Today we share the wines of Sagemoor. Kent Waliser, is the face of Sagemoor Vineyards who has a longstanding history in the wine industry. Today he relies on general manager Danny Gordon who had a 24-year history with Tamarack Cellars. Speaking with Gordon, he described the wines and vintages. Speaking with Danny and Kent, they shared their thoughts about the new wines. “These are wines that are drinking nicely and it is really fun because you have vineyards blended, separated, and three vineyards from the White Bluffs. And they are all different” said Danny. “The winemaking is consistent across the wines but it brings out the unique properties” said Kent. Aryn Morrell makes the wines “And does everything in the winery.” He has served as winemaker since 2021. “We are working on the DTC program to intrigue people with the Cabernet from the different sites and that was put in place before Danny came on board.”
The 2022 wines had excellent flavor density despite the coolness of the vintage. To achieve this Kent noted “We didn’t do as much with Southwind. ’22 was a big crop and the last big crop in Washington. In the case of Weinbau it really started in the vineyard because Miguel Rodriguez who has been there for 30 years, he recognized that he had way more clusters than what he was going to need and he did something and had to get these clusters off before fruit set. And I am going to take my chances not getting the fruit set. When he was shoot thinning he was also cluster thinning and he got the crop down early.” He continued “We did fruit removal at bloom because when I saw this we had to do this everywhere. We were taking unfertilized clusters off which told the plant that we had less fruit to begin with.”Kent noted that “other wineries who got fruit from Weinbau in ’22 would have had the same treatment, got the vines thinned just like we did.”
The wines show good balance and poise which is something very intentional by GM Danny Gordon for the wine program. He explained “Flavors are great, it is about getting the mouthfeel, texture and balance of the wine right. I think that is a big focus of what we are doing there, we are letting the flavors naturally occur and then in the winemaking we are trying for that same richness and mouthfeel across the wines.”
The new releases are Cabernet wines from across Washington State, including several from their estate. Check out the delicious 2022 Sagemoor ‘Bacchus Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon (OB, 93) which is mainly old vine Cabernet and is beautiful to enjoy now. Learn more about these great wines at https://sagemoorestates.com and here are my notes on the new wines by Sagemoor.
2022 Sagemoor ‘Bacchus Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The delicious 2022 ‘Bacchus Vineyard’ comes mostly from Block 3 and Block 4a, as this opens with dark florals, kirsch and Arabica bean notes. The palate is elegant and refined with a smooth mouthfeel and loads of dense dark fruits with chocolate and espresso grounds. Drink 2026-2042- 93
2022 Sagemoor ‘Gamache Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Sourced mainly from Block 3 in the vineyard, the 2022 ‘Gamache Vineyard’ offers violets and tar on the nose alongside shades of black tea and exotic spice. The palate is soft and elegant with a smooth viscosity and mouthfeel. Drink 2026-2042- 93
2022 Sagemoor ‘Dionysus Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Sourced from these old vine Cabernet plantings in the White Bluffs AVA, the 2022 ‘Dionysus Vineyard’ shows concentrated black and blue fruits on the palate, with tar and sweet pope tobacco. Great to enjoy now, watch this evolve over the next fifteen plus years. Drink 2026-2042- 94
2021 Sagemoor ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Sourced from this location in the Wahluke Slope AVA, this mainly comes from Weinbau W.63 in the vineyard. This comes off soft and elegant with medium-bodied red cherry and black raspberry notes alongside dusty soils on the palate. Drink 2026-2040- 93
2021 Sagemoor ‘Bacchus/Dionysus Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- Coming from both these sites in the White Bluffs AVA, this 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon opens with dried herbs and cassis notes on the nose with chocolate and sandalwood accents. The palate is well-balanced and soft with medium-bodied red and dark fruits with hints of chocolate fudge. Drink 2026-2040- 92
2021 Sagemoor ‘Southwind Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2021 ‘Southwind Vineyard’ comes from this location in the Walla Walla Valley. This is soft and medium-bodied with ripe red and dark fruits alongside chocolate and coffee grounds. Drink 2026-2042- 93