I recently made my first visit to Echolands which was seriously overdue. Meeting with winemaker/general manager Brian Rudin, you couldn’t not be overwhelmed wit hthe overall beauty of the property — an over 300 acre chunk of land up Mill Creek, roughly 15 minutes outside of Walla Walla. I was really excited to see this expansive tasting room, with sweeping views of the valley. Doug Frost, MS, MW, has an illustrious wine career, and is one of three individuals in the world to hold simultaneously the Master of Wine and Master Sommelier titles, achieving his MS in 1991 and MW in 1993. He also authored ‘The Spanish Wine Guide (third edition 2009’) and is a contributing editor of the Oxford Companion to Spirits and Cocktails. He is a great guy to talk wine with.
It has now been over a year since Rudin took over as winemaker. He did incredible work at Canvasback, creating wines that have beautiful depth and flavor density — deftly showcasing the Red Mountain power and terroir. The new wines that I tasted with Rudin were fantastic. I love the 2024 Echolands ‘Albus’ White Wine (OB, 93) which is beautifully polished and textured. I also adored the 2024 Echolands ‘Taggart Estate Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc (OB, 93) which has fabulous flavor range and freshness, with good weight. Learn more about this fantastic project at echolandswinery.com Here are my reviews of he beautiful new wines that I tasted from Echolands.
2024 Echolands ‘Albus’ White Wine- The 2024 ‘Albus’ gas 18% Semillon eight the remainder Sauvignon Blanc from the Angioluna Farm Vineyard. This offers gooseberry and walnut notes alongside shades of green papaya on the palate, with a fat mouthfeel. Fresh and polished, with bright acidity, enjoy this beautiful Bordeaux-inspired blend now and over the next few years. Drink 2025-2032- 93
2024 Echolands ‘Taggart Estate Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc- Just a small amount of Semillon is blended to the 2024 Echolands ‘Taggart Estate Vineyard’ Sauvignon Blanc which was cropped at only 2.5 tons per acre. The wine saw three days on the skins and then was barrel fermented before bottling. This has a lot of body with tremendous verve, offering green apple and lemon rind tones alongside shades of almond skin on the palate. Enjoy now. Drink 2025-2031- 93
2024 Echolands ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Grenache Blanc- The sensational 2024 Echolands ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Grenache Blanc saw extended skin contact and then was stored in Italian amphorae before bottling. This is ripe and very stony with terrific richness and depth with nutty accents alongside rich melon notes. Elegant and smooth on the mouth, with bright underlying acidity, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2025-2031- 94
2024 Echolands ‘White Rock Vineyard’ Riesling- Made in the halb-trocken style this weighs in at 12G/L RS. Fermented in concrete this shows bright acidity and great stony character alongside rich honeydew melon and papaya fruit flavors. Drink 2025-2031- 92
2024 Echolands ‘Frenchman Hills Vineyard’ Riesling- Modeled after GG wines, the 2024 Echolands ‘Frenchman Hills Vineyard’ Riesling offers terrific body and richness from the lees contact. A light dusting of petrol melds well with starfruit and juicy pear notes. Drink 2025-2033- 93
2024 Echolands ‘Frenchman Hills Vineyard’ Ice Wine- The best wine I tasted was the 2024 Echolands ‘Frenchman Hills Vineyard’ Ice Wine which has 25% residual sugar. Peaches and lychee mark the nose alongside roasted pineapple. The palate is deep and concentrated with serious richness and freshness. Smooth throughout the drinking experience, with magical length, enjoy over the next ten years. Drink 2025-2035- 95
2022 Echolands ‘Blue Mountain Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc- The 2022 Echolands ‘Blue Mountain Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc offers green peppercorns alongside violets, tar and tobacco leaf on the nose. The palate is plush and sour with terrific mouthfeel and texture. Drink 2025-2035- 93
2022 Echolands ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Franc- The delicious 2022 Echolands ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Cabernet Franc offers dense dark fruits with dried sage and hints of orange zest on the palate. Drink 2025-2033- 92
2024 Echolands ‘Blue Mountain Vineyard’ Cabernet Franc- Barrel sample 92-95