2016 BIRDIE RIESLING Riesling is a natural derivative of Gouais Blanc, an esoteric French grape that is grandmother to many well known wines including Chardonnay, Riesling, Petit Verdot, Chenin Blanc and Muscatel. Crazy huh? And it kicks ass in Washington state. Almost completely dry, with aromas and flavors of citrus blossoms, clean crisp apple, peach and Asian pear, honeysuckle and ginger, Birdie finishes with the minerality of crushed rocks. Delicious now, but age worthy as well. #7 on Wine Enthusiast s Top 100 (2013) 94 Wine Enthusiast (2013) Grapes 100% Riesling Vineyards Bacchus, Dionysus, Olsen Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 100% stainless steel tank Alcohol/TA/pH 13.0%/0.69/3.09 RS 0.4 g/100ml Cases 602 $18 Birdie was the brainchild of our winemaker Linn Scott during his first harvest at the helm in 2012. Named after our senior family pet, a remarkable old cat, the 2013 Birdie was awarded 94 points and the rank of #7 wine in the world in 2014 by Wine Enthusiast. It is crafted to resemble classic Alsatian style dry Rieslings. Our go to for sushi and Thanksgiving. Our suspicion is that it will age beautifully for upwards of twenty years.
2016 PEARL SAUVIGNON BLANC Aromas of Meyer lemon, sweet grass, hot sidewalk after summer rain. Crisp and clean with notes of Crenshaw melon, green apple, sweet grass, mineral and fresh herbs. Pearl was pressed whole cluster, aged on lees in stainless steel and neutral barrels and was stirred weekly for six months. Sleek, firm and elegant. 91 Wine Enthusiast (2012) Grapes 100% Sauvignon Blanc Vineyard Oasis Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 50% stainless steel Alcohol/TA/pH 13.5%/0.52/3.36 Cases 606 $22 Pearl was Kelly's first solo wine project, spawned in 2009 from her love of New Zealand sauvignon blancs. Pearl was named in honor of Kelly's great grandmother who drove around in a pearl Cadillac convertible and drank whiskey. The style is at once mineral and fruit driven, as if Sancerre and New Zealand made a sauvignon blanc baby. The 2011 scored a 92 from Wine Enthusiast.
2015 APPARITION ROUSSANNE BLEND Our Roussanne driven blend, Apparition, attacks the nose with exotic Asian spices, parafin and almond extract and layers of nectarine, honey and peachy lychee, finishing with a rich yet clean minerally creaminess. The richness of the vintage certainly propelled what is perhaps the most hedonistic expression of this wine to date. 91 Wine Enthusiast (2013) Grapes 60% Roussanne 20% Grenache Blanc 20% Marsanne Vineyards Olsen, Boushey Appellation Yakima Valley Aging All neutral French oak, 4 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 13.9%/0.47/3.87 Cases 224 $24 Apparition was born as a gift to our wine club in 2011, a 100% Roussanne raised in neutral oak with no malolactic fermentation. The intention was to emulate the great white wines of the Rhône Valley by producing a focused, mineral driven, yet textured and age worthy beauty. As with many of our wines, Apparition was named for something that was happening in our family at the time. Harry Potter was big at that time. Still is.
2015 LUMIÈRE CHARDONNAY Sourced from a cooler site in the Frenchman Hills on the Royal Slope, Lumière is crafted using wild yeast fermentations, weekly battonage, and special cooperage. With a nose packed with passionfruit, nectarine and honeysuckle balanced against rich flavors of lemon, fig, hazelnut and piecrust, this chardonnay is delicately threaded with its trademark minerality to create an elegant, well-balanced version from the ripe 2015 vintage. 90 Wine Enthusiast (2014) Grapes 100% Chardonnay Clones Dijon 75, 95, Wente Vineyard Stillwater Creek Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 38% new French oak, 8 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.0%/0.51/3.72 Cases 596 $32 Ah, Lumière. We love crisp, clean chardonnay produced in cooler sites and aged with judicious oak inflence, such as we've enjoyed from producers in villages such as Chassagne Montrachet and from California producers like Stony Hill. Lumière is our attempt to deliver that kind of chardonnay experience. Best enjoyed with little pieces of Dungeness crab all over your face and lemon butter dripping off your chin. First produced in 2005, the older vintages are drinking beautifully still.
2015 enlightenment CHARDONNAY Old vine Olsen Estate chardonnay, extended barrel aging and full throttle, yet balanced richness are the defining features of the 2015 enlightenment. Lemon oil explodes on the nose, followed by hints of honey and seashore, and a voluptuous, silky texture that delivers minerals, baked apple pie and marzipan, with a touch of toasty vanilla. Prepare to see clearly, for awhile. 91 Wine Enthusiast (2012) 90 Wine Spectator (2011 & 2014) Grapes 100% Chardonnay Clone probably Wente Vineyards Olsen Estate Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 75% new French oak Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.49/3.84 Cases 88 $50 enlightenment was a response to some of our followers' suggestion that we make a richer, extended barrel aged chardonnay based more on the late 1990s California version of chardonnay. Cougar juice it has been called. Full throttle, unapologetically buttery and oaky, enlightenment, first produced in 2011 from old vines, takes more time and is more costly to produce. With scores of 90 and 91 from Wine Spectator and Wine Enthusiast, it would seem that we may have hit the mark.
2014 KINDRED CHARDONNAY Rich and full-bodied, with ripe layers of fig, apricot and melon shaded by roasted hazelnut flavors. Intense, vibrant and lively with a supple, creamy texture. Long and persistent on the finish. Grapes 100% Chardonnay Clones Dijon 75, 95, Wente Vineyards Oasis, Olsen, Stillwater Creek Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 27% new French oak, 8 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.54/3.56 Cases 334 $18 From our over delivery tier, Kindred Chardonnay is produced from the chardonnay lots that cascade out of the other two chardonnay programs. Extended barrel aging is almost counter intuitive in an entry level wine, but our intention here is to celebrate being able to drop some killer juice for a great price while providing a broader production matrix that gives our other wines even more choices for development.
2016 this old porch rosé The color of sandstone, the 2016 this old porch is framed by bright acidity and loaded with aromas of stone fruit and roses. Bone dry with flavors of white nectarines, pink grapefruit, guava and wild strawberries. Ridiculously versatile with a myriad of food pairings. Or all alone on a quiet porch. Grapes 50% Malbec, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyards Klipsun, Dionysus, Kiona, Obelisco, Olsen Appellation Columbia Valley Aging All neutral French oak, 4 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.0%/0.60/3.29 Cases 225 $18 this old porch is a song that Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett wrote together in college at Texas A&M. Also a great place to drink rosé. Ours is bone dry, full of flowers and luscious red fruit flavors. It's not from Provence, but is very much intended to drink like it is. In 2009 we decided to stop pouring beautiful saignée down the drain and instead make one of, if not the, most versatile wines in pour portfolio.
2014 L AUTRE PINOT NOIR Our block of lovely Pinot Noir from Temperance Hill Vineyard delivers a vibrant, restrained, age worthy style. Forest floor, funky, crushed raspberry, cranberry, Asian spice, cinnamon goodness. We suspect that once it reaches middle age it too will act like a proper Burgundy in some ways. In our broad rambling portfolio it is clearly The Other. 90 Wine Enthusiast (2011) Grapes 100% Pinot Noir Clone 777 Vineyard Temperance Hill Appellation Willamette Valley Aging 33% new French oak, 16 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 13.0%/0.60/3.43 Cases 133 $38 In 2009 we were able to source some lovely pinot noir from Temperance Hill Vineyard (thanks Dai) in the Willamette Valley to make L'Autre. Mostly because we love pinot noir, especially from Burgundy, and this plays like that, producing elegant, nuanced, age worthy, earthy, haunting wines that make us happy. Severely limited each vintage. We called it L'Autre and outfitted it with a red label because it is truly an outlier from another state and another state of mind.
2015 WONDERLAND GRENACHE Mad Hatter: Have I gone mad? Alice: I m afraid so. You re entirely bonkers. But I ll tell you a secret. All the best people are. Ah, sweet madness. Wonderland Grenache is kinda crazy: three very different blocks in three very different vineyards, all fermented with a third whole cluster, which deliver ripe aromas and flavors of anise, black olive tapenade, citrus rind peel, raspberry, mushroom and cinnamon. So good now and poised for even more insanely delicious complexity to open over time. Grapes 88% Grenache 12% Syrah Vineyards Boushey, Olsen, Sagemoor Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 19% new French oak, 13 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.3%/0.44/4.05 Cases 391 $32 92 Wine Enthusiast, Editor s Choice (2013) Wonderland was first produced in 2010 as a wine club only limited release. As we came to understand that everyone loves grenache (even if they don't yet realize it), we decided to make this available to a broader audience. Certainly one of the most versatile of our red wines in terms of culinary applications, Wonderland was named at our family dinner table during a period when the girls were both part of a theatre production of Alice in Wonderland. Seemed just right.
2014 DARKNESS SYRAH Once again Willy Wonka and his squad of Oompa Loompas has kicked out a ridiculously deelish version of Darkness. It's an inky, deep monster of a thing with tons of blackberry, black olive, black pepper and scorched (black) earth. Bright acidity balances all the hefty richness nicely, allowing its beautiful purity and fine tannin to shine through. Golden Ticket anyone? 94 Wine Advocate Grapes 100% Syrah Clones Phelps Vineyards Boushey & Olsen Estate Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 40% new French oak Alcohol/ TA/pH 14.5%/0.54/3.86 Cases 322 $62 Darkness is our full throttle, wide open deserted island syrah from the Yakima Valley. Dick Boushey and Leif Olsen are arguably among the finest syrah growers in our universe today. We decided to make this wine in 2005 and have never looked back. It has gobs of high scores from many publications, including a 94 from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate for the 2014. It's called Darkness because.
2013 RUCKUS SYRAH It is possible that Ruckus could be mistaken for a wine produced in Côte Rôtie or Hermitage. Possessed of a dense, saturated, inkbottle hue, aromas of blackberries, crème de cassis, smokey game, graphite and Georgia asphalt on a summer day roar from the glass. Massively embodied with great intensity, amazing freshness and extraordinary concentration, the multi-layered palate displays lovely fruit purity woven around a structure that should allow it to age gracefully for many, many years. 90 Wine Advocate 94 Wine Enthusiast (2012) 92 Wine Spectator (2012) Grapes 92% Syrah, 8% Viognier Clones Tablas Creek, Sara Lee Vineyards Ciel du Cheval, Boushey Appellation Red Mountain Aging 33% new French oak, 16 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.54/3.70 Cases 421 $52 Once upon a time there was a syrah called Stella Mae. As demand for syrah began to taper off a bit, we decided in our third vintage to align our girls' wines on either side of the Gironde, even though it is nowhere near Woodinville. So, in 2006, we made Ruckus, our Red Mountain syrah with a touch of cabernet sauvignon in it. It tasted great, we did it again, and low and behold the 2008 scored 94 at Wine Spectator and our business changed from tiny unknown to tiny almost unknown, from two states of distribution to twelve, almost overnight. As with all our wines this will age for eons. Ruckus was our aptly named sweet family cat who one day just never came home. We miss him so.
2014 UNTAMED SYRAH Untamed is beautiful Syrah from younger, north-facing blocks (Olsen Vineyard), our highest syrah vineyard (Boushey) and our only syrah block on the Wahluke Slope (Clifton Hill). Powerful and rich, offering aromas of candied orange peel, violets, fine herbs, olive tapenade, white pepper and blackberry jam rockin on to silky, dense, dark layers of goodness. Grapes 100% Syrah Clones 877, 470, Joseph Phelps Vineyards Boushey, Olsen, Clifton Hill Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 34% new French oak, 16 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.57/3.90 Cases 273 $32 Untamed was created in 2010 for our wine club, and was brought back in 2014 to work as a place for the barrels that cascaded down from the Darkness and Ruckus protocols. It was envisioned as an early release offering from our over delivery tier.
2013 RUBY LEIGH MERLOT BLEND Hard to believe this is the 10 th anniversary of Ruby Leigh the wine, and that its namesake is 10 years old. Graceful, powerful, exhilarating, entertaining, surprising, complete. And the wine is that way too, with a heart of merlot, the violets of cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and its black cherry and silky blueberry from malbec. A classically styled right bank Bordeaux blend, Ruby Leigh balances muscle and flowers, rich supple fruit and savory earthiness, expressed in aromas and flavors of cassis, mocha, graphite, herbs and subtle sweet oak. Though there have been many lovely ones, the 2013 may be our favorite yet. Grapes 56% Merlot, 22% Cabernet Franc, 11% Malbec, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyards Klipsun, Kiona, Olsen, Obelisco, Dionysus Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 56% new French Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.53/3.74 Cases 217 $52 92 Wine Enthusiast, Editor s Choice (2012) Ruby Leigh is an extraordinary young lady, gifted of many artistic and conceptual talents. Hers is a spirit from the wild places in the cosmos, restless and searching for light and experience. And the classic right bank blend we produce in her name ain't bad either. One of the Three Original Wines, it has, since its inception in 2004, been driven by merlot and cabernet franc, supported by malbec and cabernet sauvignon. Like our daughter, each vintage of Ruby Leigh is a classic, lovely and vibrant in its youth and undoubtedly astounding in its evolution. Found almost exclusively at the winery. Meaning, you have to come through us to get it.
2013 STELLA MAE CABERNET SAUVIGNON BLEND Stella Mae, in its 10 th incarnation as a wine, and 12 th year as a human is special for its purity, complexity and loveliness (among other things that no teenage boy is going to get to know about anytime soon, by God). Bing cherries, cedar, graphite, sweet vanilla bean, and savory herbes de Provence are all part of the story in the bottle. A classic cabernet sauvignon driven left bank Bordeaux blend, characterized by its balance, depth, sheer deliciousness and happiness giving capacity. 93 Wine Enthusiast, Cellar Selection (2012) 92 Wine & Spirits (2012) Grapes 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 11% Petit Verdot Vineyards Klipsun, Obelisco, Olsen, Dionysus Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 56% new French Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.57/3.85 Cases 213 $52 Stella Mae is our first collaborative creation and our secret genius, covertly molding our family through deep reflection and a thirst for knowledge. Which is power. Like her eponymous left bank blend. A syrah for the 2004 and 2005 vintages, Stella Mae became a cabernet sauvignon focused classic Bordeaux blend in 2006, as we sought to align the girls' wines in the name of peace and harmony at the kitchen table. Like our daughter, each vintage of Stella Mae is a classic, lovely and vibrant in its youth and undoubtedly astounding in its evolution. Found almost exclusively at the winery.
2014 EVERMORE CABERNET SAUVIGNON From some of the oldest vines in Washington State at Dionysus Vineyard, Evermore perfectly interlaces the old world earthiness of French cabernet sauvignon with the fruit, power and muscle of new world cab. Sweetly perfumed, with cedar, sage, mocha, cassis, and blackberry exploding on the nose. The appearance is classic claret: a beautiful garnet gem, with elegant layers on the silky palate of fine herbs, black cherry, black currant, cigar box, pencil shavings and crushed stone. Built for a very long life, but lovely now. Grapes 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyard Dionysus Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 100% new French oak, 22 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.54/3.79 Cases 144 $100 94 Wine Advocate (2013) If they made 100% cabernet sauvignon in Pauillac, it might taste a lot like Evermore. In 2012 we joined the Sagemoor Farms family, sourcing fruit from both Bacchus and Dionysus Vineyards. We imagined the Block 16A cabernet sauvignon, planted in 1972, making it one of Washington State's oldest blocks, to be a fine addition to our portfolio, perhaps as a blending component to one of our existing cabs. However, there were six barrels that stood out and we decided to bottle those together and launch Evermore, our Old Vines cabernet sauvignon. The 2013 received a 94 point score from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate.
2013 KINGPIN CABERNET SAUVIGNON Cabernet sauvignon from Klipsun Vineyard old vines Red Mountain and a touch of high elevation Olsen Vineyard petit verdot give Kingpin its characteristic depth, power and grace. Explosive aromas of black currants, blackberry, black cherry, black plum, violets, cigar box and cedar lead to a palatial volcano of molten chocolate covered black fruit, cinnamon and fractured rock. Made to develop and endure handsomely for decades. 91+ Wine Advocate (2012) 90 Wine Spectator (2013) 90 Wine Advocate (2013) Grapes 94% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Petit Verdot Vineyards Klipsun, Olsen Appellation Red Mountain Aging 76% new French oak, 22 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.55/3.82 Cases 403 $62 Launched in 2006, Kingpin celebrates the raw power and intensity of Red Mountains's iconic Klipsun Vineyard.Over the years there have been some minor variations, but in general this is Klipsun cabernet sauvignon and a dash of Olsen petit verdot. Although we have no definitive conclusion on its ultimate life span due to the fact that we have only made it for 10 years or so and have none even beginning to tire, we suspect this is a wine that can be enjoyed for at least 30 years if not many more.
2014 RAINMAKER CABERNET SAUVIGNON Broad shouldered and chewy, with deep black currant and spice flavors rolling across a layer of dusty tannins. Layers of black cherry, fig and plum with notes of green olive, licorice and vanilla, making it rain on the long, agile finish. 94 Wine & Spirits (2013) 93 Wine Spectator (2013) Grapes 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Malbec Vineyards Olsen, Klipsun, Kiona Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 100% new French oak, 22 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.53/3.81 Cases 201 $62 Rainmaker began life as a wine club offering in 2010. It has evolved to become our most fruit forward cabernet sauvignon, blended with malbec. The Yakima Valley is the source for all the fruit in this cuvée, most often it is from Olsen's extraordinary vineyards just west of Red Mountain. We named this wine Rainmaker during a conversation about what it means to be running a business with Chris's Dad. We poured the 93 point 2013 at Wine Spectator's New York Wine Experience in 2017. We were at a booth between Chateaux Margaux, Lynch Bages and Mouton Rothchild. And we belonged there.
2015 HOLLER CABERNET SAUVIGNON Phantasmagoria: red black blue fruit chocolates flowers spices textures, depth breadth. Velvet stone smoke cinnamon kelp playdough grip supple rich minerals. Stupid. Smart. Tasty. 93 Wine Spectator (2014) 94 Wine Spectator (2013) #21 on Wine Spectator Top 100 Wines (2013) Grapes 79% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Merlot, 4% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Syrah Vineyards Olsen 27%, Dionysus 24%, Obelisco 13%, Klipsun 11%, Kiona 10%, Oasis 6%, Boushey 6%, Upland 3% Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 30% new oak: 68% French and 32% American. 18 months. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.54/3.84 Cases 2012 $32 First produced in 2012, Holler is named for Red Hollow, the place where Chris's parents live in Knoxville, Tennessee. The theory behind the wine is simple: once the barrels for Kingpin, Rainmaker and Evermore are selected, the remaining barrels (plus some other Bordeaux varietals) become Holler. These barrels are good enough to become the #21 wine in the world on Wine Spectator's 2016 Top 100.This wine heads our over delivery tier, having received a 94 point score for the 2013. Tastes great too.
2015 YONDER CABERNET FRANC Yonder delivers with hints of tea, roses, petrichor, wood smoke and charcoal wafting up from the core of dense yet supple milk chocolate, red currant, fig and black raspberry preserves, offering a simultaneously loamy and creamy mouthfeel. Way over yonder, that's where I'm bound. Carole King 92 Wine & Spirits (2012) 91 Wine Enthusiast (2012) Grapes 88% Cabernet Franc 12% Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyards Kiona, Olsen, Klipsun Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 38% new French oak, 19 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.54/3.91 Cases 183 $42 In the middle of the 2012 harvest our GM Bryan Keay told us we needed to make a cab franc because everybody wanted us to. It was frankly, the farthest thing from my mind. Way way over Yonder. So, the responsive, customer centered company that we are, we talked to lots of our supporters and asked them what wine they wanted that we didn't already make. We had 18 at that point. They all said "Cab Franc!" So we made 125 cases and it sold out in three hours. Good call Bryan.
2014 UNDERWORLD PETIT VERDOT On the attack Underworld is dark and brooding, with seamless richness, with violets, blackberries, vanilla bean, smoke and pencil shavings erupting from the nose, followed by layers of tar, black plum, black raspberry, dark chocolate, and Asian spices. Tiny berries struggled on a very steep slope to deliver this very rare wine. 92 Wine Enthusiast, Editor s Choice (2012) Grapes 100% Petit Verdot Vineyard Olsen Estate Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 50% new French oak, 20 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.3%/0.52/3.76 Cases 114 $48 Underworld was named for the place that petit verdot holds in a number of our wines. Sorta sits underneath other leading varietals in a beautifully supporting role. Just a tiny bit of adds acidity, color, and flowers. In its 100% varietal bottling, Underworld shows the unique power and intensity of this tiny dark berry. The fruit has come from Olsen Vineyard each year since its inception in 2010.
2015 PREPOSTEROUS MALBEC Intense, fresh and concentrated, showing rich, vibrant blackberry tart, plum and wild cherry flavors, with violet notes. Pure and minerally, with white pepper and citrus oil accents on the finish. Richly textured, with good grip and loooooong finish. The 2010 is still the highest scored Washington State Malbec. Ever. 92 Wine Spectator (2014) 93 Wine Enthusiast (2012) 94 Wine Spectator (2010) Grapes 84% Malbec, 16% Syrah Vineyards Klipsun, Angela s Appellation Red Mountain Aging 17% new French oak, 14 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.59/3.93 Cases 291 $38 Preposterous was launched in 2009, a complete shot in the dark. Malbec is a strange thin-skinned on the outside, neon green eyeball on the inside kind of grape that goes black in the fermenter on day three of the fermentation. Kind of odd. Doesn't like a lot of new wood or extended barrel aging. Tons of dense jammy fruit up front. Plays well with a little syrah. The Wine Spectator 94 point 2010 vintage is still the highest scoring malbec in Washington State history. Preposterous.
2015 OUTLAW MERLOT Screw Sideways. Merlot is beautiful. Ever heard of Chateau Petrus? Firm, taut layers of dense blackberry, black fig and black currant jam roll through, pushed by notes of iron, charcoal and spearmint. Chocolate ganache hints fill in on the finish. Bass-driven, with a serious knot of tannins that have yet to stretch out, but the core of fruit is spot on. Wait for it. Grapes 80% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon Vineyards Obelisco, Oasis, Olsen, Kiona Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 60% new French oak, 14 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.54/3.61 Cases 121 $52 One of the Three Original Wines, Outlaw was a single barrel of merlot from Hedges Vineyard in 2004. The wine was made to honor Kelly's Dad who suggested that we start a family business when we found out we were going to be parents. Outlaw is not necessarily produced in every vintage, having been released from 2004-2007, 2009, and 2014-2015. Because merlot is delicious, we think the producers of the movie Sideways can go to hell.
2014 RING OF FIRE PETITE SIRAH Funky, smoky, dusty, stony on approach with hints of mulberry, blackberry and bacon fat, this year s petite sirah is once again showy, deep, dark and brooding, graced with ample finesse and balance. Ever see Muhammed Ali in his prime? Firm silky tannins frame sweet vanilla laced black fruits, releasing a monster of power and richness loaded with blueberries, black plums, pepper and spices. 92 Wine Enthusiast, Editor s Choice (2012) 91 Wine Spectator (2012) Grapes 100% Petite Sirah Vineyards Olsen, Kiona Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 62% new American/French oak, puncheon and barrique, 14 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.57/3.65 Cases 124 $48 Another wine club exclusive, our Ring of Fire petite sirah is saturated black spicey richness. The theory here is that petite sirah makes our wilderness just that much more, well, wild. And that with two different blocks in Olsen Vineyard in the Yakima Valley and Kiona Vineyard on Red Mountain, we have five barrels that make a mighty fine varietal durif, AKA petite sirah. The first vintage, the 2012 scored 92 from Wine Enthusiast.
2014 RING OF FIRE TOURIGA NAÇIONAL We are blown away by how extry tasty Touriga Naçional grown in Washington State can be. A seriously limited special offering for our Ring of Fire Wine Club members sourced from Upland Estate Vineyard on Snipes Mountain, this complex, supple beauty was aged in American and French oak. Aromas and flavors of violets, cocoa, blackberry, tobacco, roasted herbs and vanilla are well balanced and extend over a long finish. This wine will develop more complexity over the next two decades but is right tasty now. Grapes 100% Touriga Naçional Vineyard Upland Estate Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 20% new American oak, 20% new French oak, 14 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.54/3.89 Cases 118 $48 90 Wine Enthusiast (2012) We started tinkering with Portuguese varietals in 2010 in order to produce a fortified dessert wine, primarily for winemaker dinners. By 2012 we experimented with a dry Ring of Fire touriga naçional for our wine club. Bam. So good we did again in 2014 and 2015. All kinds of earthy rich aromatic goodness.
2014 RING OF FIRE SOUZÃO This beautiful block of fruit stunned us when we visited it early in harvest. Perfectly balanced, it just got better as the season went on. The intensity of color and flavor pretty much made our first Souzão, (a seriously limited special offering for our Ring of Fire Wine Club members) inevitable. Sourced from Upland Estate Vineyard on Snipes Mountain, this inky monster is silken earth, jammy blackness, flowers, herbs, think lavender, and a kiss of vanilla smoke. We expect this wine to grow into itself over the next couple years and deliver deliciousness for many. Seriously Limited Production. Grapes 80% Souzão 20% Petite Sirah Vineyards Upland, Olsen Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 40% new French and American oak puncheon, 15 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.61/3.63 Cases 104 $48 We started tinkering with Portuguese varietals in 2010 in order to produce a fortified dessert wine, primarily for winemaker dinners. By 2012 we experimented with a dry Ring of Fire touriga naçional for our wine club. In 2014 we made a Ring Of Fire souzāo. Inky silky lovely.
2015 RING OF FIRE SANGIOVESE Our first ever Super Tuscan blend erupts on the nose with flowers (jasmine), flowers (honeysuckle), flowers (violets) and flowers (roses!), leading to flavors and aromas of sandalwood, campfire smoke, bing cherries, orange peel and crushed rock. Pressed with La Traviata blaring and pasta on the table. Pretty damn good idea. Seriously Limited Production. Grapes 80% Sangiovese, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc Vineyards Boushey, Dionysus, Olsen Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 25% new French oak, 14 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.61/3.74 Cases 100 $48 Our first extry Tuscan was produced in 2015 as a wine club exclusive. The Brunello clone of sangiovese was sourced from Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Once the fermentation was dry we loaded the press, turned La Traviata up to eleven, busted up some lasagne and Brunello di Montalcino and let Elvis the Press do the rest. Lovely red fruit and flowers flowers flowers.
2015 KINDRED BORDEAUX BLEND An avalanche of blackberry, boysenberry and dark chocolate with exceptional drive and focus. With a fine graphite spine driving through the cedary floral finish. Supple, richly textured but still light on its feet, the 2015 Kindred shows the beauty of Washington malbec as supported by a touch of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. 89 Wine Enthusiast (2012) 89 Wine Spectator (2012) Grapes 51% Malbec 19% Cabernet Sauvignon 19% Merlot, 11% Syrah Vineyards Clifton Hill, Dionysus, Kiona, Oasis, Obelisco, Olsen, Upland Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 25% new French oak, 13 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.53/3.76 Cases 1012 $25 Kindred was first produced in 2008 in response to the global implosion of merlot following Sideways and George W. Bush's Recession. We put beautiful merlot and some other Bordeaux varietals together in a bottle and sold it for $20 so we could stay alive. Sorta worked. Years later, in 2012, we brought it back, driven by malbec and framed with cabernet sauvignon and merlot, in an effort to help better define the Bordeaux and Rhône sides of our portfolio. The banjo playing grumpy guyand family on the original label are Kelly's maternal Great Grandparents and their tribe. The new label, launched for the 2015 vintage features an image of a 275 year-old oak tree in McMinnville, Tennessee, where Chris's Dad was born. It remains a lovely kindred wine to the first cabin Bordeaux wines.
2015 WILDERNESS RED RHÔNE BLEND Make up your own damn description. 91 pts Wine Enthusiast (2013) Grapes 62% Syrah 11% Grenache, 7% Petite Sirah, 14% Tempranillo, 5% Souzāo, 1%Touriga Naçional Vineyards Boushey, Clifton Hill, Oasis, Olsen, Uplands, Ciel du Cheval Vineyards Appellation Columbia Valley Aging 14% new French oak, and American Barriques & Puncheons. Alcohol/TA/pH 14.5%/0.53/4.02 Cases 1743 $25 FOUNDERS NOTES: In 2005, on an icy cliff in the Horse Heaven Hills with only buzzards and coyotes around to watch, we drove with several barrels of what would become a new red blend, Wilderness. A tribute to our backgrounds in wildlife preservation and environmental policy work, we chose to make this wine an ever evolving, ever changing experiment and challenge to our assumptions of what grapes play best together. Typically produced with a core of syrah and other Rhône varietals, it has nevertheless included seemingly non-dance-partner-like varietals such as cabernet sauvignon, malbec, mourvèdre, tempranillo, sangiovese, petit verdot, petite sirah and probably a few we have since forgotten.
2015 HALLELUJAH PORT Portuguese varietals Touriga Nacional and Souzão from Uplands Estate on Snipes Mountain were fermented to 7 brix, and then the fermentation was arrested with 164 proof grape distillate. It was then aged for 22 months in 25% new French oak. Almost impenetrably black in color, with great balance and length, Hallelujah is hedonistic, balanced, rich and nuanced. The nose is loaded with orange liqueur, raisins, exotic flowers and cedar leading to silky flavors of licorice, blackberry, cherry, caramel, cinnamon, bittersweet chocolate and tobacco. Enjoy for the next 100 years or so. Grapes 50% Touriga Nacional, 50% Souzão Vineyard Uplands Estate Appellation Yakima Valley Aging 25% new French oak, 22 mos. Alcohol/TA/pH 19.75%/0.47/3.97 Residual Sugar 4.63 g/100ml Cases 146 $60 We started tinkering with Portuguese varietals in 2010 in order to produce a fortified dessert wine, primarily for winemaker dinners. Half touriga naçional, half souzāo, plus 182 proof grape spirits makes for some pretty deep powerful age worthy deliciousness. Named Hallelujah because that's how we feel when we've had a lovely multi-course dinner, are sitting with a fine buzz and then we get served that little something extra in the form of a port. Hallelujah!