 |
 |
|
Click on a vintage to learn more:
2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997
Our 2005 Rhone-style blends
September 2007 Wine Offerings
These 2005 Rhone-inspired wines are sold out at the winery.
2005 Bésoleil
 While dominated by the lively fruit-laden Grenache variety, this year’s Bésoleil offering has a solid dose of Mourvedre, a Southern Rhone grape type that offers black pepper, spice and brooding black fruits. Added to the bright black raspberry spiciness of Grenache, the wine takes on new dimension this vintage: richer than 2004 with more texture and density. Wild dried raspberries, plums, and a floral note define aroma and flavor. Nine percent Syrah adds a smoky complexity.
We mature Bésoleil in older oak barrels, different from any other wine in our portfolio. The purity of these varieties in this combination needs no weightiness that new French oak might bring. The lack of newer oak barrels also helps Bésoleil to be enjoyed earlier than its more strapping Syrah cellar mates. The 2004 vintage of Bésoleil was voted best Southern Rhone blend made in Washington by Seattle Magazine.
2005 Syrah La Serenne
 This was our sixth vintage sourcing grapes from the same block in Dick Boushey’s Yakima Valley vineyard. With each year we seem to learn and appreciate more of this unique Syrah site, one that rewards us with low yields, dense concentration and immense flavors. The even ripening of the 2005 vintage favored slow development, an extra level of ripening, intense fruit development, and a structure that eclipses previous vintages. While the 2005 has the same seamless palate impression as the 2004, there’s more fruit “lift” in both aroma and flavor that takes this wine to another dimension.
At its core La Serenne is an impenetrable black color with a vibrant magenta edge. Wild Syrah notes of smoky wood, spice, grilled meat and black pepper surround a foundation of exotic black/red fruits, dried fruit and roasted coffee bean. The flavor is huge, with a dense nucleus of blackberry and plum, big silky tannin and a more powerful impression than in the past. This is the most long-lived La Serenne to date yet it still captures that immediate appeal of previous vintages.
2005 Syrah La Côte Rousse
 We built on the success of the 2004 vintage by increasing the amount of Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Syrah (40% of total) that we incorporate into this Red Mountain blend. It adds power and structure to the lush and silken Syrah we get from Scott Williams’ Vineyard (60%). Blended together our lots from the two vineyards made for Washington’s top scoring Syrah from the 2004 vintage (Wine Spectator, Steve Tanzer's International Wine Cellar).
The 2005 vintage is a wine of great fruit intensity. Blackberry, blueberry and sweet cherry are the foundation while roasted meat, smoke and spice add to the overall complexity. It’s ultra lush and rich, but still retains its Red Mountain structure: dense and sinewy. This wine has the stuffing for long term aging. If you choose to open it now please decant and watch it develop; as with La Serenne it, too, is the longest lived of the Côte Rousse Syrahs we’ve made.
2005 Syrah Chapitre 3
 Since the 2000 vintage we’ve crafted 2 Syrahs, one exclusively from Red Mountain fruit, the other from Yakima Valley. Over the years they’ve maintained their identities: the silken, plush version from the cooler Yakima Valley and the sturdy, powerful and complex Syrah from the warmer, earlier harvested Red Mountain. So this is our next step, our "Chapter 3", hence the name in French, Chapitre 3.
Four barrels from our various lots, Williams (50%), Boushey (38%) and Ciel du Cheval (12%), came together in an unique expression of Syrah, sort of a morph between our other two styles, but reflecting the extraordinary dimension of the 2005 vintage. The deep black color hints at the concentration that follows. Deep, almost brooding black fruit, with notes of black cherry, blueberry and smoke fill the aroma. It tugs at the palate with a combination of expansion and precision: full, lush and rich, yet sturdy and youthful.
This Syrah demands age. The boldness of the fruit and richness of the tannins will reward many years of cellaring. This is a first for us so I can’t exactly predict a prime drinking age, but 5-12 years will not challenge this wine’s pleasure. Go ahead and try a bottle now as there’s abundant pleasure, but know that the 2005 Syrah Chapitre 3 will grow and develop for years to come. This wine is a first for us and will only be made in exceptional vintages.
|
 Our 2004 Bordeaux-style blends
2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille
 Those long familiar with our Cabernet will see the continuing evolution of its style with this wine. A few years ago we began adjusting our cellar techniques to achieve the full dimension our vineyards had been able to deliver, but with more polish and length. More defined fermentation temperatures, less handling during barrel maturation and more precise barrel blending have delivered the results we've been looking for, greater harmony without sacrificing depth or density.
From my November 2006 tasting notes: “Deep ruby with a vibrant, youthful edge. Bright currant, blueberry, sweet berry fruit with exotic spice, smoke, camphor notes. Rich berry fruit with a sense of elegance.”
The vineyard source for the 2004 is also more focused, with barrels only from Red Mountain and the Horse Heaven Hills in the final blend. We're used to the terrific concentration and intensity of our Red Mountain fruit (Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun Vineyards) but this vintage the Horse Heaven fruit (Alder Ridge Vineyard) was equally concentrated yet without the tannic dominance of Red Mountain. The two appellations blended seamlessly (64% to 36%) and provided a structure that is both accessible now but will cellar beyond the previous two vintages.
The varietal blend is in line with previous years, 78% Cabernet Sauvignon, 9% Malbec, 8% Merlot, 3% Petite Verdot and 2% Cabernet Franc.
Steve Tanzer, of the International Wine Cellar newsletter, tasted this wine in summer 2006, three months after bottling, and ranked it the third highest Cabernet in Washington, a point or two behind Quilceda Creek and Leonetti Reserve (the “+?” in his score indicates a possible higher ranking once the wine is released):
“93(+?) Bright, deep ruby-red. Musky, minerally, spicy aromas of blackberry, blueberry, leather and tree bark. Quite penetrating on the palate, with terrific intensity and cut to the black cherry and currant flavors. Denser and larger-scaled than the Clos de Betz. This, too, finishes with excellent cut, growing sweeter and longer as it opens in the glass. There's firm tannic spine here but no impression of dryness.”
2004 Clos de Betz
 With the hot summer months of 2004 it would have been easy to over ripen Merlot, the foundation variety of Clos de Betz. We worked in the vineyard to achieve full flavor development but without the baked, prune notes that the variety can take on when left to hang too long. Our decision to harvest slightly earlier than past years paid off, yielding a wine with pure red/black fruit aromas and brilliant balance.
Certainly this Clos de Betz has all the black cherry, baking spice and leather notes of Merlot (60% of the blend), and they sing in harmony, not dominated by the dried fruit aromas possible in a hot vintage like 2004. Add to this foundation the complex character of the additional varieties that were blended in (23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Petite Verdot and 4% Malbec) and the wine turns satisfyingly complex.
My November 2006 tasting notes reflect this balance: “Pure, penetrating aromas of cherry, raspberry, slight vanilla, baking spice, with an overwhelming sense of berry. A great sense of harmony; supple and fine.”
The 2004 vintage is a more “serious” wine than previous vintages, with a structure and length that will reward aging. Its weight and density develop in the glass, adding layers of berry fruit and supple, sweet tannin The same vineyard and cellar practices we use with the Cabernet Sauvignon went into making the Clos de Betz. Grapes varieties and the vineyard sources account for the difference in character and flavor between the two wines.
Steve Tanzer, International Wine Cellar newsletter, also tasted this wine last summer just after bottling, awarding it his highest score ever for this wine, and wrote:
“92(+?) Bright, deep red. Musky, sweet aromas of dark cherry, roasted red berries, graphite, leather, roast coffee, herbs and treebark. Sweet, concentrated, very ripe and floral but showing less early opulence and more structure than recent vintages of this bottling. With aeration, though, this showed compelling sweetness and noteworthy depth. This builds impressively toward the back finishing with strong, juicy fruit; firm, fine-grained tannins; and excellent lift.”
|
Our 2004 Rhone-style blends
2004 Syrah La Serenne
The track record for this Syrah has been impressive. The reasons are clear: a great vineyard site, conscientious care by owner Dick Boushey and low yields. 2004 was no different. Low cluster count and the stress of the summer heat of 2004's heat reduced the yields, and Dick's constant fine tuning of the vines (cutting off anything less than perfect grapes) further lowered the amount of fruit/vine so we ended up with below 2.5 tons/acre. As in the past the 2004 La Serenne is 100% Boushey Syrah, with its characteristic, abundant silky tannins. For me the overriding impression with this wine is its seamlessness on the palate. Sure, there are the dense black fruits, roasted coffee, earthy aromas and the black berry, smoky flavors, but the overall palate impact, huge and yet supple, is what lingers in my mind.
After 12 months in French oak barrels and nearly an additional year in bottle, this is the more forward of the two Syrahs, yet it will still strut its stuff 5 to 7 years down the road. It has the stuffing to go the distance, but is so sensuous right now that it is easily appreciated.
2004 Syrah La Côte Rousse
One national critic recently wrote that the tannins from Red Mountain red varieties are tough to tame, and that he preferred the softer tannins of other areas in the state. He's right in one sense: typical high summer temperatures in the appellation can build thick-skinned, low juice fruit, jammed with tannins. But he missed something in the winemaker's quest to reveal a "sense of place" in a finished wine (terroir, if you want to speak French). We don't want all our wines to be homogenous expressions of the cellar, but rather reflections of the fundamental character of where they originated.
We're conscious of this potential for excess tannins when we work with Red Mountain grapes in the cellar. We pay close attention to the tannin development throughout winemaking; during crush, fermentation, and "drain and press" we taste each tank 2-3 times/day to evaluate the increase in tannin, and focus all our steps on extracting all the sweet skin tannins and avoiding astringent seed tannins. Each step helps insure the overall balance of abundant sweet tannin.
The 2004 La Côte Rousse Syrah is just such a wine: packed with dense, ripe flavors and abundant tannin while retaining a textural sweetness. It unites two Red Mountain vineyards, Scott Williams whose grapes we've used since our first Syrah, and Ciel du Cheval which we introduced into the 2003 vintage. La Côte Rousse speaks the language of the appellation, with a power, structure and longevity that differentiates it from the La Serenne, grown only 25 miles away. The 2004 has more "French" character than previous vintages: smoke, minerals and gaminess, a wonderful expression of the variety. This is even more cellar worthy than La Serenne, with a solid decade ahead of it.
2004 Besoleil
The good news about the 2004 Besoleil is that we made 3 additional barrels. But more important, it's an even more expressive, Southern Rhone style wine. In 2004 we were able to add a classic Southern Rhone variety, Mourvedre, to the mix of grapes, and carve out a few more rows of Grenache vines from the Alder Ridge Vineyard for our program.
We were particularly thrilled with the Mourvedre, a grape that brings color, aroma and flavor to the blend. Its black-red density is more like Syrah than Grenache, the nose shouts black pepper and the palate is somewhere between the fruit intensity of Grenache and the pungency of Syrah. It brought "garrigue", the unmistakable Southern Rhone character of fruit, earth and wild herbs, to the blend.
The final blend is 69% Grenache, 19% Mourvedre and 12% Syrah. The 2004 Besoleil is denser than the 2003, with more richness and fullness. However, it retains the same pure berry focus, with notes of pepper, leather, crushed seed, explosive flavor and creamy finish. Drink now and over the next 5 years.
2004 Poggiòlo Rosso
Poggiòlo Rosso is our first Sangiovese. Tuscan vineyards have long been our favorite wine destination where we seek out Sangiovese-based wines, like Chianti, Brunello and Vino Nobile. It was only natural that when we had a chance to source some Washington Sangiovese grapes with a real pedigree that we jumped on it.
Our 2004 Poggiòlo Rosso is based on the Brunello clone of Sangiovese, from Jim Holmes' efforts at Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain. As a stand-alone variety this wine had plenty of complexity and varietal identity, but also carried the variety's typical higher acidity. Blending in Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon added depth to the aroma and flavor and rounded Sangiovese's angularity. It made it sort of a "mini Super Tuscan."
This is a wine structured for food. It carries plum, black cherry and camphor aromas, with deep black cherry and plum flavors. The Cabernet tannins strengthen the backbone yet don't interfere with the overall satisfying impression of Sangiovese. We chose the name Poggiòlo Rosso (red hill) because of its Red Mountain origin, and to hint at the flavor profile since the word Poggiòlo appears on the label of many Tuscan red wines. This wine is enjoyable now and capable of maturing for 5-8 years.
|
Our 2003 Bordeaux-style blends
2003 Cabernet Sauvignon Përe de Famille
Cabernet Sauvignon dominates this vintage in more than percentages would indicate: color, aroma, flavor and mouthfeel all identify this wine as Cabernet Sauvignon (77%). While it blends four of the classic Bordeaux varieties (Merlot 13%, Malbec 8% and Petit Verdot 3%) it still shouts Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Cabernet fraction is predominantly from Red Mountain, from the Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun Vineyards' rows that we have used for most all the past vintages. Their power and depth contributions are unmistakable. They also provide the tannic spine essential for our goals for this wine. Their muscular ways are tamed by a fraction of the Cabernet that comes from the Alder Ridge Vineyard, located in the Horse Heaven Hills: it provides length and complexity.
While the other two varieties are minor players, their contribution is distinctive: Malbec adding juiciness, and the Petit Verdot, with its black skin, adds color and a spicy/peppery fragrance.
Red Mountain depth dominates the blend of all varieties at 68%, followed by 24% from the Horse Heaven Hills and 8% from the Yakima Valley. And it shows. In the glass, the 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon has an opaque black/red core. A huge currant, black cherry aroma emerges, carrying along spice, minerals and leather. It's thick and rich, with plenty of youthful tannin, yet finishes with a ripe lushness and sweet black cherry, tobacco flavor. It evolves as it opens in the glass, a sign for this taster that it has years of evolution ahead of it in the cellar.
2003 Clos de Betz
Merlot showed the influence of the warm 2003 weather more so than any other variety in our cellar, and at 58% of this blend it boldly states its case. I find that in warm vintages like 2003 Merlot develops an even deeper chocolate richness on top of its black cherry fruit. That's true for the 2003 Clos de Betz where a Merlot "chocolatiness" mingles with black cherry, plum and leather aromas. There's also a hint of camphor and Asian spice in the aroma.
At this point of development, the 2003 is a fuller bodied wine than past vintages. It's inky-crimson, tannic and powerful, with rich layers of black fruit. Yet there is a vibrancy and vigor to its balance. Part of this textural vitality is due to less Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Cabernet Franc (6%) in the blend than last vintage. Petit Verdot at 6% deepens the color and spine.
Earlier bottling also contributes to this liveliness. Over the years we've moved up the bottling date of these wines a few months to mid March, after 16 months in barrel. This length of time in French barriques provides ample opportunity to marry wine elements, soften tannins and add the subtle complexities of vanilla and creamy oak flavors, without robbing the vigor and lushness of the younger fruit notes. We've been pleased with the results: the wines seem truer to their blends, with more vivid fruit definition.
The 2003 is enjoyable right now, but easily capable of 5-8 years of additional evolution in the cellar.
|
Our 2003 Rhone-style blends
2003 Syrah La Serenne
The influence of a hot vintage shows in the 2003 La Serenne, despite it being from one of our cooler vineyards. Midseason temperatures at the Boushey Vineyard (where 100% of this fruit is grown) were among the highest of the previous five years creating a depth and ripeness not seen before in this wine. "Thick" is the word we used in the cellar right from the start to describe it. Throughout fermentation and barrel/bottle aging it never lost its density and black color.
The 2003 is true to its predecessors: this is the wild child in the cellar. Boushey Vineyard always seems to produce the most "Rhone-like" qualities for Syrah — meaty and smoky and a hint of wild spice. We picked it a full month later than the grapes for its sister wine, 2003 Syrah La Côte Rousse, and the cooler ripening month most likely generates these more undisciplined notes. I love them. We aged this vintage only 12 months in French barrels, about half new, and the wine acquired all the tannin suppleness and flavor development it needed. I wanted to make sure the fruit essence wasn't overshadowed by oak.
The flavor foundation is blackberry/black cherry with roasted coffee bean, smoke and minerals. A whiff of violets surfaced in the 2003, a note I often find in Northern Rhone Syrah. And then there's its silky mouthfeel, the result of very low yields (less than 2.5 tons/acre), concentration, high alcohol and seamless tannin. Yet it still is powerful and amply built for 3-6 years of additional cellaring.
345 cases made
2003 Syrah La Côte Rousse
It took us until 2003, but we finally achieved a long range goal for our Syrah La Côte Rousse, uniting the Syrah grapes from the two founders of Red Mountain, Scott Williams of Kiona Vineyard and Jim Holmes of Ciel du Cheval Vineyard. These two, along with Scott's dad, John Williams, made an uncommon commitment to the untested sagebrush slopes of Red Mountain back in the early '70s. In a short 30 years this area has become one of America's most respected appellations.
And justifiably so. The red wines made from the Red Mountain fruit are dense blockbusters, jammed with fruit essence and richness, and capable of some of the longest cellaring of any Washington reds.
Syrah La Côte Rousse has always been made from Scott's stunning Syrah, but, like all good things, it's limited. Jim Holmes' grapes have been used to craft some of the headiest Syrahs in Washington, but have never been available to us. Until now. The 2003 vintage is 60% from Scott's vineyard and 40% from Jim's.
And the blend met our expectations. It has the deepest black red color we've yet achieved with Syrah. There are profound blackberry, black cherry aromas, pure and penetrating. Syrah emerges as a roasted meat, violet, spice concerto that carries across to the flavor. Despite classic Red Mountain tannin levels everything is in remarkable harmony, with a fleshy, plump richness balanced by a notable spine of structure. With its concentration, verve and structure this one should do well in the cellar for many years.
370 cases made
2003 Bésoleil
Introducing the newest member of the family, Bésoleil (bay-so-lay), our Grenache-dominant red that brings immediate pleasure. Since the early 1970s we've been enjoying a range of wines made from Grenache regardless of origin: Spain, France, Sardinia, Australia and here in Washington. It carries many names and faces, but it's most famous creations are found in the Southern Rhone of France, where it's responsible for the biggest part of the blends of Chateauneuf du Pape. Sweetly scented, brilliantly flavored, these Grenache wines are seductive and have an absolute "drinkability" to them (we tasted our 2003 out of barrel at last year's Syrah release and most people wanted to take it home that day!)
Add to this Old World heritage Washington's success with the variety, albeit somewhat obscured by the darker reds so popular today. In the '70s and '80s Grenache grew to fame around here in the form of rosé made by Chateau Ste. Michelle: in several tastings it was ranked as the best rosé in America. Washington is well suited for Grenache: it loves the heat, dry soils and a late harvest. And by severely limiting the yield per vine we can achieve the concentration essential to great Grenache.
Our 2003 is made from grapes off one of our favorite sites: the Alder Ridge Vineyard. The vines are planted in a dry, south-facing bowl right on the river where they bake in the sun and yet enjoy a long hang time and later harvest because of the proximity to the Columbia River. During the growing season we dropped nearly half the fruit on the ground to achieve more concentration (just under 3 tons/acre). We fermented them gently and used one or two year old French oak barrels to mature the wine for about 12 months: the scents are so pure and sweet that I don't want new oak aromas to get in the way. Sixteen percent Red Mountain Syrah added nuance and substance to the final wine.
So here it is, all 3 barrels of our first Grenache: intense, ripe strawberry and blueberry fruit aromas, with notes of earth, leather and gravel. While not as black as our Syrahs as there's plenty of depth to round out the fruit, alcohol, tannin and body, finishing with a creamy sweet texture.
We're releasing this first vintage only to our mailing list as we made only 80 cases.
|
Our 2002 Bordeaux-style blends
These two wines build on the style and character of the past few vintages: bold, rich and supple. Both of these wines from the previous vintage were highly acclaimed, with the Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille 2001 being named a "94 point Spectator Selection" by the Wine Spectator.
2002 Clos de Betz
We shifted the Clos de Betz vineyard and variety mix a bit in 2002, and increased its hedonistic personality. There's more Merlot (57%) than the past two vintages, and it shows in the plum, black cherry and bittersweet chocolate notes in both aroma and flavor.
Also, we replaced the Walla Walla Merlot that we used to have with older vine Merlot from the Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain. We were able to carve out an entire acre of 1974 planted vines from this classic vineyard. These 30 year old vines are producing Merlot as fine as any in America: complex, rich and silky. Over the past few decades I've come to appreciate the contribution older vines can make to wine quality, especially when grown under the eye of veteran Jim Holmes of Ciel du Cheval.
Cabernet Franc also plays a more notable role in this blend than in the past. At 10% it adds blueberry notes, and an earthy, dried strawberry character Cabernet Sauvignon (33%) is not so evident in aroma but plays a definite role in mouthfeel. The result is a wine that enters as Merlot and exits like Cabernet. It's soft, supple and fleshy up front, with a silky mid palate. But the finish shows power and length, a full lingering finale, evidence that this has some real cellaring potential. Yet even now it's very satisfying, with layers of complex fruit, saddle leather and earth.
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille
We added Malbec to this blend in 2002. One of the lesser known Bordeaux varieties, Malbec has emerged this past decade as a serious performer in Washington's Columbia Valley, its black-skin adding plenty of complexity to our wines. While it's only 6% of this blend, Malbec added juiciness and notes of sweet blackberry and camphor; without it the 2002 Père de Famille would simply be less complete. We source Malbec from the Alder Ridge Vineyard, thinning the clusters to a maximum 3 tons/acre yield.
Yet the core of the 2002 Père de Famille is still Cabernet Sauvignon (77%). Fruit from the Red Mountain vineyards, Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun, dominate the blend with their power and depth. Other Cabernet Sauvignon grapes in the blend came from the Alder Ridge Vineyard bringing length and elegance, and the Boushey Vineyard contributing a bright, gentle fruitiness. Rounding out the wine were a few barrels of Merlot (17%) from both Alder Ridge and Ciel du Cheval.
The 2002 is one of the deepest colored Cabernets we've made. Its dense red black core has a hint of purple to the edge. The aroma is expansive black fruits: currants, cherries, and blackberries, with a sprinkling of Asian spice. But this vintage is all about mouthfeel: it enters broad and powerful, with plenty of supple, silky fruit. Flavors are also black fruit dominant, with black cherry playing the major role, while notes of plum and dried orange peel play around the edge.
It's already enjoyable, yet three to ten years in the cellar should further expand its complex aroma and flavor.
|
Our 2001 Rhone-style blends
2001 Syrah La Côte Rousse
First, a little clarification about the name, La Côte Rousse. Syrah has long been the superstar of the appellations of the Northern Rhone Valley of France.
Vineyard areas like Côte Rôtie, Hermitage and Cornas have cultivated extraordinary wines for centuries. In the appellation of Côte Rotie, two small vineyards carry the names La Côte Brune (the brunette) and La Côte Blonde (the blonde), following the legend that a winemaker named the two sites for his daughters. Our Syrah, La Côte Rousse, is named for the third daughter he never had (the redhead), as well as for the fact that our grapes come from a terrific site in the Red Mountain appellation.
Because of the heat in 2001, we harvested this site early: we pulled these grapes off on September 20, a full 7-10 days ahead of average. The berries were deeply colored, very sweet and thick skinned. They had actually started to shrivel slightly, a step that we think adds another dimension of flavor to Syrah. During the eight day fermentation we got rather aggressive with the skins, punching down vigorously twice each day, hoping to extract the full range of color and flavor that these berries held. The efforts paid off with a purple black wine as it went to barrel.
We held the wine in French 225 liter barrels, about 60% new, for 13 months before bottling. During its maturation we racked the wine every 3-4 months, naturally clarifying it. It was bottled without filtration or fining.
This is a wine of wonderful concentration, supple and lingering on the palate. Its core is red black, with an enduring hint of youthful purple. Black candies jump from the glass: licorice, blackberry, blackcherry and plum; there’s also a grapey, spicy zest to the aroma. Leather and roasted coffee play in the background. It's mouth filling, with a raft of black fruits, and a wild, peppery flavor. Hints of barrel vanilla and toast tease the flavor and aroma. Time will tame its tannins, but I find it irresistible right now with a little breathing time.
140 cases
2001 Syrah La Serenne
Despite the heat in 2001, harvest came late to Dick Boushey's Syrah vineyards in the Yakima Valley. Dick farms three Syrah sites dotting the slopes just north of Grandview, each with its own personality. We picked grapes from all three, 15 to 20 days later than we did Scott Williams' vineyard for La Côte Rousse. The three lots made a more complex and harmonious wine when blended together.
This wine continues the tradition of letting Syrah express its wild side. It's racy and yet stylish. Black raspberries, smoke, pepper and bramble lead the charge in both the aroma and flavor. It resonates with a big volume of black fruit, plenty of soft tannin, and a rich, lush mouthfeel. It has slightly more structure than La Côte Rousse, but has the fruit to stand up and balance it. This wine, too, is pretty irresistible right now, but will reward a few more years in the cellar.
The fruit was fermented similarly to our past vintages, with the objective of extracting the density and complexity that Boushey Syrah offers. The deep color and overall tannin profile attest to these efforts. And its fruit, tannin, acid and alcohol achieve a harmonious balance. Thirteen months in French oak barrels softened the edges and enhanced the aroma and mouthfeel.
As we go to press with this we just received word from Wine and Spirits Magazine that the 2000 vintage of this wine was judged one of the "Top 10 Syrahs in America" for the year. This will be announced in their October, 2003, issue, but we wanted to give you a heads up in acquiring this new release before the word is out. They awarded the 2000 Syrah La Serenne 93 points, and loved the Syrah La Côte Rousse as well, giving it 91 points.
165 cases
|
Our 2001 Bordeaux-style blends
2001 Clos de Betz
In our blending sessions we were surprised at how much Cabernet Sauvignon enriched the Merlot base; it added complexity and weight without detracting from Clos de Betz's traditional suppleness. The final blend ended up 44% Cabernet Sauvignon and 6% Cabernet Franc, with the 50% majority made from Merlot. Vineyard selection was fundamental to this decision.
In 2001 our lots of both Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Seven Hills Vineyard in Walla Walla developed a rich, ripe, supple mouthfeel. The Cabernet was plumier and less currant-like than normal and combined seamlessly with the Merlot. The final blend of the Clos de Betz depended heavily on this sweet fruit character, with 57% of the fruit coming from Walla Walla. Alder Ridge Vineyard played a strong supporting role, especially in the Merlot fraction, making up 22% of the blend. Eleven percent Yakima Valley fruit added soft tannin and berry-like aromas, and Red Mountain grapes played a minor role at 10% of the final wine.
Clos de Betz is a ripe mouthful of wine, with lots of viscosity and still plenty of tannin to give it backbone. Aromas of very sweet cherries, licorice and chocolate have an added dimension of spice. Chocolate and cola flavors mingle with ripe berries and cherry on the palate. As with so many Washington Merlots, this vintage is capable of growing more complex with age, and would reward a few years in the cellar.
480 cases produced
$28/750 mls
$58/1.5 liter magnum
Steve Tanzer's description (International Wine Cellar): 90 (+?) "Currant, black cherry, licorice, meaty, graphite and smoky on the nose. Sappy on entry, then tight and minerally in the middle..."
Varietal Breakdown
50% Merlot
44% Cabernet Sauvignon
6% Cabernet Franc
|
Vineyard Sources
50% Walla Walla (Seven Hills)
22% Horse Heaven Hills (Alder Ridge)
17% Red Mountain (Klipsun)
11% Yakima Valley (Boushey)
|
2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille
This is a wine for Cabernet lovers. It's the highest percentage of the variety that we've ever blended into our Père de Famille, and the wine shows it. Starting with the deep red/black core it shouts Cabernet. Aromas of ripe currants, dried strawberry and black olive further reflect the variety. There are also hints of black cherry, vanilla and leather. It's expansive on the palate with plenty of black fruit character, and subtle wood, toast and smoke. I like the way this wine opens in the mouth, at once expansive and muscular but also penetrating, indicating some early drinking pleasure and yet strong aging potential.
This wine's "Cabernet-ness" is easily understood by looking at the varietal blend and the vineyards used. At 81% Cabernet Sauvignon and 4% Cabernet Franc it clearly is dominated by these structured, penetrating varieties. The 15% balance is Merlot, with its supple, gentle hand playing a role in the overall mouthfeel.
In addition, a full 70% of the grapes coming from Ciel du Cheval and Klipsun Vineyards on Red Mountain, the long even ripening season clearly blessing these warm sites. Twenty three percent comes from Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. Moderated by the nearby Columbia River, this warm site increases the deep berry notes in grapes because of additional time on the vine. The final 7% of the blend is from the Boushey Vineyard in the Yakima Valley; we depend on this fruit to bring a delicacy and balance to our blends.
550 cases produced
$44/750 mls
$90/1.5 liter magnum
Steve Tanzer's description (International Wine Cellar): 91 (+?) "Medium red-ruby. Very cabernet on the nose, with currant, graphite, fresh herbs and pepper showing, along with a suggestion of white chocolate. Dense and powerful, with flavors of dark berries, minerals, licorice and herbs. Serious, firmly tannic wine that's not at all overly sweet. Like the Clos de Betz, this was bottled in May and will almost certainly merit a higher score as it harmonizes in bottle. (The fruit component here is even stronger than that of the very suave 2000 bottling.)"
Varietal Breakdown
81% Cabernet Sauvignon
15% Merlot
4% Cabernet Franc
|
Vineyard Sources
70% Red Mountain (Ciel du Cheval, Klipsun)
23% Horse Heaven Hills (Alder Ridge)
7% Yakima Valley (Boushey)
|
|
Our 2000 Vintage
2000 Syrah La Côte Rousse
Sorry about the potential confusion, but this is from the same vineyard as last year's Syrah La Serenne. We changed the name as we thought this French term better described its origin, to say nothing of having some fun with French wine lore.
In the famed Syrah appellation of Côte Rôtie in France's Northern Rhone there are two vineyards whose legend has them named for a long ago vineyardist's daughters, La Côte Brune (the brunette) and La Côte Blonde (the blond). Our wine, from a vineyard on Red Mountain, is La Côte Rousse (the redhead), also a French expression for the Red Slope.
Scott Williams, of Kiona Vineyards fame, grows these grapes for us on one of the highest sites on Red Mountain. The vineyard's weak soil and southwestern facing slope combine to make this an outstanding vineyard for powerful, broadly flavored Syrah. Plenty of black fruit, spice and depth make this wine immediately appealing.
100% Syrah from Red Mountain, Williams/Kiona Vineyard
125 cases produced, bottled December 2001
2000 Syrah La Serenne
This is the new Syrah vineyard for us, despite the old name. The grapes were grown on the Boushey Vineyard outside of Grandview in the Yakima Valley, a sensational Syrah site. It's cooler there during the summer than at Red Mountain so we harvest 10-14 days later. The fruit is more berry focused and spicier, with a bit higher alcohol.
Dick Boushey has the rare combination of a terrific vineyard site and a personal passion for excellence. His meticulous care provides us with bold, deeply colored fruit.
100% Syrah from the Mid Yakima Valley, Boushey Vineyard
110 cases produced, bottled December 2001
Why two Syrahs? From the beginning the wines from these two sites expressed different character. They made a fine wine when we combined them during our blending trials, but we found they were even better kept separate. They reflect a greater sense of "terroir", the character of their origins. A favorite? We'll keep on analyzing the evidence...
2000 Merlot La Marraine
We have always thought of Washington Merlot as the best produced in America, but never thought we would bottle one as a single variety; we've traditionally used it to add suppleness to our area's structured Cabernets. But 4 barrels of Merlot 2000 stood out during its 14 months in the cellar as something very special: our first varietal Merlot.
The foundation of this wine is the wonderfully deep and fragrant Merlot from Jim Holmes' Ciel du Cheval Vineyard on Red Mountain. Powerful, warm and caressing, it speaks with an authoritative voice every vintage. Three barrels of it made the base of this wine. We blended it with 1/2 barrel of Alder Ridge Vineyard Merlot (loads of berry fruit) and 1/2 barrel Seven Hills Vineyard Merlot (a silky giant). Merlot La Marraine (the godmother) is ripe, sweetly perfumed and enormously satisfying.
We may not make Merlot every year; we'll make that call with every vintage.
100% Merlot
75% Ciel du Cheval, Red Mountain
13% Alder Ridge, Horse Heaven Hills
12% Seven Hills, Walla Walla
95 cases produced, bottled February 2002
|
Our 1999 Vintage
1999 Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille
Our blend in 1999 starts with 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, with 18% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc added in. We expanded our vineyard sources in 1999; especially exciting is the addition of both Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from the Alder Ridge Vineyard in the Horse Heaven Hills. Bordeaux varieties from this site right on the Columbia River contribute elegance to the power we get from our other sources on Red Mountain. A small amount of mid-Yakima Valley Cabernet added berry and floral notes, while the Cabernet Franc ratcheted up the spice and earthy character.
Volumes of deep black cherry, cassis, spice and black pepper leap from the glass. There's even a whiff of the classic pencil lead of Bordeaux reds. Black fruit flavors, sweet spice and black pepper envelope the palate. Rich in tannin, yet lush from the gentle handling throughout. The 1999 is penetrating, yet graceful and firm. It finishes long on the palate and is a pleasure today, but I'm anxious to taste it after a few years of cellaring. If you open it now, give it an hour in a decanter for full enjoyment. (450 cases available)
From Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (tasted July 2001): "...sweet black cherry and cassis aromas as well as a broad, medium to full-bodied character. This intense 1999 is loaded with sweet red and black fruits, and a hint of Washington's trademark fresh herbs. Powerful, highly expressive..."
1999 Clos de Betz
Clos de Betz is the softer, earlier-maturing companion to our sturdier Cabernet Sauvignon Père de Famille. The mix of vineyards and varietal percentages change each year, but we blend Clos de Betz for the common threads of rich, sweet red and black fruits and up front appeal.
The Clos de Betz blend for 1999 is 42% Merlot, 42% Cabernet Sauvignon and 16% Cabernet Franc, but Merlot takes center stage: it's ripe, juicy and sweetly perfumed. We used grapes predominantly from cooler vineyard sites in the mid-Yakima Valley that give us bright notes in the aroma and softer, plusher tannins on the palate. Additional Cabernet Sauvignon from the Horse Heaven Hills and Cabernet Franc from Red Mountain provide backbone.
This wine typifies why people love Bordeaux blends from Washington. A deep red color leads to abundant cherry and raspberry fruit aromas, with hints of chocolate and mocha. Black pepper and sweet oak round out the aroma. Penetrating Merlot flavors of cherry and plum are the base on which spice, licorice and raspberry play supporting roles. There's a lot of early appeal to this wine with its supple, drink-me-now charm, but the added Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc provide enough spine for mid-term cellaring. (210 cases available)
From Steve Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (tasted July 2001): "...Blackberry, blueberry, licorice, shoe polish and Christmas spices on the nose…displays very good intensity of black fruit flavors."
1999 Syrah La Serenne
This is our first vintage of Syrah, a rather hedonistic wine that friends wanted to buy right out of the barrel last year. The fruit is from the William's "Kiona Vineyard" on Red Mountain. The warm vineyard gave a generous ripeness, and even a bit of shrivel to the grapes just before harvest. This added "hang time" seems to build more complexity into Syrah, creating new aromatic dimensions. Only 11 months in older French oak lets the beauty of this variety shine through: vibrant black fruit aromas, meaty and ripe. It's fat and concentrated on the palate, with substantial alcohol, but the natural suppleness of Syrah keeps everything in harmony. We named this wine La Serenne, one of the local French names for Syrah in the Northern Rhone.
Wine Analysis: pH 3.66
Total Acidity: 5.3 g/l
Alcohol: 14.7%
|
Our 1998 Vintage
1998 Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage weather is the driving force behind our 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon. Growing season conditions dictated fruit expression from the outset and continue to dominate the wine as it ages in bottle. The long, hot summer of 1998 created a powerful, richly textured wine.
Coming off of an El Nino winter, there was virtually no winter damage in the Columbia Valley. However, flowering and fruit set weather was cool and slightly wet, so yields were relatively low. The dominant weather pattern for the vintage developed by mid June: dry and warm to downright hot through to September and October, a pattern similar to 1994, with very warm temperatures in July and August. The lower yields and warm temperatures combined to give small grapes, small clusters, thick skins and not a whole lot of juice/berry: the recipe for a concentrated vintage.
Our blend in 1998 is 76% Cabernet Sauvignon and 24% Merlot from hand picked grapes from warm sites on Red Mountain and cooler sites in the mid Yakima Valley. Red Mountain fruit provided the muscular, concentrated flavors, while the Yakima Valley vineyards added purity to the aroma and elegance to the finish.
Fermentation was vigorous with twice daily punch downs until completion in tank before pressing off. Color, tannin and depth of flavor were the results. We aged it for 17 months in small French oak barrels, about 2/3 new, and then nearly an additional year in bottle. The wine was bottled unfiltered and lightly fined, with well-integrated oak that doesn't overshadow the fruit.
This combination of vineyard, climate and technique built a richly flavored wine, with supple tannins and plenty of concentration. The deep fruit notes of Cabernet Sauvignon dominate the blend: black cherry, plum and blackberry. Some of the typical pencil lead and spice aromas of Cabernet show through. The Merlot component was equally ripe, adding mocha and black pepper notes. Our 1998 Cabernet Sauvignon can be enjoyed relatively early, yet there's ample tannin, structure and extract to carry it for many years.
Wine Analysis: pH 3.73
Total Acidity: 5.2 g/l
Alcohol: 13.8%
170 cases
|
Our 1997 Vintage
1997 Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon
This is the first wine from Betz Family Winery. For years we've believed that Washington's Columbia Valley produces some of this country's finest grapes. Our "research" over the past 30 years in nearly every vineyard district in the US and Europe keeps us coming back to the natural character of Washington wines. They're a blend of the best elements of the new and old worlds: full, ripe fruit, yet textured for food and structured for longevity.
Alpha is a blend of 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot and 2% Cabernet Franc. Grapes were hand harvested into small bins from vineyards on Red Mountain and the mid-Yakima Valley. Hand sorting of the clusters at the winery preceded crushing into small, 2-ton fermenters. After 24 hours of maceration, the must was inoculated with Prise de Mousse yeast. Fermentation continued for 14 days, with a twice daily punch down by hand. The wine was drained and pressed at dryness, and put directly into barrels. Each barrel was inoculated at pressing with malo-lactic culture.
Barrels were 100 % French oak, 2/3 new, a range of coopers, all Center of France. We used a blend of Allier, Nevers and Tronçais forests. Included were new Haut Brion and Margaux barrels. Each barrel was racked every 2-3 months. In early 1999 the wine was lightly fined and racked a final time before bottling in April, 1999, after18 months of barrel maturation.
Wine Analysis: pH 3.66
Total Acidity: 5.3 g/l
Alcohol: 14.3%
|
|
|
