t miss out on the 2021 Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 97) which is even better than the 2020 bottling with a seamless texture and plenty of scorched earth character from Red Mountain. Learn more about this fantastic winery at https://upchurchvineyard.com Here are the beautiful new wines by Upchurch Vineyard.
2021 Upchurch Vineyard ‘Southwest Facing’ Sauvignon Blanc- The outstanding and 100% varietal Sauvignon Blanc was sourced from the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Stored all in concrete eggs, this sat Sur lie for 17 months before bottling. Lees were stirred on a monthly basis. This has a downright killer nose with kiwi and wet stone alongside nutmeg dusted Challah bread. The palette is deep and concentrated with serious weight. The texture from the Sur lie aging is really fantastic, as this finishes very long. This is very Washington vs. Pessac. Drink 2024-2032- 94
2022 Upchurch ‘Candy Mountain’ Merlot- The brilliant 2022 Upchurch ‘Candy Mountain’ Merlot comes from this site set on clay and gravel soils. Dark in the glass, the wine delivers heady toasty oak alongside mocha, sandalwood, tar and rich Morello cherry. The nose is downright killer. The palate is soft and refined with a silky texture, showing lovely coffee ground and chocolate flavors. Drink 2024-2036- 93
2021 LTL Cabernet Sauvignon- This 2021 wine comes from the estate as well as Quintessence, Stanton Hill and Shaw Vineyards. This was stored in 50% new French oak for 18 months before bottling. Very smooth on the entry, this delivers violets, black currants and tar notes giving this a very classic Red Mountain profile. Showing good verve and richness, enjoy now and over the next ten plus years to come. Drink 2024-2034- 93
2021 Upchurch Vineyard ‘Counterpart’ Merlot- The 2021 Upchurch Vineyard ‘Counterpart’ is a beautiful effort from this challenging vintage. The 100% Merlot was stored in nearly all New French Oak (Taransaud & Orion) prior to bottling. The toasty oak is beautiful with dark chocolate, dark rose petals, Asian spices and cassis notes. The palate is plush and refined with a serious sense of richness and flavor density. A gorgeous Merlot that is built to age, with loamy soil character, this is a total stunner that is the finest I have tasted from this house yet. Drink 2024-2042- 95
2021 Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon- A total stunner, the 2021 Upchurch Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon has clone 2 and 191 clonal selection Cabernet Sauvignon in the the twelfth vintage of this wine. Stored in mostly new Taransaud oak barrels this offers beautiful cedar and mocha notes alongside creme de violette and pencil shavings. The palate is plush and refined with serious weight and texture, showing heady black and blue fruits alongside scorched earthy tones. Totally stunning, this beauty is absolutely singing in its high octave right now. Enjoy now and over the next twenty years to come. Drink 2024-2044- 97