I love the wines of Saviah — a Walla Walla mainstay that was founded back in 2000, starting with only 300 cases produced. Saviah has been made famous particularly from their wines sourced from their two estate vineyards in the Walla Walla Rocks District. Saviah was started by winemaker Richard Funk and his wife, Anita, who are both natives of Montana who moved to Walla Walla in 1991 and later planted their first vineyard in 2001. Saviah is a family name from Anita’s great-grandmother, a schoolteacher, artist and author, who settled in western Montana in the early 1900s.
Several times I’ve toured their two great estate vineyards, ‘The Stones Speak’ and ‘The Funk Estate’ vineyards. With a foundation in microbiology, Richard previously worked as the Environmental Health Specialist with the Walla Walla County Health Department and is a self-taught winemaker. Richard has assisted several wineries with their start-up processes and served as the winemaker for Watermill Winery from 2006-2009, àMaurice winery from 2005-2006 and also has served as a consulting winemaker for several new wineries.
Richard’s son, Jared, has been helping make the wines for several years now, training under his father. He shows some serious promise. I adored the 2023 Saviah ‘The Funk Estate’ Syrah (OB, 96) which is rich, complex and viscous with great stony essence. Learn more about this outstanding winery at https://www.saviahcellars.com/ Here are the outstanding new wines by Saviah.
2024 Saviah Chenin Blanc- Coming from the Three Mile Vineyard in the Columbia Gorge AVA, shows loads of texture and tension on the mouth. Layers of kiwi and gooseberry combine with suggestions of juicy white peach on the palate. Drink 2025-2031- 92
2024 Saviah Chardonnay- The outstanding 2024 Saviah Chardonnay was sourced from the Stillwater Creek Vineyard in the Royal Slope AVA. This is neatly-textured stuff with terrific finesse and loads of salty minerals. Pastry crust and shades of lemon cream combine with honeydew melon and baking spices on the palate. Drink 2025-2032- 93
2024 Saviah Viognier- Coming from the Saviah Estate Vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley, the 2024 Viognier delivers wet stone and melon fruits alongside shades of honeysuckle water and Japanese pear notes on the palate. Fresh and vibrant with a refined mouthfeel, enjoy now and over the next six plus years. Drink 2025-2031- 93
2023 Saviah ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Syrah- The really good 2023 Saviah ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Syrah delivers black olives and black tea alongside shades of boysenberry compote on the palate. Medium to full-bodied, enjoy now and over the next eight years. Drink 2025-2032- 92
2023 Saviah ‘G.S.M.’ Red Wine- The 2023 ‘G.S.M.’ offers blood orange zest and wet stone on the nose with bright red fruits and beef brisket. The palate is juicy and silky with soft tannins and vibrant acidity, with a smooth mouthfeel. Drink 2025-2032- 93
2023 Saviah ‘Une Vallee’ Red Wine- The 2023 ‘Une Vallee’ combines mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) with smaller parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Black tea and exotic spice notes collide with red bell pepper and beef drippings on the nose. The palate is fresh and refined with a silky mouthfeel. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2023 Saviah ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2023 ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Sauvignon shows up soft on the mouth, with soft tannins. Black currant, tar and tobacco leaf flavors mingle well with a graphite edge on the palate. Fresh and fragrant, showing black florals, this is already neatly defined stuff that will last for at least eight more years. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2023 Saviah ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Malbec- The 2023 ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Malbec offers Asian spices and huckleberry compote on the nose with gorgeous violet rose petals. The palate is plush and loaded with freshness, showing outstanding flavor density and excellent length. Enjoy this beauty now and over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Saviah ‘Hallowed Stones Vineyard’ Grenache- The 2022 ‘Hallowed Stones Vineyard’ Grenache shows smoked pork shoulder with juicy red raspberry, charcuterie and hints of green olives on the nose, with pretty red florals. The palate is neatly textured with serious depth and concentration. A gorgeous wine that is already showing beautifully, enjoy over the next eight to ten years. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Saviah ‘Hunt & Gather’ Red Wine- The 2022 ‘Hunt & Gather’ combines 60% Cabernet Sauvignon with the remainder Syrah from the Funk Estate Vineyard. This shows great tension and texture, loaded with bright red and dark fruits, alongside shades of oyster sauce and stony accents on the palate. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Saviah ‘The Stones Speak’ Tempranillo- The 2022 ‘The Stones Speak’ Tempranillo has a small amount of Syrah blended in. Hoisin sauce and smoked brisket flavors combine with bright red fruits and Satsuma orange zest on the palate. This is fresh and delicious stuff that is best enjoyed over the next eight plus years. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2022 Saviah ‘The Stones Speak’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The amazing 2022 ‘The Stones Speak’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from this cobblestone-laden vineyard in the Rocks District. It is soft and juicy, loaded with stony character alongside oyster sauce, boysenberry compote and shades of red currants on the palate. Fresh and also dense, enjoy now and over the next eight years. Drink 2025-2033- 94
2023 Saviah ‘Reserve’ Syrah- The 2023 ‘Reseve’ was sourced from The Stones Speak and Funk Estate and Waterstone Estate Vineyards. The palate is dense and delicious, with a seamless mouthfeel and amazing flavor range. Smoked meats, soy sauce, white pepper dusted bacon and shades of blackberry compote all combine on the palate. Drink 2025-2033- 95
2022 Saviah ‘The Stones Speak Vineyard’ Syrah- Fresh and vibrant, the outstanding 2022 Saviah ‘The Stones Speak Vineyard’ Syrah offers green herbal tones alongside beef drippings, black currants and shades of black olive tapenade on the nose. The palate is dense and delicious with terrific tension and mouthfeel. Drink 2025-2033— 95
2023 Saviah ‘The Funk Estate Vineyard’ Syrah- Just like the ’22 edition, the 2023 Saviah ‘The Funk Estate Vineyard’ Syrah has 4% Viognier blended in. Inky in the glass, this shows off honeysuckle, coppa ham and suggestions of bulls blood with crushed wet rock, Umami and seaweed notes on the nose. The palate is fresh and beautifully-textured with concentrated black fruits, alongside serious tension and stony essence. Drink 2025-2033- 96