Robert Mondavi Winery

A trip to Napa would not be complete without a trip to the Robert Mondavi Winery Reserve Tasting Room.  A few years back I was lucky enough to enjoy a bottle of the 1996 Reserve Cabernet and this trip I sampled the 1979 Reserve Cabernet. Few places open such special older bottlings. Robert Mondavi Winery was founded in 1966 and the To Kalon Vineyard, planted at that time, has been renowned for producing some of the finest Cabernet in the world. Many people in the United States wine industry have been pushing to have the To Kalon Vineyard recognized as one of the first growth (finest) vineyards in North America. Along with To Kalon Vineyard, Robert Mondavi Winery sources grapes from some of Napa Valley’s great vineyards, including those from Stag’s Leap (particularly Cabernet) and Carneros (Pinot Noir and Chardonnay).

The winery itself is an incredible marvel with picturesque statues and incredibly beautiful vineyards in the background. If you have never made your way to Robert Mondavi Winery, it is truly a must-see for those interested in wine and also those taking in the aesthetic beauty of the accompanying vineyards. The iconic mission style reserve room at Robert Mondavi is one of my favorite stops in the valley. Having visited this spot for more than 10 years, this visit was one to remember. One of the coolest wines I sampled on my visit to Napa was the 1979 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet (WWB, 91). This was a profound wine that is showing its age but still displays a lovely range of fruit flavors. The heavyhitter of the bunch was the 2012 Robert Mondavi Winery ‘Reserve’ Cabernet (WWB, 95) which is a special occasion wine that is drinking beautifully at its young age. These wines are known for aging beautifully and this wine was no exception. Learn more about Robert Mondavi Winery at http://www.robertmondaviwinery.com/ Here are the fantastic new release wines that I recently sampled at Robert Mondavi Winery.

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘Oakville’ Cabernet- This gorgeous wine opens with aromas of anise, wild blackberry, and mocha with creme de cassis. There are dense flavors of creme de cassis, blackberry pie, coffee grounds, creosote and suggestions of black olive. This is viscous and mineral driven wine that will need time in the bottle for the fruit to fully integrate and for the moderate tannins to settle. Drink 2018-2035- 93

2013 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay - This opens with rich flavors of brioche, poached pear, nutmeg and toasted hazelnuts. There are opulent flavors of banana, apricot, orange rind, Gala apple and a lingering cream finish. There is an exotic edge to this rich Chardonnay Drink 2016-2024- 93

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Fume Blanc- This impressive wine starts with aromatics of cut grass, Jalapeño, cedar and macadamia nut. There are flavors of Bartlett pear, nutmeg, and aala Apple. Lovely weight and texture that is one of a kind. Drink 2016-2024- 93

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘I Block’ Fume Blanc- This dense Sauvignon Blanc wine begins with aromas of lemongrass, Meyer lemon, and unripe pear. This leads to flavors of Meyer lemon oil, Bartlett pear, starfruit and citrus blossoms. There is marvelous intensity and richness, showcasing this great vintage. Drink 2016-2024- 93

2013 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Pinot Noir-The wine begins with aromas of cardamon, red currant and red raspberry with dried sage. There are rich flavors of red raspberry, pipe tobacco, dried cranberry and red cherry with hints of blood orange rind. There is a gorgeous and subtle citrus component to the wine. Impossible to resist right now, this drinks beautifully straight out of the bottle. Drink 2016-2025- 93

2011 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet- This cold vintage wine starts with aromas of dried sage, blackberry cobbler, pipe tobacco and anise. There are flavors of blackberry pie, mocha, and anise. This has wonderful range and complexity considering the coldness of the vintage.  Drink 2016-2028- 93

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘Stags Leap District’ Cabernet- This wine begins with aromas of graphite, cassis, blackberry pie, mocha and anise. There are rich flavors of blackberry pie, creme de cassis, coffee grounds and anise. This Cabernet has gorgeous depth and complexity and is drinking beautifully straight out of the bottle right now. Grab a juicy ribeye steak for this one Drink 2016-2033- 94

2012 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet- This impressive bottling starts with rich aromatics reminiscent of mocha, creme de cassis, graphite and black olive with suggestions of Black Forest cake. There are deep flavors of anise, spicebox, creme de cassis, mocha and pipe tobacco. This is a profound wine that is up there with the best of Napa Valley. It is impossible to resist right now. Drink 2016-2035- 95

1979 Robert Mondavi ‘Reserve’ Cabernet- This is a wine to savor. While it is slowing down, it is still drinking marvelously despite being more than 35 years old. This wine opens with dried figs, prune, red cherry and barnyard. There are flavors of anise, red currant, red cherry, and dried sage. Just incredible for its age but try to enjoy this wine within the next few years. Drink 2016-2020- 91

Interview with Revelry Vintners Head Winemaker and Owner, Jared Burns

Fellow Whitman graduate, Jared Burns, has followed his dream with Revelry. A few weeks back I had the chance to speak to Jared about his winery and excellent wines that showcase the Columbia Valley. He first began making wine more than 10 years ago, with the first vintage in 2005. Jared makes a host of wines at Revelry. His new 2015 Rosé release (WWB, 89) was absolutely crisp and fantastic for a hot summer day. For those who are Cabernet lovers, try his 2012 D11 Cabernet Sauvignon (WWB, 92) which showcases the richness and balance of the great vintage. Look for more of his wines at revelryvintners.com. Here is my interview with Jared Burns, owner and winemaker of Revelry Vintners in Walla Walla.

info@revelrywines.com

WWB: How did you decide to start Revelry?

JB: I came about wine in a unique way.  When I was about nine years old my Dad started a company called Supreme Corq, which was the world’s first synthetic wine cork manufacturer.  He had a passion for wine, and growing up he would let my sister and I taste and try wines, so I had a familiarity and connection to wine at a young age.  It wasn’t until I was in college here in Walla Walla where I myself truly discovered wine.  I was out at dinner with my folks and we had a 1997, I think it was, Woodward [Canyon] Old Vines Cabernet Sauvignon.  It was delicious.  We asked Bob, the owner of Backstage Bistro which is sadly no longer around, what he thought would hang with that wine.  He was gone for some time and came back with a 6 pack of 1998 Canoe Ridge Reserve Merlot which just looked impressive.  He said he had called Rick Small and asked him to recommend a wine, and that this was his pick.  That Merlot really influenced me.  I was in love with that wine.  It struck me that both of these wines along with others, were all grown right here in Washington where I was raised.  For all of the amazing wines - first and second growths, you name it - that I tried growing up, it was Washington wines I was most drawn to.  I left Walla Walla after graduating in 2003 and found myself getting more and more curious about the wine industry and making wine.  In 2005 I started Revelry with the concept to create varietal wines representative of the quality of wines here in Walla Walla, but to sell them for less than $20.  I was 24 at the time and wanted to my peers to have access to wines like I did.  Its been an evolution since that time.  We now make 15 different wines ranging from $12 to $60 a bottle.

WWB: What are some of the challenges with the booming Washington wine industry?

JB: I don’t look at the world through obstacles. I think that has been true since day one. When we want to do something we make it happen, however that might be. There is more competition right now both in the Washington wine market and internationally. Since day one we have had a distribution focused business model. We sell a lot of our wine through distribution and we have found some nice success with that in this economy. We have always had a segment that is under 20 dollars and that struck a core through the recession and beyond. Distributing wines is extremely competitive.  Washington itself is a growing category but we are just beginning to tell our story.  I think that is one of the great challenges for Washington wine, but it is changing quickly. Not all our 900 wineries are able to travel abroad and tell the story. Ultimately the more wineries working together to tow the line and share the story of Washington wine the faster we will all grow. Every year we try to further cement our place in the global wine industry and tell not only our story better but the Washington story as well and we try to do our part with that. If it wasn’t a challenge, we wouldn’t want to do it.

WWB: I had the chance to try your 2012 D11 Cabernet and was very impressed with the bottling. Can you talk about that wine and what makes it special?

JB: I think the vineyard makes it really special. With all of our wines we try to let the fruit shine. I think there is a lot of intensity and structure in that fruit, and it tends to have less tannic structure than Red Mountain. As we might do with a Syrah and Rhone varietals we work to mitigate oak tannin in our winemaking, letting the natural grape tannin carry the load. The D11 has beautiful fruit, and a very round and full profile.  A lot of that happens in the vineyard. That is complimented by what we do there. We are not trying to amplify the scale structure of the wine.

WWB: What are some of the challenges of sourcing from other vineyards and what are some of the advantages?

JB: I think the advantage is, being an 11 year old winery, we have vineyard sites that are three times our age. They have great viticulturists on their staff. They care for the vineyards on a daily basis. From this model we have access to great diversity in our vineyard sites.  This is where the Aerials Series was born.  We are pinpointing specific clones of grape varieties, planted in a particular soil type, in an area with a unique exposure and microclimate.  That series evolved naturally from our sourcing model, and over time we came to appreciate the distinct qualities of each wine and site in the series. On the other hand, the challenges are you totally can’t control your costs. In some cases if you contribute to making a vineyard more known, effectively raising your own costs. That just comes with the nature of the industry.

WWB: Can you talk about how you obtained your space here at the Walla Walla Airport?

JB: When I started the winery there was no suitable industrial space available for winemaking. The history of this area is really cool. The airport was funded 7 days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor for construction as a training base for heavy bomber crews. The Memphis Belle in fact originated in Walla Walla. It was the first plane to complete 25 missions in the war which at the time was a feat. I started the winery on a shoestring and this space was what was available. I think this is true for most wineries out here. We now have four buildings out here, all of which had a purpose on the old base, and we’ve retrofitted them for winemaking.  We love the history here and it has been a great home.  We are however in the early stages of design on a new winery and property.  Be on the lookout for that in 2017.

WWB: I was also very impressed with your new 2015 Revelry Vintners Rosé (WWB, 89), one of my recommended wines for spring, which showed a wonderful array of fruit and had nice balance considering the heat of the vintage. Can you talk about this fantastic new release wine?

JB: Thank you.  I love that wine.  If I could replicate a Rosé I would make this one over and over again.  We have been making Rosé from Cabernet Franc and Grenache for five years now, only in scant amounts.  This year we made about 400 cases and it is already just about sold out and its only the beginning of April.  Its 83% Cabernet Franc and 17% Grenache.  The Franc tends to set the vibrance and hue of the wine, while the Grenache gives the wine amazing texture and aromatics.  Its the perfect wine for just about everything.  We spend a lot of time outdoors here in the spring and summer and drink a lot of this wine.

Rombauer Vineyards

One of the storied houses in Napa, founders Koerner and Joan Rombauer moved to Napa Valley in 1972, and came from a family that had a great appreciation for food and wine. Koerner’s ancestors originated from the famed winegrowing region of Rheingau, Germany, where wine was constantly on the table. Rombauer Vineyards was established in 1980. The winery remains family-owned and operated by first, second and third-generation members of the family.

I’ve had the chance to visit Rombauer Vineyards on several occasions. The winery is set on a mountain in a lush setting. There are beautiful gardens everywhere, as the expansive property is one of a kind in Napa. I recently had the chance to review their new release red and white wines and found them to be highly impressive from these recent great vintages. One of the great values in white wine is the 2014 Rombauer Vineyards ‘Carneros’ Chardonnay (WWB, 93) which is a dense yet balanced Chard and is a wine to buy by the case. Their 2015 Sauvignon Blanc (WWB, 92) is another fantastic value, which shows bright acidity and fruit, which was hard to achieve during this very hot vintage. Head winemaker, Riche Allen, certainly knows how to craft great Chardonnay. He absolutely nailed his latest Sauvignon Blanc as well. For those who enjoy fruity and ready to enjoy Cabernet, his Cabernet releases are for you as well. Learn more about their fantastic wines at http://www.rombauer.com/ Here are the great new release wines from Rombauer Vineyards in Napa.

2014 Rombauer ‘Carneros’ Chardonnay- The 2014 Rombauer 'Carneros' Chardonnay is an excellent new release effort from this estate. This Chardonnay was sourced from Carneros vineyards owned by the Rombauer family and other growers including the Sangiacomo family. The wine was aged 9 months in French and American Oak (33% new) prior to bottling. This wine opens with bright aromas of poached pear, creme brûlée and ripe pineapple. This leads to flavors of Pazzaz apple, Meyer lemon zest with a rich cream finish. Superlative bottling here with a bright minerality. Drink 2016-2024- 93

2014 Rombauer 'Buchli Station Vineyard' Chardonnay- Rombauer has crafted a great single vineyard Chardonnay here. Needing about 30 mins in the decanter to develop, this limited production Chard starts with aromas of roasted pineapple, creme brûlée and lemon custard. There are flavors of pineapple upside down cake, nutmeg, creme brûlée and hints of toasted Marcona almonds. A slight saline streak to this wine that lingers on the palate. Having lovely texture and fruit weight, I could see this Chardonnay cellaring beautifully for another decade. Only 125 cases made of this great wine.. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2015 Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc- The 2015 Rombauer Sauvignon Blanc is one of the best of its kind at this price point. Coming from the earliest harvest in history, this wine was 90% fermented in stainless steel, while the rest was fermented in neutral French oak for three months and then placed back in steel. This wine opens with aromas of cut grass, jalepeno, unripe pear and Granny Smith apple. There are flavors of Gala apple, Japanese pear, gooseberry, starfruit, and lemon zest that sits alongside bright acidity. Gorgeous balance to this expressive Sav Blanc. This is absolutely perfect for a hot summer day. Drink 2016-2021- 92

2013 Rombauer 'El Dorado' Zinfandel- The El Dorado Vineyard is perched 1,650 feet above sea level in the Sierra Foothills and is known for its sandy soils that grow some great Zinfandel. This impressive new release wine begins with aromatics reminiscent of prune, red cherry, dill, sage and pipe tobacco. There are flavors of blackberry jam, roasted figs, and prune with gobs of milk chocolate. Gorgeous range here with lovely texture and complexity.  This is delicious on its own. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2013 Rombauer Cabernet- Grapes for this wine were sourced from a host of vineyards in the Stags Leap District, Atlas Peak, Mount Veeder, St. Helena, Calistoga, Rutherford and Howell Mountain AVAs. This impressive bottling begins with aromatics of blackberry, anise, mocha and hints of creme de cassis. There are flavors reminiscent of anise, cassis, mocha and dried figs. Lovely length and balance. Drink 2016-2026- 91

2012 Rombauer 'Diamond Selection' Cabernet- This is a gorgeous and polished Cabernet by head winemaker Richie Allen. Grapes for this wine were sourced from the Howell Mountain, Stags Leap, Calistoga, Atlas Peak, and St. Helena AVAs. The wine was aged 18 months in 100% new French oak prior to bottling and is a blend of 85% Cabernet, 9% Merlot and 6% Petit Verdot.  This impressive wine starts with aromas of black tea, blackberry, cassis and anise. There are flavors of blackberry, black tea, coffee grounds and black olive with black cherry. Fruit driven and balanced wine. Drink 2016-2030- 92

Epoch Wines

A winery that produces some absolutely gorgeous, deep wines in Paso Robles, Epoch Wines is one to watch. The wines not only exude richness, they show some marvelous terroir. All Epoch fruit comes from estate vineyards, which are two specific and unique sites that they purchased and planted -- the Paderewski Vineyard and the Catapult Vineyard. Owners Bill and Liz Armstrong are both Geologists who saw the great potential for these vineyards. The Paderewski Vineyard is a 67 acres plot that is comprised of steep, limestone rich hillsides within 350 rural, spring-fed acres. In the early 1900’s, this vineyard was farmed by world-renowned pianist, polish diplomat, and vintner, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. This vineyard was dormant for many years until Epoch purchased the land in 2004. The vineyard was planted to Syrah, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Petite Sirah, Tempranillo, Zinfandel, Grenache Blanc, and Picpoul Blanc which were mostly grafted onto Phylloxera resistant Native American rootstock. Near the middle of the Paso Robles’ Templeton Gap, near the famed L’Aventure and Booker Vineyards, lies the Catapult Vineyard. The 45 acre plot of land was purchased in 2008 as they saw some very rocky soils with silicious shale and little limestone content as a nice contrast to their Pederewski vineyard. At the vineyard they encourage the vines to struggle while finding nourishment deep within the ground.
The wines all come from the stellar 2012 vintage which was marked by high heat but nearly ideal growing conditions. One of the best wines that I have tried this year is the 2012 Epoch ‘Authenticity’ Red Wine (WWB, 96). This is a dense, deep and intense wine that showcases the richness of the vintage and has a silky mouthfeel. Also highly impressive was the 2012 Epoch ‘Block B’ Syrah (WWB, 95) which also is one of the best Syrahs in North America that I have sampled in the past year. This absolute heavyhitter of a wine is for those who enjoy the darker side of Syrah, as this extracted beauty will continue to sing into the next decade. Learn more about Epoch wines at http://www.epochwines.com/ Here are the fantastic new release wines from Epoch.

2012 Epoch Authenticity-The 2012 'Authenticity' is an incredible blend of 71% Syrah, 28% Mouvedre and 1% Viognier that was aged for 18 months in 51% new French oak barrels prior to bottling. This majestic, towering red opens with intense aromatics of star jasmine, anise, crème de cassis, and Turkish coffee which explode from the glass. This is full-bodied, layered and the texture is absolutely gorgeous, bordering ethereal, as it continues to deliver intense flavors of milk chocolate, crème de cassis, roasted figs, and tar which resonate through the wine. Despite its profound weight, this has a wonderful sense of freshness and seamless quality leading into the long multi-tiered finish. Overall, this 2012 is a fabulous effort from winemaker Jordan Fiorentini. Drink 2016-2030- 96

2012 Epoch 'Paderewski Vineyard Block B' Syrah- Epoch has crafted a heavyhitter of a Syrah here with their Paderewski Vineyard 'Block B' Syrah. Utilizing clone 174, the wine was aged 18 months in 44% new French oak barrels prior to bottling. This dense wine opens with aromatics of milk chocolate, crème de cassis, allspice, white pepper all taking shape around boysenberry jam. On the palate this full-bodied and multi-layered, offering deep, concentrated flavors of wild blackberry preserves, black cherry compote, roasted figs, creosote, anise and mocha. While this intense Syrah is not for the weary, it delivers an gorgeous velvety texture and opulent mouthfeel, which is absolutely impossible to resist. This is a decadent treat, needing at least a two hour decant for it to show its best. Drink 2016-2028- 95

2012 Epoch Tempranillo- The 2012 Tempranillo by Epoch is one who enjoys the intense side of the varietal. The wine is a blend of 94% Tempranillo with the rest Grenache. Sourced from the Paderewski Vineyard, the wine begins with aromas of roasted prune, coffee grounds and black cherry with suggestions of boysenberry preserves. There are dense flavors of black cherry, black olive, blackberry pie and Turkish coffee. This is an exotic wine that needs a two hour decant prior to enjoying. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 Epoch Ingenuity-The wine is gorgeous a blend of 58% Syrah, 18% Mourvèdre, 14% Grenache, and 10% Petite Sirah that was aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak prior to bottling. 80% of this red wine was sourced from the Paderewski vineyard, while 20% was sourced from the Catapult vineyard. This red blend begins with aromatics reminiscent of pipe tobacco, anise, black olive, black cherry and black raspberry. There are rich flavors of milk chocolate, creme de cassis, anise and Turkish coffee. Intense, dense and layered, this will have a very long life. Give this at least two hours in the decanter to unwind before trying. Drink 2016-2030- 94

Cougar Crest

I recently had the chance to visit one of the great tasting rooms in Walla Walla, Cougar Crest. Whether you are a Husky or a Coug, this is one not to miss. Cougar Crest pours a hugely varied range of wines at their tasting room, so you are able to sample everything from a Rhone blend to Viognier to their Late Harvest Dessert wine. Having tasted at Cougar Crest for over 10 years, the new lineup of wines is as good as any I have sampled. The quality is there across the board for these releases.

Cougar Crest was founded by two Washington State University Grads. Founded in 2001 by David and Debbie Hansen, they first planted vines in 1997 and decided to leave their careers as Veterinarian and Pharmacist to form a winery. After taking classes in enology from UC Davis, Deborah Hansen became the head winemaker, while her husband took over the winery operations side. Deborah’s new releases excelled. Cougar Crest tends to hold back their wines more than most wineries, so you are able to sample red wines from the 2009 and 2010 vintages – and they are showing beautifully right now and drinking at their peak. This makes for a wonderful tasting experience, as some wineries pour their red wines that aren’t ready to drink quite yet. The 2014 Cougar Crest Viognier (WWB, 91) is as good as any Viognier that Deborah has made over the past 10 years, and exudes rich fruit flavors. The 2009 Cougar Crest Cabernet Franc (WWB, 92) is also up there with the best expressions in the state, relying on its feminine and herbaceous side. For those with a sweet tooth, check out the 2009 Late Harvest Viognier (WWB, 92) which is a steal for only $20.00 and has nice richness and intensity.

Many of the Cougar Crest wines can be found at Northwest wine shops, but some of their wines can be found at Costco as well. These wines offer really good value and are made to drink right away, especially their 2009 and 2010 releases. Look for them at grocery stores like QFC and Metropolitan Market, as well as Pete’s Wine Shop. Here are the new release wines from Cougar Crest. Learn more about Cougar Crest at cougarcrest.com

2014 Cougar Crest Viognier- Viognier is one of their best bottling each year and this vintage is no exception. This lovely expression begins with bright aromas of beeswax, lychee and ripe pear. This leads to flavors of Gala apple, starfruit and roasted peaches. Absolutely delicious wine. Drink 2016-2022- 91

2014 Cougar Crest Grenache Rose- This wine has lighter aromas of rose petals, guava and strawberry. There are delicate flavors of pink bubblegum, ripe strawberry and guava puree. Lovely stuff that is perfect for a hot summer day. Drink 2016-2021- 89

2012 Cougar Crest Dedication Nine Red Wine- This wine begins with aromas of scorched earth, blackberry and roasted figs. This leads to flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, coffee grounds and cloves with nice weight and intensity. I could see this cellaring rather well. Drink 2016-2025- 90

2009 Cougar Crest Cabernet Franc- This Cab Franc brings aromas of red bell pepper, red cherry and red raspberry with hints of lavender. This leads to flavors of red cherry red raspberry and guava. Absolutely outstanding wine that is drinking in its prime. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2010 Cougar Crest Anniversary Cuvée Red Wine- This wine opens with aromas of red cherry, red raspberry and blackberry jam with clove accents. This leads to flavors of red cherry, smoked pork shoulder, wild blackberry alongside bright minerality. There is a really nice range of flavors and aromatics in this colder vintage blend. Drink 2016-2024- 91

2010 Cougar Crest Cabernet- This wine begins with aromas of red bell pepper, anise, blackberry and cassis. This leads to flavors of blackberry cobbler, black cherry and mocha. Lovely richness and intensity to this wine that is drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2016-2023- 91

2010 Cougar Crest Tempranillo- The wine begins with aromas of black pepper, smoked meats and blackberry. This leads to flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, sagebrush alongside dusty tannins. Nice expression of this varietal, which is done in the fruity, Washington style. Drink 2016-2022- 90

2012 Cougar Crest Malbec- This wine begins with aromas of green bell pepper, blackberry and mocha. This leads to flavors of blackberry, anise, and coffee grounds. Would like a little more weight, given the vintage. Drink 2016-2021- 89

2009 Cougar Crest Minstrel- This is a blend of 86% Grenache and 14% Syrah. The wine begins with bright aromas of prune, red cherry and red raspberry. The wine has flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, guava puree and crimini mushroom. Lively wine that is drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2016-2021- 91

2009 Cougar Crest Late Harvest Viognier- This dense dessert wine begins with aromas of buttercream, roasted almonds, poached pear and pineapple. This leads to flavors of apricot, lychee, pineapple and creme brûlée. Lovely range of flavors and intense aromatics to this impressive bottling that is impossible to resist right now. Drink 2016-2022- 92

#cougarcrest #wawine #wallawalla #washington #viognier #washingtonwineblog

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2012 Pinot Noir Retrospective

As part of Oregon Wine Month, we bring you an exciting Oregon Pinot Noir retrospective today. One of the founding wineries in Oregon, Willamette Valley Vineyards has been producing high quality Pinot Noir since the early 1980s. I recently had the chance to taste some of their single vineyard Pinots from the excellent 2012 vintage. 2012 was as perfect as it gets for winemakers in Oregon and followed up two previous cool vintages. The 2012 vintage was marked by a dry summer which produced some nice ripe fruit. While alcohol levels were higher than the previous two vintages, acid levels remained rather high in the wines, which led to some rich and highly structured Pinot Noirs that you can experience in the glass.
Willamette Valley Vineyards head winemaker Joe Ibrahim has a long history in wine, starting with Chateau St. Michelle in Woodinville, Washington. He also previously worked for Gallo in California and was part of their Sparkling wine production team. Ibrahim moved to Edna Valley winery as head winemaker and became familiar with crafting cool climate Pinot Noir. His 2012 releases showcase the terroir and the fruit that the vintage is known for. I was particularly impressed with their ‘Hannah’ bottling (WWB, 93 points). This wine is sourced from a specific block in their Tualitin estate and had a lovely intensity. Their 2012 ‘Chehelem Mountains’ Pinot Noir bottling was sourced from the Alloro Vineyard and shows wonderful ripeness, persistence and terroir. Kudos to Ibrahim and his winemaking team for creating some special wines in 2012. Learn more about these wines at http://wvv.com/ Here is my 2012 Pinot Noir retrospective from Willamette Valley Vineyards:

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Hannah’ Pinot Noir- This expressing bottling begins with bright aromas of rose petals, prune and red cherry. This leads to mid-weight flavors of red cherry, cran-pomegranate, wet rock and black truffle. Absolutely outstanding and dense effort that showcases this brilliant vintage. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Chehelem Mountains’ Pinot Noir- The Pinot begins with aromas of cherry pie, raspberry and pomegranate with suggestions of lavender. This leads to feminine flavors of red raspberry, pomegranate, gooseberry and crushed white flowers. Nice balance and finesse, with an intriguing range of fruit and non-fruit flavors. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘McMinnville’ Pinot Noir- This wine begins with aromas of wet granite, smoked meats, red raspberry and black truffle shavings. There are medium to heavy weight flavors of black cherry, black raspberry and teaberry alongside leather and suggestions of smoked meats. Gorgeous and intense bottling, with lovely structure and fruit weight. This captures the best of the vintage. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards 'Elton' Pinot Noir- This lighter style bottling begins with aromas of rose petals, red raspberry, and mulling spices. This leads to medium ripe flavors of red cherry, red raspberry, cran-pomegranate and baking spices. Lovely wet rock characteristics to this feminine style of Pinot. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2012 Willamette Valley Vineyards ‘Bernau Block’ Pinot Noir- This is a gorgeous wine by Willamette Valley Vineyards. The wine starts with aromatics reminiscent of red cherry, red raspberry and dill. This leads to medium weight flavors of mushroom, forest floor, red cherry, and red raspberry alongside lovely minerality. This is hard to resist right now and has the structure to cellar well. Drink 2016-2024- 92

#willamettevalleyvineyards #oregonpinotnoir #oregon #willamettevalley #pinotnoir

Interview with Brian Marcy, Head Winemaker at Big Table Farm

As part of Oregon Wine Month, we bring you an enticing new interview with a superstar producer of Oregon Pinot. Winemaker Brian Marcy has crafted some absolutely stunning new release Pinot Noirs. Brian sources from diverse vineyards across the Willamette Valley. The new 2014 Pinot Noirs sing with wonderful personality and Burgundian elegance. The absolutely massive 2014 ‘Earth’ Pinot Noir (WWB, 95) is an incredible wine that showcases the richness of the vintage but has a strong mineral driven and terroir driven flair. Brian’s Chardonnay releases are also excellent and excelled in both the 2013 and 2014 vintages.

Brian has a longstanding history in the wine industry, having worked for some highly esteemed properties like Marcassin and Neyers in the past. He brings his winemaking skills to Big Table Farm, a true boutique producer of Oregon Chardonnay and Pinot. In 2006 he and his wife, Clare Carver, moved to Oregon from Napa, where Brian had been making wine for ten years. They bought at 70 acre property in the Willamette Valley where Brian could make wine and Clare could work on her art, while they both could attend to their spectacular garden and farm. I recently had the chance to sit down with Brian and discuss some of his exciting new release wines. He told his story about coming to Oregon and I think you will be very excited to hear more about his journey in wine. Learn more about him and his wines at the Big Table Farm website, bigtablefarm.com Here is my interview with Brian Marcy, winemaker at Big Table Farm winery.

WWB: Can you talk about your stops before coming to Oregon and how you decided to come to Oregon?

BM: I have always loved to cook. I also love to eat and drink. I think that sensibility carries through into winemaking. Using your senses is really important to understanding the raw material you are working with. I always loved to make things. It doesn’t really matter what it is. I started out as a brewer and went to UC Davis, there is a fermentation program there. I studied brewing and saw a lot of fermentations. I understood sanitation from a brewing perspective. I was working in Sonoma during the end of the first craft beer boom. I had already started drinking wine so I had friends in the wine business. I wanted to work at a winery and landed at Turley in 1999. I worked harvest there and went to Australia and worked a harvest there. Ehren Jordan was the winemaker at Turley and was a partner at Neyers. He hired me to work at Neyers when we got back from Australia and I worked there for three harvests and that was where I was really exposed to Chardonnay and Syrah and the aspects of whole cluster fermentation. From there I worked with Larry Turley’s sister Helen Turley, at her winery, Marcassin. In 2004 I worked there in the cellar which was a great experience. They had a lot of clients and I worked with some of the Cabernet clients, one was Blankiet estate in Yountville. I was asked to stay there and get the project moving in the right direction so I worked there in 2005 for Claude Blankiet to get his winery set up on his property. That is the about the time when we decided to move to Oregon. We had a small house in downtown Napa. We had watched it change in value dramatically. We had chickens in our back yard and we wanted more space. We weren’t going to be able to afford to do that in California given our occupations and we wanted to move somewhere that we could have some property and keep working but also be close to a big city. Where we are now really fits all aspects. We were able to afford to buy our place and both of us work in the wine industry. Clare was designing wine labels and me in the cellar. We are about an hour outside of Portland even though it feels like we are in the middle of nowhere.

WWB: What are some of the similarities and differences that you notice in the Pinot Noirs from the 2013 and 2014 vintages?

BM: 2014 was a warmer summer, as we had more degree growing days than we had in 2013. 2014 was a bigger crop which was good because we could leave things out there longer without having sugar spikes. In 2014 September was warm then but we did get a rain that I thought was great for the wine. This helped the vines finish ripening the fruit and then tone down the accumulated sugar that might have been less than desirable. I think we ended up getting some really great Pinot Noir. All of my Pinots are under 14% alcohol and that rain did that for us. 2013 has been described as a great sleeping summer, meaning that it never got too hot. It was a beautiful summer, the most beautiful that I can remember in the 10 years that I have been here in Oregon. This allowed the vines to continually ripen the fruit. We had pretty thin skins and I think the fruit was very ripe but oddly enough didn’t accumulate much sugar because September was pretty cool.

You really had to be paying attention to what was going on in the vineyard physiologically as opposed to just using numbers. I realized this and then we started picking. The first few vineyards I brought in I realized that the fruit was ripe even though it was around 20 brix. We were pretty much done picking all our fruit by the end of September in 2013. I felt that the fruit was complete and ripe. I chose not to chaptalize though we had lower sugars. Some of our wines were below 12% alcohol which is really low. I think that might have been a bit of a risk. People are generally moving in the direction of lower alcohol but the alcohol levels are not always related to ripe and flavorful wines. With the rains that came we had made a really good picking decision. We didn’t get hit by the rain in 2013 really. A few vineyards we had got caught in it and they were OK. I can’t remember if there was a huge difference in the wines before and after the rains. I think the rains were more sensational than really what happened. You can work around those things sometimes. The real lesson from 2013 is grapes can be ripe without showing ripe sugar, at 22, 23 or 24 brix. In 2014, we waited for the rains to come, and that toned down the sugar and gave the wines balance.

Some absolutely gorgeous labeling done by Brian's wife, Clare Carver, on the 2014 'Earth' Pinot Noir.

WWB: Can you talk about this tremendous bottling, the 2014 Big Table Farm ‘Earth’ Pinot Noir?

BM: The bottling that we barrel select is the ‘Earth’ Pinot Noir. Every winemaker will tell you that there are a few barrels that stand out and are heads and shoulders above everything else. Certain barrels speak to you for a variety of reasons. I think one of the most important aspect is the completeness of the wine. Each barrel has to be complete and balanced, and, of course, delicious. They have all the aspects in the right place. Those chosen for our 2014 ‘Earth’ are beautiful aromatically and have complex palates and a long and lingering finish. All the barrels combined all of those aspects of the wine. Sometimes I will taste from the barrel and then it won’t have any finish or mid-palate. Sometimes they don’t smell bad but don’t jump out at you but then have a great mid-palate. These barrels had everything. I don’t do that special wine every year and barrels don’t always make it into a blend or any blend -- they might be cast out for various reasons. As far as the winemaking goes, I am pretty democratic as far as the grapes that come into the winery. I try to work with each vineyard regardless of my history with the vineyard. These are all fermented in the same way. I am diligent at record keeping during fermentation so I can monitor progress and the temperatures and what it smells like. This is what I pay attention to. The barrels that they go into, the new barrels are spread across so when it comes to put together the blends then there is an evenness to what is in the cellar. I think that winemaking, you can push in certain directions but you are never going to get exactly what you expect. If you focus on only one thing, the best vineyard or the best grapes, I think you would realize that you are not as powerful as you think you are. I try to be democratic in terms of how I approach everything that comes into the winery.

We are finally at a size that if we pull out those barrels and bottle them as their own blend, the effect on the rest wines that we produce won’t be as dramatic as when we were only making about 100 cases in the beginning. Now we are making about 700 cases of Chardonnay and 3000 cases of Pinot Noir. I can pull out 100 cases and it is not going to have a huge effect on the rest of the wines. This is the wine that speaks to us and stands head and shoulders above the rest. I brought Clare into the winery for the barrel tasting. When I picked what I thought were the best barrels, she confirmed that I wasn’t crazy, and sure enough we have made something pretty special. The labels for Earth and the elusive queen are her creations and they are great looking labels. I look forward to seeing what she will do in the future for earth and the elusive queen without the constraint of the iconic aspect that our labels typically carry. This is going to be really fun.

Interview with Emory Cole, Owner of Emory's On Silver Lake Restuarant

Emory Cole has a longstanding history in the Seattle area restaurant industry. Being in the industry for nearly 40 years, Emory’s on Silver Lake has become well-known location for its stunning lake views and fantastic food. The wine list at Emory’s boasts some of the best priced wine in the state. In fact, I have never seen so many bottles that are priced near to cost. This translates into some incredible values for Seattle area wine lovers. Emory’s has achieved the Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine three years in a row. On their list there is everything from entry level Columbia Crest to high end Cabernet bottlings of Quilceda Creek, Caymus, and even Opus One. Emory is incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. I recently had the chance to sit down with Emory at his Lakehouse Restaurant and he talked about his love for Washington and Napa Cabernet, and talked about the incredible array of wines that he has had on his wine lists over his years at his restaurant. A passionate and stand out guy, Emory was a delight to talk wine with. Here is my interview with Emory Cole, owner of Emory’s On Silver Lake Restaurant.

WWB: You have been in the restaurant business for more than 30 years. What are some of the changes that you have seen in the Washington wine industry since you first began?

EC: Actually, I've been in the restaurant business in Washington for almost 38 years, not counting the entry level jobs I had back in high school when the starting minimum wage in Washington was $1.25/hour, but who's counting?!  In the early 1970's and before, wine choices in most restaurants were comprised of bulk wines offered in caraffes {Burgundy, Chablis and Rose}.  The "really good wines" were Portuguese Roses {Mateus and Lancers}, Blue Nun Liebfraumilch from Germany, Cold Duck sparkling wine, and the occasional "Claret" from California.  Then things really started to change in the mid to late 1970's when the California wine industry really took off which was soon followed by Washington and Oregon, and European imports began expanding substantially, especially from France, Germany, Italy and Spain.

WWB: You have had Quilceda Creek on your menu since the 1980s. What are some of your favorite wines from Quilceda Creek?

EC: Yes, we had the original 1979 vintage of Quilceda Creek on the menu at my first restaurant located in Mukilteo, WA. {The Seahorse}.  I think it shared the highest priced Cabernet Sauvignon on our wine list along with one of my all-time favorites from California, Silver Oak, in the 1980's.  I think those wines wholesale prices were around $25 at the time and were the highest priced on our list at around $45. The wholesale and retail price for those wines have more than quadrupled since.  Of course, a lot of customers were still ordering the "house wine" back then, but people were starting to "trade up" as new quality varietals were introduced.  I wish I had a nickle for every bottle of Chat Ste Michelle Johannisberg Riesling that has been sold.  The more recent vintages of Quilceda Creek over the past 10 -12 years have been exceptional.

WWB: You have traveled extensively throughout Napa Valley. Do you have any favorite wineries that you have visited? Can you talk about your love for Napa Cabernet?

EC: There are so many great wines being produced in and around Napa, Sonoma, Santa Barbara, and many other regions of California.  I do have a particular fondness for Cabernet Sauvignon, in particular those wineries that still produce 100% varietal, as opposed to blending like has been done in France for many years.  Some of the "iconic" Cabs I personally have enjoyed over the years have come from wineries such as Silver Oak, Newton, Corliss, Heitz, Robert Mondavi, Beringer, Rombauer, Staggs Leap, Joseph Phelps, etc. I haven't had "Screaming Eagle" because I haven't yet been invited to visit your cellar.  My love for Cabernet in general is I have requested to be embalmed with it before I travel to the next level.

WWB: Your wine list has some incredible wine values like the 2009 Garrison Creek Cabernet ($89.00), the 2013 Caymus Cabernet ($125.00) and the 2012 Joseph Phelps Cabernet ($100.00). What are some of your favorite wines from your excellent value wine list? How are you able to offer so many excellent wine values to your customers?

 EC: I and my management team have tried hard to provide a comprehensive list that includes very well made wines with good values for our guests.  As you know, Washington has a thriving wine industry and is producing grapes and wines that I think rival many of California's vintners today. Chateau St. Michelle, for example, does a marvelous job of producing many wine varietals in great volume that are consistently great in terms of both quality and value. Occasionally we come across some smaller Washington wineries that are producing exceptional wines on a smaller scale such as Garrison Creek, Rulo, Woodward Canyon, and Sleight of Hand from Walla Walla, and Mark Ryan, DeLille, and Betz Family from Woodinville.

We try to focus on our market area, support our state's industry, and keep prices reasonable.  We don't mark up our wines like many restaurants do, especially higher cost wines.  We want our guests to be comfortable to experiment and try higher end wines.  We also don't warehouse a huge cellar like many of the higher end restaurants and hotels that are sitting on, literally, hundreds of thousands of dollars of inventory. 

WWB: What are some of your favorite producers of wine from Washington and other regions?

EC: I am an "equal opportunity" wine enthusiast.  I've named some of my favorite producers but there are simply too many to name.  France is still the "benchmark" the world uses to compare their wines with.  Unfortunately, the good Bordeaux Chateau wines have become so expensive that I find myself looking to the south of France {Provence} for great wines with better values.  Of course, those are not Cabernet blends but blends of Syrah, Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault, as well as Cabernet and other lesser known varietals.  Washington is now producing some of those same great varietals from Provence, Italy, Germany and Spain and doing a great job with them. 

Interview with Erica Orr, Head Winemaker of Orr Wines and Baer Winery

Erica Orr of Orr Wines and Baer has a longstanding history in the Washington wine industry. Orr has worked at some of the finest wineries in the world, including Rudd Estate, Cain Vineyard, Domaine Dujac and Yering Station. In 2005, she moved to Washington State and started an independent winemaking consulting and enology business in Woodinville, where she has consulted for wineries like Baer, Mark Ryan, Guardian, and Sparkman. Founding Orr Wines in 2013, her winery is dedicated to Old Vine Chenin Blanc. Her 2015 ‘Old Vines’ Chenin Blanc comes from a challenging vintage, where many white wines have struggled with producing high acidity. Her effort was exceptional in this vintage, showing the brightness and lovely structure combined with rich baked fruits.

Erica has achieved considerable acclaim with her Baer releases. Her 2012 Baer ‘Star’ (WWB, 93) was a Washington Wine Blog 2015 Top 100 performer, that showed incredible structure and ripe fruit flavors from a fantastic vintage. Erica talked about that wine, her background in wine and the wines she has in her glass. I found her a delight to speak with and I think you will truly enjoy her very special interview. Learn more about her and her wines at http://www.orrwines.com/ Here is my interview with superstar winemaker, Erica Orr, of Orr Wines and Baer winery.

WWB: You have an incredible background in wine, previously working at Rudd Estate, Cain, Domaine Dujac and even Yering Station in Australia. Can you talk about how your range of worldwide winemaking experience has shaped you as a winemaker?

EO: Thanks for the kind words. I take my training very seriously and in many ways it is work that’s not work. I love learning and it’s fun to challenge myself, to develop my palate and taste wine with people who know way more about wine than I do. A solid basis in wine chemistry is important to me but as a complement to wine school, I’ve made travel a priority and I’ve organized my life so that I am frequently exposed to winemaking and grape growing from all over the world. I have been very lucky to work with some incredibly talented and generous winemakers and those experiences have been both personally and professionally fulfilling. Mainly though, I love eating and drinking and talking about eating and drinking with people who love eating and drinking.

WWB: I have been a big fan of your Baer wine releases for many years. You have a signature Bordelaise style with those wines that are restrained and have balance and tension. Can you talk about your signature style of winemaking with the Baer wines?

EO: Thank you, that’s so nice to hear! Baer wines have been made from 100% Stillwater Creek vineyard fruit since 2004 and I’ve been at the helm since 2007 so largely those factors keep the Baer style consistent from vintage to vintage. I am reluctant to describe any of the wines I work on in a French context, I feel like they are essentially Washingtonian. The Baer wines are grown in a part of the Columbia Valley where Bordeaux varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot are especially well suited. The grapes get ripe but not too ripe, they retain acidity, they retain freshness, and they retain some of the herbal characters that can be blown out when Bordeaux varietals are picked later in the season from hotter sites. The red wines I make for Baer are lighter bodied than some of the more extracted and concentrated Bordeaux style blends from Red Mountain, for instance, but I appreciate a “light on its feet” character in the palate. I’m crafting the wines to have a lifted finish, like a mouthwatering sensation in the aftertaste. These wines have the structure and harmony to age and develop in bottle over time though, too.

WWB: Your 2012 Baer ‘Star’ Red Wine was a silky and beautifully textured effort that landed at #49 on my Top 100 Wines of 2015 (washingtonwineblog.com/top-100#/2015). Can you talk about this wine and what makes it and the 2012 vintage so special?

EO: Of the Bordeaux varietals, Merlot can get outshined by the sheer power of Cabernet Sauvignon. It took me a while to understand that we shouldn’t be making Merlot in the same way we make Cab. Merlot can be really lovely and delicious in its own right. I skew early rather than late on Merlot picks because I want to retain freshness and I know that Merlot is never going to get that black fruit, cassis, black cherry, blackberry intensity like Cab with long hang time so what am I waiting for in terms of the Merlot harvest? It tastes good now so let’s pick it. In the winery, Merlot requires more delicacy in the extraction and oak treatment. The Merlot from Stillwater Creek has a purity and precision that I work to feature and show off in the Baer Star bottling. The aromatics are red fruited, fresh red cherry, red plum and herbal, a bay leaf, roasted thyme character and in the mouth the wine feels full and silky and round.

WWB: You have gained considerable acclaim for your Chenin Blanc project. Can you talk about how you decided to start Orr Wines? What is the potential for Chenin Blanc in Washington and do you feel that this varietal could be affected with warming trends in eastern Washington?

EO: It’s really learning by doing … I’ve been self-employed as a winemaking consultant since 2006 and I defined my job very strictly to be behind the scenes of the wineries I consult for. 2013 was an auspicious time to launch my own brand, Orr Wines, as I was able to call in a whole bunch of favors at once. The Chenin Blanc vineyards I work with for my project were planted in 1974 and 1979 - these vines are old timers, they are survivors, real heirlooms from the beginnings of Washington viticulture and they are special, if only because they haven’t been ripped out or grafted over to Chardonnay or Merlot over all these years. My project became a very intimate way for me to learn about wine marketing and branding and sales. A lot of “Nobody said it would be fun, they said it would be worth it” life lesson sort of stuff. Why Chenin? I love white wine, I eat a ton of fish and shellfish and oysters and I wanted to make a wine that would complement the world-class seafood of the Pacific Northwest. Fortuitously, in the marketplace, Chenin Blanc seems to be undergoing a little hipster somm renaissance right now. Thankfully my distributor, Guy Harris and his team at Cru have done a fantastic job placing my wine on great restaurant lists and cool wine shops all over Seattle. I feel very lucky to be working with these guys.

WWB: When you are not enjoying Orr, Baer or Guardian wines, what is typically in your glass? What are some of your favorite Washington wines?

EO: Washington is such an exciting place to be right now, there are so many great wines and tremendous values coming out of here. I’m serious when I say I love white wine, I love the refreshing feeling of drinking something crisp and cold and fresh and clean when I get home from work and while making dinner. At home I drink Chablis and Kabinett Rieslings, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnays from around the world, Italian whites, Chenin blanc of course. I love Champagne, Cava and Bugey Cerdon – it’s cool how starting with a fun sparkling wine sets a celebratory tone for the evening. Or morning, as it were. Together with my friends from Guardian and Sparkman, we popped a bottle of the 2005 Pierre Peters Les Chetillons Champagne to toast the start of the 2015 harvest. For sure it was the earliest drink I’ve ever had, but at 8 in the morning, waiting for my press cycle to finish, it hit the spot. Red wines at home tend to be light to medium bodied, highish acid, over delivering at their price point, from regions like Bierzo, Mt. Etna, Chianti and the Southern Rhone. Let’s be real - there are a lot of wines that I love that I can’t afford.

Alpha Omega

Located in Napa Valley on the Rutherford Bench, Alpha Omega was founded in 2006 and remains a family owned winery. Superstar winemaker, Jean Hoefliger, utilizes the talents of consulting winemaker, Michel Rolland, in his bottlings. His new releases all captured the terroir and intensity of these great recent vintages. The proof is in the glass as I was extremely impressed with the new lineup of Alpha Omega wines. The key is in the winemaking and terroir as they source from some of the most important vineyards in Napa Valley including the famed To Kalon Vineyard. Some of the highlights of the tasting included the 2013 Alpha Omega Chardonnay (WWB, 94) and the 2013 Alpha Omega Reserve Chardonnay (WWB, 95), which was some of the best Napa Chardonnay that I have sampled in the past year. Both bottlings were viscous, intense and out of this world delicious.
I also was able to sample some of the 2014 Cabernet wines by the barrel was blown away with their potential. Following up the absolutely scintillating 2012 Alpha Omega ‘Era’ Cabernet (WWB, 96), the 2014 ‘Era’ Cabernet (WWB, 94-97) is going to be an absolute stunner. I was also hugely impressed with their 2014 ‘Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard’ Cabernet barrel sample (WWB, 95-98) which is absolutely massive, masculine and shows the heat, intensity and richness of what should be an excellent vintage for Napa Cabernet. These guys are performing on top of their game. It certainly does not hurt to have two superstar winemakers that balance each other out beautifully. It will be very exciting to see what Alpha Omega does in their next two Cabernet releases that also come from intense and warm vintages. Look for these wines at some specialty wine shops or online at aowinery.com
Here are the fantastic new release wines that I recently sampled at Alpha Omega winery.

2014 Alpha Omega Sauvignon Blanc- Weighing in at 14.1% alcohol, this rounded out Sauvignon Blanc opens with aromatics of Bartlett pear, Gala apple, honeydew melon and cut grass. There are flavors of poached pear, honeydew melon, starfruit and lovely balance with slight sweetness. This has really nice texture and richness as this is less crisp and more voluptuous. Drink 2016-2023- 92

2013 Alpha Omega Chardonnay- This impressive Chardonnay bottling was sourced from two different vineyards, one in Carneros and one in Napa. The wine was aged in 50% new French oak for 18 months with constant battonage prior to bottling. The wine opens with aromatics of butterscotch, creme brûlée, bananas foster and Honeycrisp apple. The wine has deep flavors of red delicious apple, creme brûlée, Meyer lemon oil and poached pear. Incredible mouthfeel, fruit weight and complexity here with a fatness on the mid-palate. The finish lingers. Drink 2016-2026- 94

2013 Alpha Omega ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay- Alpha Omega have crafted an absolute heavyhitter of a wine here. Even more impressive than their regular Chardonnay bottling, the ‘Reserve’ Chardonnay wine starts with aromatics of roasted hazelnuts, unripe pear, pineapple, and creme brûlée. There are dense flavors of peach pit, mango, golden delicious apple and poached pear. Gorgeous wine here that lingers on the tongue and shows a Chablis like minerality. Balanced, expressive and intense Chardonnay that is best served a little warmer than average, for the full range of fruit to show through. Drink 2016-2026- 95

2012 Alpha Omega Proprietary Red- This balanced wine begins with aromas of cedar, mocha, creme de cassis and black olive. There are flavors of mocha, black olive, black cherry and anise with suggestions of sage. Lovely depth and range to this wine that has a softer appeal from the Merlot. Drink 2016-2030- 92

2012 Alpha Omega Cabernet- Alpha Omega has blended this Cabernet from 19 different Vineyard sites, including Beckstoffer To Kalon, Missouri Hopper and Las Piedras vineyards. The wine was fermented on French oak and is a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, 9% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The Cabernet starts with aromatics of mint, eucalyptus, black olive, and blackberry preserves with a touch of milk chocolate. The wine has flavors of mocha, creme de cassis, anise and coffee grounds. Gorgeous texture and balance as this is drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2016-2030- 92

2013 Alpha Omega ‘Beckstoffer Georges III’ Cabernet- This impressive Cabernet wine begins with rich aromatics of blackberry jam, coffee grounds, creme de cassis and anise with eucalyptus. There are layered flavors of creme de cassis, dark chocolate, anise, Turkish coffee and black olive. This Cab shows absolutely gorgeous range, depth and intensify here. The plush mouthfeel shows through. This is impossible to resist right now but will prove to be even better in another year. Drink 2017-2040- 95

2013 Alpha Omega Petit Verdot- This wine starts with the prototypical highly herbaceous aromas of anise, red bell pepper, with white pepper and anise. There are medium weight Flavors of red bell pepper, anise, creme de cassis and leather with moderate tannins. Polished and highly tannic right now. Give this at least an hour decant if enjoying now. Drink 2017-2030- 92

2012 Alpha Omega 'Era' Cabernet- A blend of 94% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, this gorgeous and round bottling begins with intense aromas of mocha, black tea, anise, cassis and black olive. There are deep and viscous flavors of anise, creme de cassis, blackberry pie and mocha. Intense wine from this incredible vintage. This wine will cellar beautifully for at least two decades.  Drink 2016-2035-  96

2014 Alpha Omega ‘Era’ Cabernet Barrel Sample- 94-97

2014 Alpha Omega ‘To Kalon Vineyard’ Cabernet Barrel Sample- 95-98

2014 Alpha Omega ‘Thomas Vineyard’ Cabernet- 94-97

2006 Retrospective Tasting of Chateau Haut-Brion and Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion

Happy Friday to you all. We have a very exciting feature today, examining two of the most famous chateaus in Bordeaux. Living in the limelight, Chateau Haut-Brion is one of the most famous estates in the world. The estate is one of five Premier Cru Classé (First Growth) wines, and the only one produced in Pessac just outside the city of Bordeaux. It differs from the other wines on the list in its geographic location in the north of the wine-growing region of Graves. Of the five first growths, it is the only wine with the Pessac-Léognan appellation and is in some sense the ancestor of a classification that remains the benchmark to this day. The Château Haut-Brion estate dates back to April 1525 when Jean de Pontac married Jeanne de Bellon, the daughter of the mayor of Libourne and seigneur of Hault-Brion, who brought to him in her dowry the land. In 1533 bought the title to the domain of Haut-Brion, while construction of the château was started in 1549. In 1649, Lord Arnaud III de Pontac became owner of Haut-Brion, and in 1660 we see the first records of Chateau Haut-Brion wine in the cellar of English king Charles II, a king who obviously had an exquisite palate. Today this estate is known for some of the most prestigious red and white wines in all of Bordeaux. The estate has 48.35 hectares (119.5 acres) devoted to red grape varieties, with a distribution of 45.4% Merlot, 43.9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9.7% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, and 2.87 ha (7.1 acres) to white grape varieties, distributed with 52.6% Sémillon and 47.4% Sauvignon Blanc. Both the red and white wines from Haut-Brion need at least 10 years to show well in the glass.

2006 vintage in Bordeaux was highly challenging. Following a cold and wet winter, the growing season had an excellent start with a hot and dry June and July. August had a cool and wet month for the region and then September had some early heat. When the grapes were ready for harvest, there were major rains, which hit both the Left and Right bank. Some of the Left bank appelations were highly affected by the rains.  Famed wine writer, Jancis Robinson, remarked that sorting of the grapes was essential for good wine and that there was a large gap between the first wines of each estate and their second wines, due to the inclement weather of September.

Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion is considered by many to be the greatest Graves wine after Haut-Brion and in some vintages is considered the superior wine of the two. La Mission-Haut-Brion is situated just across the road from Haut-Brion in the commune of Talence in the southern suburbs of Bordeaux. With the expansion of the city, these properties are literally right outside the city proper. Since 1983, both properties have been under the same ownership, Domaine Clarence Dillon S.A. La Mission-Haut-Brion's vineyards (Cabernet Sauvignon 48%, Merlot 45%, Cabernet Franc 7%) are set on a large (up to 18 metres deep in places) gravel bank that also has some clay. La Mission Haut-Brion ferments their wine in temerpature-controlled, stainless steel vats and then ages their wine in new French oak (100%) for 18 months prior to release. Typically these wines need more than 10 years to show their stride.

While I absolutely loved the intoxicating richness and complexity of the 2006 Chateau Haut-Brion (WWB, 95), the 2006 La Mission Haut-Brion (WWB, 93) was an incredible animal of its own, showing less of a forward fruit profile and more elegance and balance, compared to the intensity of the Haut-Brion. These both were incredibly structured wines, both possessing a long potential for cellaring. Of the two, the Haut-Brion shows the greatest cellaring potential, as I can see this cellaring past 2040. The 2006 Chateau Haut-Brion is the highest scoring Bordeaux wine that I have sampled in the past year.

Here are my tasting reviews of the 2006 Chateau Haut-Brion and the 2006 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion

2006 Chateau Haut-Brion- The 2006 Chateau Haut-Brion is a stunning effort from this famed estate. Comprised of 57% Merlot, 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2% Cabernet Franc, the wine needs more than a one hour decant to display its dazzling aromatics and flavors. The wine starts with overwhelming aromas of mocha, sage, anise and cassis. The red blend has gorgeous and rich flavors of anise, smoke, spicebox, cassis and tar with coffee grounds. Moderately tannic right now, this wine is just starting to have these intense dark and black fruit flavors integrate. This wine has a sumptuous blend of flavors and minerality, with an exceedingly long finish. This is an incredible effort from Haut-Brion in a difficult vintage. Drink 2016-2040- 95

The 2006 La Mission Haut-Brion was a layered and polished effort that will improve with some bottle age.

2006 Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion- This famed estate dates back to 1664, in which Madame de Lestonnac bequeathed the domaine of La Mission Haut-Brion to the Peres Lazaristes, a congregation founded by Saint Vincent de Paul. Thomas Jefferson was a huge fan of this estate and brought back 125 bottles to his personal cellar in 1787. The red wine starts with gorgeous aromas of sandalwood, black cherry, wild blackberry and suggestions of coffee grounds. There are medium weight flavors of anise, cassis, coffee and blackberry. This is balanced and lithe wine that will cellar beautifully into the next decade and is showing its elegant side. This is an excellent effort from this estate under less than perfect growing conditions. Drink 2016-2030- 93

Interview with Matt Seigel, Former Bartender at Eleven Madison Park, New York

While in New York I had the chance to stop by one of the nation’s iconic restaurants, Eleven Madison Park. Sitting at the bar there was an eye opener for me, as I watched craft cocktails be poured alongside Chateau Haut Brion. This was clearly the upper echelon of the New York bar scene. My tourguide for the night was bartender Matt Seigel. Matt had recently completed his Level 1 sommelier certification so we talked wine, cocktails and fine dining. A former DJ in LA, Matt has found his sweet spot with bartending and creating some incredible cocktails for Eleven Madison. I recently had the chance to talk wine and spirits with him and found him incredible interesting and insightful. For those interested in the Level 1 Somm Certification, he shed some light on obtaining his certification and also talked about the details in some of the incredible craft cocktails at Eleven Madison Park. For more info check out http://www.elevenmadisonpark.com/

Here is my interview with Matt Seiegel, former bartender at Eleven Madison Park

WWB: You have a background in music and were integrated in the LA music industry. Can you talk about what that was like and how you started getting interested in bartending?

MS: Absolutely, I was in the music industry as a record producer and DJ for over 10 years but have always had a strong passion for food/beverage/hospitality. I can recall years ago living with my brother and we were always into different spirits and finding aged rums and bourbons to sip on. Eventually we got sick of drinking rum and cokes and started doing some homework and teaching ourselves how to make proper cocktails. However, I didn’t really learn anything until I got my chance to be part of the incredible team at Eleven Madison Park.

The story of how I got the job is a really long one so I won’t bore you with it, but I still to this day am shocked that they hired me, considering I had absolutely no experience whatsoever. That being said, I do have an incredible work ethic and I think they saw that in me, that’s the key to working at a place like that, if you can’t push yourself to work harder than everybody else, it’s just not going to work. Being that I was self-employed in the music industry (which is one of the most difficult, yet rewarding career choices anyone could make) I had no problem pushing myself to work extremely hard, I knew I had a huge mountain to climb especially since I had to start completely from scratch. Even the most basic things were all brand new to me, however once I worked my way through the dining room and got to where I wanted to be which was behind the bar, which was when I really saw the light. To me the idea of putting a song together and putting a cocktail together are exactly the same process. It’s the same part of the brain and calls for the same amount of science, math, style, creativity, and history. That’s what I love about it, the blend of both the creative process as well as the precision, but even more so than that is my truly genuine love of hospitality. Seeing the look on someone’s face as you are making their day is seriously the best feeling. That is something that I just wasn’t getting from music, yes you have that feeling when on stage, but it’s just not the same. That sort of desire to nurture and give is something that can’t be taught, you can be taught how to do it better but that natural instinct is either inside of you or it isn’t. Whether it’s going in their ears or their mouth via a song or a drink, it’s all the same.

WWB: You mentioned that you have recently passed the Court of Master Sommeliers Level 1 Sommelier Certification. Can you talk about that process and the challenges that comes with learning about the world of wine?

MS: It’s funny, I decided to do it with a co-worker of mine very last minute as sort of a test of how much we have really learned just by being around all of the wine and intelligent people at EMP. I didn’t study much and was actually really surprised at how hard that test was, fortunately I passed but it was a lot more in depth than I originally thought. I was naïve enough to think, “Oh, I can do this, I hear about wine every day.” It’s definitely not that easy and I apologize to anyone in the Court for even having that thought. Furthermore to even begin to think about what some of the guys (and girls) on our team put themselves through to study for Advanced and then Masters meanwhile working at a restaurant as demanding as EMP is unfathomable to me. I really have to shine a light on how absolutely incredible our wine team is. They are so supportive of the whole staff, they even teach classes every Wednesday for whomever on the staff wants to show up, each week a different sommelier picks whatever topic they want and we taste, discuss, learn, etc. Since I have been at the bar, I was guided by my fellow bartenders to really put my head down and study more spirits, classic cocktails, history, etc. and that trying to do that coupled with studying for my Certified was going to be too much to handle. With that in mind I decided to go for more of the spirit and cocktail route and am very happy that I did as it allowed me to prosper more in my actual job, but that being said, I have really learned to love and appreciate wine. Before working there I really had no idea about wine other than just white vs. red, but just being around it really helps you learn. I seriously picked up so much just through osmosis, but I feel like once you start to learn a little bit and you can break through that initial wall which seems so incredibly daunting it really becomes easier. If you truly enjoy it, then you remember grapes, regions, producers, etc. that you like and it is enjoyable rather than feeling like studying. I do plan to study for and take my certified exam some time in the near future, and I’ll definitely have to dedicate some time and really study for that one!

WWB: At Eleven Madison Park you offer some signature cocktails such as the 5th word and the Empire Cocktail. Can you talk about the attention to detail in these fantastic craft cocktail and the challenges with making these perfectly?

MS: Since we met our menu has changed, as it changes every season congruent to the food menu and even mirrors the flavors and ingredients. Since we are now onto our spring menu I’ll discuss some of those cocktails (if that’s ok) in an attempt to keep things current. The way our cocktail program works is we are incredibly seasonal and use our incredibly talented kitchen as inspiration. What I mean by that is we base a number of our cocktails on dishes that are on the menu, as well as doing our interpretations of classic New York cocktails. Those are the two staples of our program and what just about every cocktail on our menu is based upon. Let’s take for example The 5th Word and The Empire Cocktail.

The 5th Word is essentially a Crème Fraiche based Piña Colada. There is a dish on the menu right now that is Mushrooms and Crème Fraiche, so with that in mind I decided to use Crème Fraiche which I fortified with an Agave Syrup in lieu of traditional Heavy Cream coupled with our Coconut Syrup (like a normal Piña Colada) as the sweeteners. However, instead of all Rum I decided to go for a bit of a darker, more savory route to emulate the umami you get from mushrooms. To do that, I used a touch of Amaro Averna and then a split base of Cognac and aged Cachaça (Brazil’s version of Rum made from Sugarcane). I even added a tiny bit of Lemon juice, which is not normally in this type of drink, but I felt it needed some acid to cut through all of heavy flavors (just like Chef does in the kitchen) The result is still full bodied and round like a classic Piña Colada, however this version is a touch more savory, then tart from the Crème Fraiche and the Lemon, and a little less sweet than the classic. The toughest part of this cocktail aside from carefully balancing all of those potentially dominant flavors was making the Crème Fraiche Agave. Using Crème Fraiche on its own was a bit too tart/lactic/savory so fortifying it with some Agave gave it some body and roundness, also made it easier to use (which was as important as the flavor and texture). Too much Crème Fraiche and its too tart and savory, too much Agave and it’s too viscous and sweet, fortunately it didn’t take too long to get it right, but when making proprietary ingredients as we tend to do a lot of, you have to be very careful and incredibly exact.

The Empire is our take on a classic originally crafted by Patrick Gavin Duffy at the Ashland House which was on 24th& 4th (which is now Park) so almost exactly where EMP now stands. The original recipe simply calls for French Vermouth, Dry Sherry, and Orange Bitters, that’s it, essentially a wine cocktail. So with that in mind, when deciding where to go with that particular recipe we had a fair amount of leeway, we also always have a section on our menu for Aperitif cocktails so that one just seemed perfect. In old cocktail books when they mention “French Vermouth” that normally means Dry where “Italian Vermouth” means Sweet. I decided to take that a bit further and use both a Dry and a Blanc Vermouth from France, Fino Sherry, and then for a touch more Orange note as well as some body a bit of Combier, as well as Orange Bitters and a dash of Absinthe. All of these together make for my favorite aperitif cocktail that I’ve ever crafted. I am a huge fan of Vermouth and the way that all of these ingredients work together is just so light and delicate that the execution is crucial. Too much dilution and the cocktail is instantly dead. We serve it in a double rocks glass with a large block of ice to keep the wine nice and cold without over diluting. Since all of the ingredients are very low in alcohol they can’t stand up to the heavy icing that say a Manhattan would get, so we do a very, very short stir and then straight into the glass and garnish with an Orange twist to finish the whole thing off with that beautiful Orange note.

WWB: You have some very strong sommeliers on staff at Eleven Madison Park? What has been the process in learning from them? How can having the sommeliers around you improve your beverage and bartending abilities?

MS: As I mentioned in the previous question, our sommeliers are insanely smart and talented, but above all are so willing to teach and share. That is what sets our wine team apart from everywhere else. Being that I am not part of that team I feel as though I can gush about them without sounding conceited. We (the bar and wine team) work very close and try very hard to make sure the rest of the dining room and even kitchen staff have ample knowledge of everything that we are doing. Not just for the sake of the guest so that they can have the best experience possible (yes, that is the ultimate goal of everything) but also just for the staff themselves, we all strive to have as much knowledge and information as we can because we truly care and are actually interested.

We also keep a large amount of our white, sparkling, and sweet wine behind the bar so we (the bartenders) are literally forced to be aware of what wine is in there. I also will use our somms palates for cocktails I am working on all the time. Every time I make something I have one of our sommeliers taste it and give me feedback. They have the best palates in the building and I love getting as much input as possible when I’m crafting a drink, I don’t think that just because I like it that it’s perfect, absolutely not. Clearly the bar team tastes everyone else’s cocktails, that is how we make our menu, but having the luxury of some of the best palates in New York tasting things with you and talking about flavors, balance, mouth feel, and food pairings is absolutely intangible. I wouldn’t be even a quarter as knowledgeable about anything beverage if not for the incredible wine team at both EMP and The NoMad.

Amavi Cellars

Amavi Cellars

Located in a gorgeous country setting outside of Walla Walla, Amavi is a small, family owned winery that uses the best of Walla Walla Vallley fruit. Amavi sources from vineyards such as Seven Hills, Pepper Bridge and Les Collines to create their rich and ready to drink wines. Head winemaker Jean-François Pellet is a third-generation winemaker and grape grower. Pellet also makes wines for Amavi’s sister property, Pepper Bridge and was named 2015 Washington WInemaker of the year at the Seattle Wine Awards.
Having reviewed Amavi wines for more than 10 years, I’ve found that most of these wines are delicious straight out of the bottle and carry a very reasonable, 30 dollar price point. This will be especially true with their new release red wines, which come from a warm vintage. For instance, their 2013 ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Syrah (WWB, 92) was opened right before I sampled it and I found it to be rich and balanced. A recent stop to their Woodinville tasting room impressed. Their 2013 Cabernet (WWB, 91) was a rich and balanced effort, which was also delicious straight out of the bottle. Look for these great wines at high end Northwest grocery stores like Met Market and some QFCs or also Total Wines, Bev Mo or Esquin. Learn more about Amavi at http://www.amavicellars.com Here are the great new release wines from Amavi.

2014 Amavi Semillon- This wine begins with aromas of beeswax, honey, and red delicious apple. There are flavors of pear, red delicious apple, cut grass, and nutmeg. This Semillon is a delicious and lithe effort by these guys. Drink 2016-2021- 91

2013 Amavi ‘Walla Walla Valley’ Syrah- The Syrah was sourced from 54% Les Collines, 26% Stone Valley, 11% Seven Hills, 7% Pepper Bridge, and 2% Summit View vineyards. This wine begins of smoked meats, blackberry pie, mocha and a graphite edge. This leads to flavors of blackberry preserves, loganberry, coffee grounds with nice intensity. Good balance and fruit weight. Drinking beautifully right now. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2013 Amavi ‘Les Collines Vineyard’ Syrah- This wine begins with aromas of mocha, cassis, blackberry and black olive. This leads to flavors of mocha, Christmas spice, anise and blackberry with suggestions of leather. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Amavi 'Ceres' Tempranillo- This warm vintage bottling is sourced from the Les Collines vineyard. The wine begins with aromas of wet gravel, smoked meats, with hints of green olive and prune. This leads to flavors of blackberry cobbler, stewed prune, red cherry and anise with secondary hints of leather and spicebox. Absolutely delicious and open style wine. Only 368 cases made of this wine. Drink 2016-2025- 91

2013 Amavi Walla Walla Valley Cabernet- This wine is comprised of 76% Cabernet, 11% Cabernet Franc, 8% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 1% Syrah and 1% Petit Verdot. This Cabernet begins with aromas of red currant, smoke, blackberry preserves, and black tea. The palate has nice weight with flavors of blackberry jam, coffee grounds, green bell pepper and suggestions of tar. Delicious wine that will cellar beautifully for another decade. Drink 2016-2026- 91

Interview with Co Dinn, Owner and Head Winemaker of Co Dinn Cellars

Co Dinn, head winemaker at Co Dinn Cellars, is former winemaker at Hogue Cellars. Co has more than 25 years in the wine industry, including 17 years at Hogue Cellars and 7 years in Napa Valley. Co Dinn was a blast to talk wine with. I met up with him at Taste of Washington and found him to be incredible humble and articulate. Co has worked at some of the great Napa wineries, including Sterling and Trefethen, before coming to Hogue. A few years back he left his position at Hogue to start his own winery. His new release wines were excellent, all coming from the Yakima Valley. Co is a great champion of Yakima Valley fruit. These wines are structured and balanced, with terrific richness and mouthfeels. The Chardonnay, Cabernet and Syrah releases have a very old-world edge to them. Co also serves as consulting winemaker with Cote Bonneville, working with superstar winemaker Kerry Shiels. I think you will really enjoy hearing more about Co and his esteemed Co Dinn Cellars wines. You can learn more about his wines at http://codinncellars.com/ Here is my interview with Co Dinn:

WWB: Can you talk about how you decided to become a winemaker? What were some of your first inspirations in wine?

CD: I discovered wine while living in Tulsa, OK of all places. I was working in the oil and gas industry and was not inspired. I quit my job and decided I was going to do something more interesting (to me) with my life. I had made beer and was fascinated with the process. I figured that SOMEBODY has to do the intriguing work of making wine, so I wrote to UC Davis about enrolling in the master’s program there. Dr. Ann Noble sent me back a letter outlining what I had to do in order to apply: take about a year and a half of chemistry, physics, microbiology and math. So I did. I was then accepted in 1990. I went on to do my master's thesis in Dr. Noble's lab.

My first inspirations were wines of the world tasted while perusing The New York Times Book of Wines by Terry Robards. It was a self-guided tour of wines of the world, mostly reasonably priced. One wine that stood out was the 1986 McDowell Valley Vineyards Syrah. That was the first "wow" wine for me. I tasted it at a pouring in Austin, Texas. Later, at Davis, I found a wine shop with a stash of that same wine gathering dust and I think I eventually bought it all, one bottle at a time!

WWB: What was it like working in Napa at Sterling and Trefethen? 

CD: Sterling was great, as they received lots of very high quality fruit from all over the Napa Valley, so I got to see, smell and taste a wide variety of very good grapes and taste the wines made from them. My third harvest was in the lab and I got to make the research wines and hone my lab skills.

Trefethen was the part of my career which was really an apprenticeship: I did all the lab work, the filtrations, the tastings, the harvest sampling. The expectations were very high and my bosses Peter Luthi and John Cole were great role models and mentors. In four years a newbie out of Davis was built into a capable winemaker.  

I was involved in a very serious, structured tasting group for several years in Napa and this was key to really developing my palate beyond technical tasting and helped me to form my stylistic preferences and understand the broader world of wines outside the ones we were making.

WWB: I have enjoyed your wines from Hogue for many years including some of your exceptional bottlings, the Terroir series, from the Champoux vineyard as well as Red Mountain. Can you talk about some of the advantages of working at Hogue for many years and some skills you picked up in terms of winemaking and vineyard management?

CD: First of all, the team at Hogue was fantastic: Mike Hogue, Norm McKibben, Wade Wolfe, David Forsyth, Tony Rynders, Nicolas Quille, Rick Hamman. All great professionals and still all key members in the PNW wine scene. We did a very thorough job of research of viticultural and winemaking which few wineries of any size could match. I learned a huge amount. Additionally, I had the privilege of working with fruit from many of the best vineyards in the state, and really getting to know the growers and their vineyards and regions.

I learned about how to deal with each vintage, whether cool or hot, dry or wet, freezes and frosts. I learned about how to manage our abundant tannins with finesse to create structured yet supple wines. I got to experiment with all kinds of oak and to learn the coopers and forests I preferred. I got to see the progression in viticulture from 1996 through 2013 which encompassed not only phenomenal growth in acreage, but also a revolution in irrigation, canopy management, siting and clones. I learned how to remain calm and focused with $30 million worth of wines fermenting knowing that they were my responsibility. I learned that the best way to get what you need in the vineyard is through calm, thorough and timely dialog with the grower, as well as being out in the vineyard with them on a regular basis.

WWB: Co Dinn focuses on Yakima valley wines. What draws you to working with Yakima valley fruit as opposed to fruit from Walla Walla or Red Mountain? 

CD: The Yakima Valley in general is a moderate climate: and within that I can find cooler areas and warmer areas. I can be near the vineyards which is essential for monitoring and picking decisions. What I really like is the sheer variety of sites, slopes, soils and mesoclimates, low rainfall, moderate wind, good water and experienced growers. Some of the best vineyards in the state are Yakima Valley vineyards, and they are typified by balance, suppleness and nuance in reds and vibrancy and balance in whites. I feel that I can make my best wines in the style I prefer by focusing on the moderate and diverse Yakima Valley. Walla Walla is a two hour drive for me and I feel I need to be close to the vines to do my best work.

WWB: Your 2013 'Roskamp Vineyard' Chardonnay was polished and layered with a lovely texture. Can you talk about this awesome Chardonnay bottling and the vintage? Are you excited about your 2014 Chardonnay in the barrel? 

CD: The vintage was warm and early. However this north slope is protected from the afternoon heat and is very uniform. The Dijon clones 76 and 96 in the field blend are typically delicate and flavorful. The grapes are whole cluster pressed and barrel fermented in primarily (75%) older Burgundy barrels. Much care is taken over the life of the wine to get complexity and texture from sur lie while protecting the wine from oxidation. It is bottled unfiltered after 17 months in barrel. This leaves it with a flavor and texture as if you were tasting directly from the barrel. Not common in most Chardonnays. The 2014 was just bottled and is very similar (exciting!), though the 2013 has an added nuance from a year in bottle.

WWB: What are some of your favorite wines of the world? What tends to be in your cellar?

CD: I like variety, intensity, typicity, complexity. I tend to rely on the advice of the sommelier as I am always up for trying something new or different. I'm still enjoying tasting Syrahs from any quality region. I would love to travel in Spain and Portugal to learn more about their wines as they recently have piqued my interest.  My own cellar contains vintages of new and older wines of my own and consulting clients as well as those of winemaker friends whose wines I admire. Since I don't make Pinot Noir I rely on a supply of Tendril from Oregon and Talisman from California, both highly recommended! And of course there is a selection of fine local beers!

Interview with winemaker Andrew Januik, of Andrew Januik Wines and Novelty Hill-Januik Winery

Coming from a highly impressive pedigree, Andrew Januik is the son of Mike Januik, owner and head winemaker at Novelty Hill-Januik winery and former head winemaker at Chateau St. Michelle. Andrew has been working at Novelty Hill-Januik Winery since 2000 and slowly has been becoming a larger part of the winemaking at Januik and Novelty Hill. Andrew launched his first wine, the Stone Cairn, in 2011. Despite coming from a highly challenging vintage, the wine was a gorgeous expression of Red Mountain Cabernet.

One thing I have noticed in Andrew’s wine is the strong mineral backbone, yet intense fruit set that is almost Bordelaise from a warm vintage – think 2003 or 2009 Left Bank Bordeaux. For those who desire a more balanced, yet rich approach to Cabernet, look to these wines. His 2012 ‘Stone Cairn’ (WWB, 93) was an impressive wine that will have a long life in the cellar. Similarly, his 2013 ‘Stone Cairn’ (WWB, 93) and 2013 ‘Lady Hawk’ (WWB, 93), were intense and gorgeous bottlings that will cellar beautifully. Andrew is very excited about the future of Washington wine. Last weekend I had a chance to sit down with him and talk wine. He knows the Washington wine industry incredibly well and he has a very bright future as a winemaker. Andrew is incredible humble. He is a really great guy to talk wine with and his passion for the industry really shows. Here is my interview with superstar winemaker Andrew Januik.

WWB: What are some of the advantages and challenges with being the son of Mike Januik?

AJ: Honestly, it is a huge advantage. There are a few things that I wouldn’t say a disadvantage but make it harder. But overall it is an advantage being Mike’s son. It is an advantage because I have been able to learn from him. I started working at 12 or 13 and growing up working in the cellar and so close to him I was always taught at least what we think is the way to make wine the right way. As I have gotten older, our styles have gone in slightly varying directions but still the fundamentals of making the good wines, we both possess those fundamentals. Getting the fundamentals from him has been an invaluable opportunity. Even now starting my own labels and having my first wine come out and having the fruit from Ciel du Cheval, Qunitessence and Shaw [vineyards], has been incredible. I am excited about my wine from Lady Hawk [vineyard]. Even that is a huge advantage because I was just born into those relationships. You try to nurse them and I now have relationships with them but getting into the industry, you can’t fall into excellent fruit like that. The small disadvantage is we do drive each other a little crazy from time to time. We are still a father and son working together and luckily we have a great relationship but that can be challenging because of all the time we spend together. We can get on each others’ nerves. We will always tell each other if we think they are wrong. I think that works to our advantage, to have a degree of conflict, and we are open about that. It is not something we have to tip toe around. If we disagree we are not going to hold that against each other. This is whether we are working on blends or fermentation, or whether a wine is ready. Usually we can find a way that appeases each of us and it ends up being better than what both of us thought.

WWB: Your 2012 ‘Stone Cairn’ was a gorgeous effort that showed the richness and balance of this great vintage. Can you talk about the winemaking behind this wine and the 2012 vintage?

AJ: I was really happy with how this wine turned out. The 2012 wines were really nice. We had a bunch of strange vintages where the heat in 2009 and then the cool in 2010 and the early freeze. We had everything picked before it froze. 2011 was strange and it was cool with the acid levels. 2012 we had normalcy. Everything was even. We had a few cool weeks in September and for Red Mountain fruit this was a really big advantage there. You are getting more heat on Red Mountain and if you have a few weeks for the sugars and the phenolic maturation can catch up, you get great wines. That is what happened in 2012. Right during fermentation we knew that we are going to have a lot of complexity and the tannins are going to be in check. Right away we were clear that this wine was going to drink well and this is a wine that will have nice agability. It is nice to be picking Cabernet at that time, a bit later on Red Mountain. That makes a big difference, doing that in the end of September. 2014 and 2015 it turned out really good but it was picking a lot earlier and the heat was something that we couldn’t have the fruit sit too long. But 2012 and 2013 we didn’t see that as much.

WWB: You were recently in South Africa working at a harvest and also did a harvest in Argentina. Can you talk about what these experiences were like and some of the winemaking or viticulture concepts that you learned from the other regions?

AJ: I worked a harvest in South Africa this year and then last year I did a harvest in Argentina. I think that both atmospheres were laid back. I was at La-Motte winery in South Africa and was at Finca Agostino in Argentina. In South America people are drinking wine at lunch. It is cultural but you have a lot of a relaxed attitude there. Working harvest in Washington it is very high tempo. I personally love that style where you are going high tempo. The nice thing about the laid back tempo is that you have more time off and you are learning about the culture of the people. That is a great reason to go somewhere else for a harvest. The wines in South Africa are different for harvest and they are picking berries a lot more green. You are picking the berries with a lot more acid still in the wine. This is true for the reds but especially with the white wines. These wines are coming in low 3 PH and sometimes in the high 2s. These are very high acid white varietals. The wines from South Africa are typically made in a more reductive style. That is nice and there are some things that I saw there that I would like to start incorporating more. I think having a nice level of reduction in your whites can be a big positive. That means seeing a lot of stainless age. The average cost down there is considerably lower than what you see in Washington for those specific varietals, like Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

WWB: Your father, Mike Januik, talked about how you both are constantly tasting in the vineyard, especially during harvest. How does the time in the vineyard make you a better winemaker? How essential was that in 2015?

AJ: I think it prepares you really well for what is coming in and allows you to be picking at the right time. We try to tell people how important to pick when you want the grapes to be picked. If you aren’t in the vineyards constantly then it is a problem. We make it out a few times a week, particularly during harvest. If you aren’t tasting constantly then as a wine can go too far. It only takes a few hot days and then the sugar is at 26 brix when you want it at 24. There can be no tannic structure and lack of acid, so that is essential. Every time I go out I am taking representative samples of the blocks that we use. I bring the grapes back and try to re-create the winemaking process. It is nice to do that and truly see where the grapes are at, even though it takes more work. That is nice to have that structure for making decisions but in the end it is paramount to trust your palate. In the end it is about where the flavors are. If you taste something and are projecting out five or six days without going back out here and tasting then you can’t do that. You don’t know how things are going to change. The one thing with 2015, one of the positives of working with my dad, is that even you have never seen something like 2015. My dad has seen so many harvests that it wasn’t that strange to be picking so early. Sometimes people have notions of never doing something but my dad has already done so many harvests. That was a big advantage for us. If the fruit is ready, it is ready and even if that is inconvenient to your summer plans. It has to come off when it is ready. We picked Chardonnay on August 20th and that was just wild because that was the soonest ever. But to us that wasn’t a big shock because we were always out in the vineyard picking and we knew when the right time was to bring the Chardonnay in.

WWB: What are some of your favorite wines of the world and favorite Washington wines when you are not enjoying your wines?

AJ: With Washington wine I am very loyal to Washington. I drink from a lot of work regions but I really enjoy supporting the local brands. I really love the wines from JM. My aunt and uncle does own them and they make really nice wines across the board. Partly because of how my palate was developed, I stray towards wineries who are sourcing from similar vineyards like Fidelitas and Baer. I think that there is a lot of great Washington wines. EFESTE is another great winery. The thing that I think is most interesting about Washington is the willingness to try different things. People have openness to making and trying new varieties and I think that is one of the great things about our state. Trying Grenache Blanc or something like that is really cool and Washington grows this varietal very well. I love great Champagne and that is one of my great weaknesses in life. I probably drink more Deutz than anything else. For Argentina, I would love to go back there and possibly Chile and go make wine there. I would love to do that and bring it back. I have been trying to figure out where I want to do that and I think that the Uco Valley is ideal. That location is a lot cooler but you get really great concentration and structure out of the wines with bright acidity. For South Africa, it kind of depends on what kind of wines. For whites, I prefer some of the cooler regions, the coastal places. Same thing, you are getting nice acidity and lots of really nice tropical aromas and nice Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc. For reds, there I tend to prefer warmer sites. The Stellenbosch Cabernets like Ernie Els can be really nice.

Novelty Hill-Januik Winery

A recent visit to Novelty Hill-Januik showcased some highly impressive new release wines. Superstar winemaker Andrew Januik guided me through the new releases that impressed from some hot vintages. Andrew recently spent some time working a harvest in South Africa and he talked about the incredible differences between winemaking in Washington and in South Africa. I was very impressed with his new Andrew Januik wines, the 2013 ‘Lady Hawk’ (WWB, 93) and the 2013 ‘Stone Cairn’ (WWB, 93). Both Cabernets maintained the minerality of the Januik lineup, while slightly deviated towards richness and viscosity. These are impressive bottlings for the cellar. There were some highly impressive mainstays that I reviewed as well. One of the best Sauvignon Blancs in the state is the 2014 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek’ Sauvignon Blanc (WWB, 91) which shows wonderful fruit and brisk minerality from a hot vintage. This wine is perfect for a hot summer day.

Other impressive new release wines included the 2013 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Syrah (WWB, 93), which showed a dense array of flavors. Both the massive 2013 Januik ‘Champoux Vinyeard’ Cabernet (WWB, 94), and the 2013 Januik ‘Reserve Red Wine’ bot have some massive potential but need some time in the bottle for the flavors to fully integrate and for the tannins to dissipate a bit. These wines will cellar gracefully for at least another decade. Check out the impressive new lineup of wines at http://www.noveltyhilljanuik.com/ Some of these wines can be found at Costco, especially the Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Cabernet and Merlot. Look for many of these wines at great Northwest area wine shops and higher end supermarkets. Here are the highly anticipated new release wines from Novelty Hill-Januik winery.

2014 Novelty Hill 'Stillwater Creek' Sauvignon Blanc- This intense wine has bright aromas of poached pear, gooseberry and Meyer lemon zest. There are flavors of poached pear, gooseberry, Granny Smith apple and green papaya. Drink 2016-2020- 91

2014 Novelty Hill Rousanne- Aged in neutral oak, this wine yields bright aromas of starfruit, Gala apple, and nutmeg. There are flavors of cut grass, poached pear, nutmeg and Gala apple. Lithe and delicious open style wine. Drink 2016-2021- 91

2013 Novelty Hill ‘Stillwater Creek’ Chardonnay- The Stillwater Creek Vineyard is a cool site that produces some exceptional Chardonnay. This lovely bottling starts with aromas of nutmeg, brioche, poached pear and Pazzaz apple. This leads to flavors of poached pear, cantaloupe and Gala apple with suggestions of mushroom. Gorgeous and open style Chardonnay with a strong acid backbone. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2014 Novelty Hill Viognier- This wine opens with bright aromas of poached pear, vanilla cream, and Pazzaz apple. There are flavors of red delicious apple, Bartlett pear, and hints of mushroom with starfruit. Balanced style of Viognier, with excellent structure. Drink 2016-2021- 90

2015 Januik 'Sagemoor Vineyard' Sauvignon Blanc- This balanced Sauvignon Blanc has aromas of earl grey tea, gooseberry and Bartlett pear. There are flavors of poached pear, Pazzaz apple, nutmeg and lovely weight. Gorgeous bottling here that will be perfect for summer. Drink 2016-2020- 90

2014 Januik ‘Cold Creek Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Sourced from the Cold Creek Vineyard, the wine opens with aromas of starfruit, red delicious apple and Bartlett pear. There are flavors of Pink Lady apple, Bartlett pear and a lovely vanilla cream finish. Bright and balanced wine with nice weight. Drink 2016-2022- 92

2013 Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Merlot- This exceptional value wine begins with aromas of milk chocolate, red cherry and red bell pepper. There are flavors of red cherry, mocha and red raspberry with suggestions of pipe tobacco. Gorgeous and open style Merlot wine. Drink 2016-2025- 91

2013 Novelty Hill 'Stillwater Creek Vineyard' Sangiovese- This intriguing Washington Sangio opens with aromas of red cherry, pipe tobacco and sandalwood. This leads to medium weight flavors of red cherry, cedar, red raspberry and sagebrush. Lovely and lithe, with light dusty tannins. Drink 2016-2024- 91

2013 Novelty Hill 'Stillwater Creek Vineyard' Grenache- The wine begins with aromas of rose petals, red cherry, pomegranate and red currant. There are flavors of red raspberry, pomegranate seed, blood orange and blackberry preserves. Lovely range of flavors here. There is a plush texture and seamless quality to the wine. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2012 Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Cabernet- This Cabernet wine begins with aromas of sandalwood, cassis, mocha and graphite. There are flavors of mocha, blackberry pie, graphite and creme de cassis. Gorgeous wine with a lovely texture. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Novelty Hill 'Stillwater Creek Vineyard' Cabernet- This wine opens with aromas of red bell pepper, anise, spicebox and blackberry jam. There are flavors of blackberry cobbler, black cherry, black olive and mocha. Gorgeous bottling here, this will cellar beautifully. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Syrah- This Syrah starts with aromas of black pepper, anise and black cherry. There are flavors of blackberry, black cherry and black olive with hints of smoked meats. This is an exceptional value wine from Novelty Hill. Kudos to Mike and Andrew Januik. Drink 2016-2024- 92

2013 Januik Columbia Valley Merlot- This dense bottling starts with aromas of blackberry cobbler, cedar and red cherry with red bell pepper. There are flavors of red cherry, cherry tomato and blackberry jam. This has a silky texture and is seamless. Gorgeous bottling here that is an excellent value from this great vintage. Drink 2016-2025- 92

2012 Januik Columbia Valley Cabernet- This impressive Cabernet bottling begins with aromas of Turkish coffee, creme de cassis and blackberry cobbler. There are flavors of black cherry and black olive with coffee and cedar accents. Graphite and mocha in there as well. It is hard to find value like this in the Cabernet market. Drink 2016-2026- 92

2013 Januik ‘Ciel du Cheval Vineyard’ Cabernet-The Cabernet wine starts with aromas of sagebrush, green bell pepper, smoked meats and blackberry compote. There are flavors of blackberry pie, coffee grounds, tar and milk chocolate. Lithe and polished, this will have a very long life. Drink 2016-2028- 93

2013 Andrew Januik ‘Stone Cairn’ Cabernet- This follows up the highly impressive 2012 bottling. This wine was largely sourced from the Quintessence vineyard. This Cabernet starts with aromas of mocha, blackberry graphite and cedar. There are flavors of blackberry pie, cedar, mocha, blueberry compote and Turkish coffee. Masculine and layered, this is a gorgeous wine. There is a plush mouthfeel and a lovely texture. This is delicious straight out of the bottle. Drink 2016-2029- 93

2013 Andrew Januik 'Lady Hawk' Cabernet- This is primarily Lady Hawk vineyard fruit with some Alder Ridge vineyard fruit blended in. The wine starts with aromas of mocha, blackberry preserves, creosote and sagebrush. There are flavors of blackberry pie, mocha, sandalwood, black olive and green bell pepper. Lovely mouthfeel and fruit weight to this intense but balanced Cabernet. Try to wait another year before enjoying. Drink 2017-2029- 93

2013 Januik ‘Weinbau Vineyard’ Syrah- The Syrah begins with aromas of red cherry, mocha red bell pepper, and anise. There are flavors of black cherry, black olive and mocha. Dense and layered, this is a gorgeous effort. Drink 2016-2025- 93

2013 Januik 'Champoux Vineyard' Cabernet- One of the best sites in the state for Cabernet, the wine opens with aromas of mocha, sagebrush red cherry and red bell pepper. There are deep flavors of blackberry preserves mocha black cherry black raspberry and creosote. Gorgeous bottling here that showcases this special vineyard. Drink 2017- 2029- 94

2013 Januik Reserve Red- This intense wine begins with aromas of red bell pepper, mocha, red cherry and blackberry pie. There are rich flavors of black olive, black cherry, black plum, coffee grounds and graphite with moderate tannins. Dense and deep, try to not touch this for another two years. Drink 2019-2030- 94

2015 Spring Run Rose-This Rose wine is a joint venture between Januik and Novelty Hill. The wine starts with aromas of red cherry, blood orange, red raspberry and rose petals. The wine has flavors of red cherry, pink bubblegum and red raspberry. Drink 2016-2020- 89

2015 Januik Riesling-This excellent Kabinett style Riesling begins with aromas of starfruit, petroleum and Pazzaz apple. There are flavors of golden delicious apple, poached pear, wet stone and lovely mineral backbone. Drink 2016-2022- 90

Interview with Andrew Berge, Head Winemaker at Spell Estate

A winemaker with a passion, Andrew Berge crafts some fantastic Pinot Noirs for Spell Estate in Sonoma, California. Sourcing from a range of small vineyards, from Mendocino County to the Russian River Valley, Andrew has a long history in the wine industry. Originally from Minnesota, Andrew achieved his master’s degree in viticulture and enology from the prestigious UC Davis. He has previously worked in New Zealand and even had a stop at the famed Chasseur winery before landing the head winemaking position at Spell Estate. His recent releases were highly impressive, particularly his single vineyard Pinot Noir bottlings which had bright acidity and lovely texture. Andrew Berge is certainly a winemaker to watch. I had a chance to sit down with Andrew and he talked about his history in the wine industry and some of the projects he has been working on at Spell Estate. I found him to be incredible passionate and articulate. Here is my recent interview with Andrew Berge, head winemaker at Spell Estate.

WWB: Can you talk about your background in winemaking and how you first became interested in wine?

AB: Well, I want to thank my parents for introducing me to wine and the prospect of pursing it as a career.  My parents lived and worked in Germany for a little over a year in the late 70’s.  Their free time was spent immersing themselves in European culture and through that experience developed a passion for wine and food.  So growing up, food and wine were always a part of my life.  When I was 16 my father took a leadership training course through his employer.  He was instructed to develop his dream business plan, which ended up being a small family winery and vineyard.  At this same time I was evaluating colleges and considering potential careers.  With my father’s encouragement, I looked at UC Davis’ Viticulture and Enology program as a possibility.  However, at my age, growing up in Minnesota I did not have much experience with wine to influence my decision to pursue winemaking.  My decision to pursue winemaking stemmed from a desire for the way of life.  Through my research, I realized I had the possibility to incorporate many of my passions; the sciences, working outdoors, working with my hands, food, and travel.  Plus it had the added benefit of building a life in spectacular, temperate places.   As a junior in high school, I scheduled a campus visit to UC Davis for my father and me.  We initially met with the admission counselor who wasn’t able to find my transcripts.  Turns out we were meeting with the graduate student admissions counselor who promptly directed us down the hall to the undergraduate admission counselor to finish the informational meeting.   Apparently, my Minnesota accent and straightforwardness over the phone led them to believe I must have been a potential graduate student? After a thorough campus tour the department arranged for us to meet with a current student who was employed as the cellar master at Folie à Duex.  To keep a long story short.  Our day began in Davis, it included two tastings and lunch in Napa, a stop at a ski resort, gambling in South Lake Tahoe, dinner in Carson City and more gambling in Reno before it concluding back in Davis.  The highlight of the whirlwind experience had to be the visit to Folie à Duex.  The cellar master gave us a facility tour, which culminated with an extensive barrel tasting.  He sent us on our way with a bottled barrel sample of our favorite wine that day, one of their old-vine Zins from Amador County.    As a kid from the Midwest I was blown away by the possibilities and diversity of northern California and UC Davis.  If it were up to me I would have attended UC Davis following graduation from high school.  Unfortunately, as an out-of-state undergraduate student, I didn’t want to go $100K in debt to pursue a career dragging hoses.  I had been accepted to the University of Minnesota’s Agricultural Engineering department and wanted to focus my studies on food production.  The Viticulture and Enology Department at UC Davis provided guidance to structure my schedule at Minnesota with the intention of transferring to UC Davis after my sophomore year. 

When I completed my sophomore year I was comfortable with where I was and decided I should earn my Engineering degree as it might provide more opportunities if winemaking didn’t work out. As an undergraduate, I worked for 3M and Cargill.  Both of these experiences were influential in my career choice to work with small lot, premium wineries being that they are two of the largest companies in the world.  At Cargill, I worked for the Sweetners Division R&D lab developing a new liquid sucrose refinement process.  My responsibilities included running the pilot plant and analyzing all of the samples.  With hundreds of sucrose samples I performed many of the same analysis using all of the same equipment any Enologist would use in a wine lab.  The lab work proved to be an invaluable experience learning the functions and limitations of the equipment and provided the best insight to what an Enologist position with a large winery would entail.  I also learned I didn’t want to work in a lab for 8 hours a day.  After a brief assessment of the career opportunities in the food industry, I decided I was still interested in pursuing a career in wine.  In the fall of 2003 I enrolled as a graduate student at UC Davis in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering department.   Under Dr. Michael Delwiche, I worked on a viticulture project evaluating bird depredation in wine grape vineyards.  For two growing seasons I walked and tasted fruit from nine Pinot noir vineyards in the Carneros AVA.  During this time, I developed a passion for Pinot Noir and other cool climate wines. 

In January of 2006 I completed my degree at UC Davis and headed to New Zealand to work a harvest abroad.  Upon returning from New Zealand I landed a harvest position with Chasseur Wines.  After harvest, Bill Hunter approached me to stay on and work full-time in the cellar.  I was there for almost 7 years.  That experience was, and most likely will be, the most instrumental in my career.  It was a great opportunity to work ono-on-one with an extremely talented winemaker who was sourcing fruit from some amazing sites.  I was involved with many aspects of the business and it provided an invaluable learning opportunity for an aspiring winemaker.

WWB: You have a background in winemaking that brought you to New Zealand. Can you talk about how that experience has made you a better winemaker?

AB:  I worked the 2006 vintage in Blenheim, New Zealand.    After completing my studies, I had decided to work a full year or two at a small winery as opposed to working many harvests, at many wineries.  For me it was going to provide the best opportunity to connect what I had learned at UC Davis with a real world experience.  Harvest is such a crazy time and as a harvest employee your employment may only last 6 to 8 weeks.  For me this wasn’t going to provide the opportunity I wanted, but it would provide the experience required to secure an entry level full-time position. New Zealand was a phenomenal experience.  Because I was on schedule to finish my degree in January of 2006 and I had developed a passion for Pinot Noir, it was the obvious choice given the timing.  I worked for Rapaura Vintners which is a large custom crush facility in Blenheim that processes South Island grapes for many North Island wineries.  In 2006 we processed just over 7000 tons of grapes.  Roughly 85% of that was Sauvignon Blanc.  I worked in the red cellar where we processed about 700 tons of Pinot noir.  It was large production, producing high volume, low cost wines.  I can’t say much from that experience has influences how I make wine today, but it did provide the experience required to secure the next job.   New Zealand was about the life experience. 

WWB: I recently had the chance to review your Spell Estate lineup of Pinot Noirs. One common theme that I noticed with your 2013 Pinot releases with the combination of ripe fruit and minerality. How you are able to obtain this old world minerality while sourcing from California fruit?

AB: Three things: site selection, top notch farming, and reductive strength.  I believe wine’s quality is grown in the vineyard and preserved in the winery.  At Spell we don’t own any vineyards, so we contract to purchase grapes from what we believe are some of the best vineyards in Mendocino and Sonoma County.  Not only are these sites located in a great geographical location, they possess great plant material and have owners who understand that what they do in the field directly impacts the resulting wine.  At harvest I make most of my decisions based on perceived physical ripeness (seed color, stem color, pulp color, skins condition), Brix is secondary.  To assist the vines in producing fruit with physical ripeness before sugar levels become excessive I work with our vineyard partners to get as much of the hand work completed as early as possible.  I want any fruit we don’t plan to harvest off the vine as early as possible.  There is no point in distributing solar energy to fruit that won’t be harvested. 

Once the grapes get to the winery I do everything I can to maximize extraction to build structure and wine concentration.  One of the endearing qualities of Pinot Noir is its natural sweet fruit character.  In California we have an abundance of sunshine, which allows us to achieve great fruit concentration.  Combined with Pinots natural sweet fruit character some people perceive it as actual sweetness when in-fact there is no residual sugar.  To balance out the fruit concentration I use tannin structure.  But to make it work I need ripe tannins and that’s why farming is important.  Without the farming I wouldn’t be able to produce the wines I do for Spell.  The structure creates reductive strength and minerallity may be part of that or at least is an indicator of it.  For me it’s a sparkly character on the back end of the palate.  California Pinot’s have this great purity of fruit as I mentioned earlier, but over time (sometimes quickly) this fruit oxidizes and evolves into stewed, molasses flavors I don’t enjoy, so I build the reductive strength into the wines to retard this process so the wines have the potential to be enjoyed for 5-7 years (or longer) while maintaining fresh fruit purity.  This reductive strength comes at a compromise of early consistent drinking experiences, but benefits those who have some patience. 

Regarding the 2013 wines I feel they are now just coming into a premium drinking window.  I predict that by August (2016) they will be showing the best since they were bottled.  They seem to be following a similar life cycle to the 2011’s which confirms 2013 may have a bit more reductive strength than 2012 or 2014, which were a little more forthcoming early on.  

WWB: What are some of the biggest challenges that you encounter when making great Pinot Noir?

AB: Another of Pinot’s endearing attributes is that it projects a sense of time and place.  So my biggest challenge has to be dealing with vintage variation.  Sometimes it takes a lot or two before I can get a handle on how to adjust my protocols to deal with vintage variation.  Given Spell is small and producing roughly 1200cs of Pinot Noir it is difficult to hide any mistakes. 

WWB: Who are some of your favorite influences in wine? When you are not enjoying Spell Estate wines, what is typically in your glass? Any particular favorite German Riesling producers? 

AB: A few of the Pinot and Chard brands that were early influences are Marcassin, Aubert, Dehlinger, Chasseur, Rochiolli, Kistler, and Lafollette.  I have always been impressed by the focus, quality and craftsmanship each wine possesses.  Now I look more towards Europe for my inspirations. I’m constantly exploring new producers (at least new to me) so there is very little consistency, but my favorites are red/white Burgundy, Loire whites and Syrah.  Mostly old world style wines.  I like distinct wines with varietal flavors and plenty of structure. For Riesling, Keller and von Schubert have some space in my cellar.

Spell Estate

A relatively new winery, Bill and Tiki Spell founded Spell Estate in 2006, and produced their first vintage that next year.  They focus on high quality Pinot Noir from a range of terroirs and their new releases has impressed. Head winemaker Andrew Berge was born in Germany and has a master’s degree from UC Davis in the Biological and Agricultural Engineering. He has a longstanding history in the wine industry, is a hugely talented winemaker. I admit that I had never sampled wines from this estate before but I was very impressed with what Berge did with their 2013 and 2014 wines. The cellaring ability of these wines is evident, as the structure suggests that these high quality Pinot Noirs will hold well for at least another decade.

I was particularly intrigued by their 2014 Spell ‘Russian River Valley’ Chardonnay (WWB, 91), sourced from the Russian River Valley and showed a beautiful array of aromatics and rich flavors, yet maintaining balance. Another great new release was the 2013 Spell 'Terra de Primissio Vineyard' Pinot Noir (WWB, 93). This wine had a tremendous range of fruit flavors and showcased the fantastic terroir of the vineyard. A more full-throttle but equally impressive Pinot Noir was the 2013 Spell 'Umino Vineyard' Pinot Noir (WWB, 93). This wine had a darker, more masculine style fruit profile and had lovely texture and minerality. Kudos to head winemaker Andew Berge as he is able to create a wonderful range of flavors and aromatics to his wines, while connecting with an old-world style mineral backbone. Look for these impressive new release wines at spellestate.com as these wines are not to be missed. Here are the great new releases from Spell:

2014 Spell 'Russian River Valley' Chardonnay- This wine has some creamy aromatics with creme brûlée, wild mushrooms, bananas foster and heavy whipping cream. This leads to flavors of orange creamcicle, lemon zest, Gala apple and brioche. Lovely balance with nice ripeness. Drink 2016-2022- 91

2014 Spell 'Nichole's Blend' Pinot Noir- This forward style wine opens with aromas of cherry cola, red raspberry, nutmeg and smoke. There are flavors of red cherry, dill, red raspberry and cola in this delicious, fruity style Pinot. Lovely weight here, with the right amount of stuffing and structure. Drink 2016-2022- 90

2014 Spell 'Weir Vineyard' Pinot Noir-This bottling has rather intense aromas of cedar, red raspberry and stew berry preserves. There are ripe flavors of black raspberry, blackberry pie, red cherry and guava puree. Lithe and delicious wine. Drink 2016-2024- 92

2013 Spell 'Umino Vineyard' Pinot Noir- The Pinot Noir has dense and earthy aromas of black truffle, anise, black cherry and ripe raspberry. This leads to ripe flavors of blackberry pie, cola, and black raspberry syrup. This is delicious and lively wine that has wonderful structure and mouthfeel. While this is hard to resist right now, it will cellar gracefully for at least another decade. Drink 2016-2027- 93

2013 Spell 'Terra de Primissio Vineyard' Pinot Noir- This impressive Pinot bottling begins with earthy aromas of first floor, Shitake mushroom, black cherry and cloves. This leads to flavors of roasted fennel, forest floor, cola and black cherry. Spell has crafted an impressive effort which has an impressive range of profiles. Drink 2016-2026- 93

2013 Spell 'Alder Springs Vineyard' Pinot Noir-This impressive bottling begins with bright aromas of red cherry, red raspberry, teaberry and cranberry. This leads to flavors of dill, sage, cran-cherry, pomegranate seed which cascades alongside lovely minerality. Drink 2016-2025- 92

#spellestate #sonoma #sonomacounty #california #pinot #pinotnoir #russianriver #chardonnay

From the Vine to the Glass: An Interview with Cold Creek Vineyard Manager, Joe Cotta

Taste of Washington is one of the best events in the state because there are so many interesting people in the wine industry that visit the event. One of the highlights of Taste was the vineyard showcases, where different vineyards displayed their new release wines. Vineyard manager, Joe Cotta, poured wine from the Cold Creek Vineyard and talked about the vineyard and its history. The Cold Creek Vineyard is one of the historic Washington vineyards. Planted in 1972, the vineyard typically is a warm to very warm vineyard site with virtually no cooling effect from the Columbia River. Usually harvest is early at this site.

The vines at Cold Creek Vineyard are set in weak loamy sand and gravel soils with low water holding capacity. This “silty loam” produces moderate crops and concentrated grapes, resulting in intense flavors in all varietals and deep color in the red fruit. The combination of the Columbia Valley's desert dryness in the summer and deep winter chill makes Cold Creek vines more resistant to pests and molds. None of the rootstocks are grafted at Cold Creek which also makes the vines more resistant to disease. The Cold Creek vineyard has Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah, Mourvedre, Grenache and Riesling planted. Vineyard manager Joe Cotta has served this vineyard since 2009. He has a longstanding history in the wine industry and grew up in a large vineyard in Lodi, California. He possesses a master’s degree in horticulture from UC Davis and has worked as a vineyard manager for many years prior to coming to St. Michelle. I found him to be incredibly knowledgeable and thoughtful as he has followed his passion and is now at one of the great vineyards on the West coast. Joe talked about what it is like following the vines to the glass. I can’t imagine how exciting it must be for him to see his hard work in the vineyard pay off by enjoying a glass of Cold Creek Cabernet or Chardonnay that was literally the fruits of his labor. Here is my interview with Joe Cotta, vineyard manager at the Cold Creek Vineyard.

WWB: Can you talk about how you first became interested in vineyard management? How did you decide to come to Cold Creek?

JC: I am a 3rd generation grape grower. My grandfather, who was born in Portugal, started planting grapevines in CA in the 1970s. I grew up on my family’s 600 acre vineyard near Lodi, CA. I obtained a B.S in plant science at CA State University Fresno, then an MS in Horticulture from UC Davis. I worked in the CA north coast as a viticulturist and grower relations representative before spending 5 years in St. Louis, Missouri owning and managing a niche market vineyard management and consulting company. While in the midst of relocating to Long Island to expand the company, my wife requested something closer to our family in CA. That was where Ste Michelle Wine Estates entered the picture. I’ve been the vineyard manager at Cold Creek Vineyard, since 2009. It’s been a perfect fit.

WWB: The Cold Creek Vineyard has gained a reputation for producing some of the best Chardonnay and Cabernet in the state? What varietals do you feel grow best at Cold Creek? What are some of the challenges with working with everything from Riesling to Merlot?

JC: Our Cabernet Sauvignon does very well here. Typical styles are rich, concentrated, very structured. Other varietals that perform well at cold creek tend to be those from the Rhone region of France - Syrah, Mourvedre, and Grenache. However, when farmed to their maximum potential, all of our varieties here do very well (we have several).

Challenging varieties: Hard to say, but large clustered varieties tend to make predicting crop load a bit difficult – Mourvedre, Grenache. Some varietals have taken a bit longer to learn how to manage, but I feel good about our management techniques for each varietal. As long as we limit direct sun exposure to Chardonnay and Riesling, they tend to perform, very well, despite being on a warm site.

WWB: The 2012 and 2013 vintages have already been heralded by winemakers and the Washington wine community as landmark vintages. What made these vintages so special and what was it like having these vintages, coming out of 2010 and 2011 being so cold and challenging?

JC: Cold Creek is an amazing site, so I actually don’t have anything bad to say about 2010 or 2011. However, 2012 and 2013 did provide more warmth and a subsequent mild effect on berry size. Smaller berry size is thought to be preferable, as it increases the skin to pulp ratio, creating more surface area for extraction with less juice (more concentration of flavor). Cold Creek vineyard expresses so much intensity, that we actually avoid some practices that decrease berry size, as the wines can actually be too rich and concentrated for most wine consumers. Also, despite more rain in 2010 and 2011, we still received very little. The vineyard soils drain well and we did not have enough rain to create problems managing vineyard canopies or botrytis from later rains in the late summer and fall.

WWB: What was the most difficult part of managing your crop last year (2015)? How did the heat affect the vines and the grapes?

JC: The most challenging part of 2015 was the record heat. The vines felt it. They required much more water than the previous 2014 season. Much more attention was required to keep vines moderately stressed without over doing it. What was phenomenally odd, was that the berries retained their acidity, which we typically don’t expect in warmer years. They fruit maintained its flavor and structure across the state, which is another demonstration of Washington’s amazing versatility as a premier wine growing region.

WWB: What is it like managing a vineyard and then having Chateau St. Michelle Cold Creek Vineyard wine in your glass? What are some of your favorite all-time wines from the Cold Creek Vineyard?

JC: We make vineyard designated wines from Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, and Merlot. We also occasionally produce a Syrah, Cabernet Franc, or red blend. If I had to pick one varietal and vintage, I really enjoyed the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon. However, the 2013 vintage, recently released, also expresses the vineyard well. We have also been creating a $100 bottle of Cold Creek Cabernet Sauvignon for the last 3 years, utilizing a small lot of the best fruit from the vineyard. The wine has been very well received. Being a vineyard manager is amazing. To be able to grow fruit from soil where the plant can be manipulated in a way where the subtle changes in care can be tasted in a glass of wine, is truly unique.

Interview with Chris Peterson, Head Winemaker at Avennia and Passing Time

Superstar winemaker Chris Peterson is a winemaker is performing right in his sweet spot. If you have had the chance to sample any of his new release wines from Avennia and Passing Time, you will see the attention to detail in the glass. Chris has a long history in the Washington wine industry. He was the first graduate of the Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture program. Chris admits that he was hooked on DeLille from a young age and finally got his shot to work there after completing his degree in Walla Walla. He worked at DeLille for eight years and learned under legendary winemaker Chris Upchurch. From there Chris launched Avennia with Marty Taucher in 2010. Avennia has been a huge success as they have produced stunning releases that span everything from bright Sauvignon Blanc to inky Syrah. More recently Chris was hired to be head winemaker at Passing Time, a winery founded by former NFL quarterbacks Damon Huard and Dan Marino. His 2013 Passing Time Cabernet (WWB, 94) is a gorgeous and rich effort that will is one for the cellar. Recently I had the chance to sit down with Chris. He was incredible humble and articulate about his successes. He talked about his wines, his background and some recent great vintages in Washington. I think you will really enjoy learning more about him. Here is my interview with superstar winemaker, Chris Peterson, of Avennia and Passing Time

WWB: What inspired you to become a winemaker? What were some of your early influences in wine?

CP: I started to have a passing interest in wine in the mid-‘90s, not much more sophisticated than finding reviews in Wine Spectator and trying to get the best rated wines I could on my limited budget. Then in 1997 I did a study abroad program in Poitiers, France while studying at the University of WA. While not in great wine country per se, the supermarket shelves were lined with cheap Bordeaux. This, along with the lifestyle in France, planted a seed, and I started to take wine a little more seriously after that. As I explored wine more in Washington, I found the wines of Cayuse early on (while they still had a tasting room, and Christophe was pouring in it—I guess that dates me), and DeLille. The wines of France were always an interesting subject of study, especially Rhone Valley wines, as they are very terroir driven—and affordable, which was essential at that time. I began to buy a few books on the subject, and got pretty obsessed with all the wine regions of France.

When I started my studies at the Walla Walla program, I thought I might get into importation, or distribution, and continue to learn about all of these wine areas, and hopefully travel to them. But as I began to do the work, at various internships, I found that I really loved the blue collar, hard work aspect. The craft and care was meaningful to me, so at that point I was hooked. So I guess early influences were DeLille, Cayuse, Woodward Canyon, and Chinook locally, and definitely Dagueneau, Nicolas Joly, and Henri Bonneau were fascinating figures early on.

WWB: A number of wines that you produced landed on my 2015 Top 100, including the gorgeous value bottling, the 2013 Les Trouves Red Wine (WWB, 91). Can you talk about how you decided to make that wine and what having that wine adds to your profile of impressive red wines?

CP: Thanks! I was really excited about that wine as well. We had always thought a second label could be a good opportunity here, because there is so much good wine in this state, and many values to be had. But we wanted to be very careful to protect any reputation that Avennia had garnered along the way. I feel like we make wines that show an individual purpose, and share a voice. So to make an anonymous “tank wine” and throw it out there with a hip label at a price point was less interesting to me. I still wanted the wines to express a purpose. The way I see Les Trouvés is using our expertise and voice, if you will, to give context to some very good wines from around the state. Even in the Avennia lineup we see the blend as a way to create complex and complete wines that have their own identities. With Les Trouvés the only difference is that we didn’t ferment the wines. We gather samples from around the state and do strict selections and blending trials to try and reflect our values and quality standards.

WWB: What was it like being assistant winemaker at DeLille for 8 years under Chris Upchurch? Can you talk about what you learned at DeLille and how you apply that to your current wine projects at Avennia and Passing Time?

CP: Working at DeLille was an amazing opportunity, of course. I could probably write a novel on everything I learned and experienced there. When I started there, they were making about 5000 cases and had five wines total. When I left there were 12-15 wines, over 12,000 cases, and two or three different labels. I started as the cellarmaster, fresh out of school, and left as the Production Winemaker, with a decent amount of say over the styles of many of the wines. Chris Upchurch was a pretty influential mentor because he let me free in the cellar. I was always tasting different barrels, experimenting with blends, yeasts, etc. We were often tasting wines together and talking about how we taste and experience wine. He taught me how much you can guide a winery not with science, but with your palate, and with a vision. It was a lot of hard work in between, that’s for sure, but I definitely see the benefits from it these days.

Another thing we both thought was important was traveling to France and visiting with winemakers there, and tasting wines with them. While I was at DeLille I was lucky enough to visit nearly all of the major wine regions there. That was very generous and open-minded of them, and I think extremely valuable.

With Avennia, I feel like we took that passion for showing place, and having a vision, and shaped it to my experiences both here and abroad. Chris Upchurch always said, if you start a winery, bring something to the table. I really tried to take that to heart, and I strive to do it with every wine. In Washington, we have some of the best growers and vineyard sites in the world, in my opinion, so I just wanted to show them as clearly as possible, in the best context possible, and have it come from a place of passion, not from a spreadsheet.

WWB: You have incredible range as a winemaker, making everything from Sauvignon Blanc to Cabernet to GSM wines. Can you talk about how your background in winemaking, everything from being the first graduate of Walla Walla's School of Enology and Viticulture, to your time at DeLille, and how that has prepared you to work with such a wide range of varietals?

CP: See above, really. I absolutely feel that to make great wine, you have to know what it is. I try and taste great wine as often as possible. I am in an incredible wine group in Woodinville that includes some of the top established winemakers in the area, and taste often with other winemakers, both out of their barrels, and ours. My wife Lauren and I are always vacationing in wine country. One of these days I should probably take her to a beach or something. So when I want to make a Sauvignon Blanc, I think of it in a context that includes Didier Dagueneau, Smith-Haut-Lafite, and the best wines of Marlborough, and compare our wines to that. When I am working on our Rhone blend, I definitely have Domaine du Pegau and Vieux Donjon in my head as reference points. But I am inspired by what makes those wines taste like they do, and try and let our wines say what they want to. I think of Washington wine in that way: that we can hang with the world class wines using a number of varietals and blends. It’s not about tasting these wines and saying, “if we can taste like that, we will be world class.” It’s more like, what makes a wine great, and what sets this wine apart. Then taking your wine, and saying, “what makes this great? And what sets it apart?”  

WWB: Many winemakers are excited about their new 2013 releases. I was wondering about your thoughts about the vintage and if you could talk about how 2013 shapes up against 2012 and 2014? How thrilled are you with your 2014 red wines in the barrel?

CP: The last few years have been very interesting, from the cool vintages of 2010 and 2011, to the four month furnace that was 2015. I’ve found it interesting that even the warm vintages definitely all have their own character. 2013 was quite warm, warmer than 2012, but due to the fact that the heat came in extremely warm spikes, it almost drinks like a cooler vintage. When it gets above 95 degrees, the vines tend to shut down, so even though the total heat was higher, we found overall the grapes had lower sugars. This follows through to the wines themselves, which show a lot of elegance and varietal character, rather than being the big bruisers that the warm summer would suggest. I also have found that the wines are really improving in bottle already, gaining body and complexity rather quickly.

2012 and 2014 seem to be a little more similar to each other, with both being really outstanding vintages in Washington. The 2014s we are about to bottle are some of the most exciting wines I can remember, and I am looking forward to seeing what these wines can show in terms of the world stage that Washington is poised to stand on. It is a truly exciting time in Washington wine right now, and we are proud to do the best we can to support this great region.