Hey, taxpayer! Get ready to hand over some more of your hard-earned
wages to those clowns in Washington! Only this time we’re talking about
ye merrie winemakers at Pepper Bridge Winery in Washington state. And
if you enjoy ultra-premium, critically-acclaimed wines like the Pepper
Bridge 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, this is one bill you’ll happily pay.
Long
known as the birthplace of TV’s Adam West and as the butt of many a
Bugs Bunny routine, Walla Walla’s making its move into the upper ranks
of viticultural zones, and Batman help anyone who tries to stand in its
way. The world-class wines of Pepper Bridge play no small role in
double-W’s ascent, with grapes sourced from their Walla Walla Valley
estate vineyards, gently coaxed into greatness at their
state-of-the-art, gravity-flow winery, and stored in subterranean caves
to brood on their many regrets. Appropriately, the resulting wines
combine the delicate elegance of Washington’s state bird (willow
goldfinch) with the balanced form of Washington’s state fish (steelhead
trout).
And like the Native American tribe that gives Walla
Walla its name, the supreme honchos at Pepper Bridge are wise stewards
of the Earth’s rich bounty. Winemaker Jean-François Pellet and Managing
Partner Norm McKibben are so down with the sustainability trip that
they helped found an organization called VINEA
to promote farming practices that enrich the land and help plants
resist disease, plants, and weather without resorting to harsh,
damaging, and awful-tasting chemicals. After all, nobody ever says,
“This linguine would go wonderfully with a glass of pesticides.”
These
two bottles of Pepper Bridge 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon cast a darkly
majestic spell of currant, blackberry, mocha, and pencil lead (not that
we know what pencil lead tastes like). Hints of anise, sage, herb, and
leather dance around the edges like laughing demons. It finishes with
ripe, textured, and well-integrated tannins, completing a wine as
complex and polished as a Sterling silver Rubik’s Cube. For total Walla
Walla flavor overload, you’ll love it with steak raised on the plains
of Eastern Washington and grilled with some of Walla Walla’s famous
sweet onions.
But don’t take our (admittedly
self-interested) word for it: the critics have gone galla-galla over
this ‘01 Cab. “Splendid!” raves Sauce Magazine. “Superb!” applauds Wines Northwest. “Massive structure!” hails Sunset. “91 points!” roars Wine & Spirits.
We were tempted to just cut and paste their reviews and knock off
early, but we can’t afford another plagiarism suit. So we’ll just sign
off with this: if the first Walla doesn’t get you, the second one will.
- Varietal(s): 97.7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2.3% Merlot
- Vineyard(s): 51.9% Pepper Bridge Vineyard, 48.1% Seven Hills Vineyard
- Appellation: 100% Walla Walla Valley
- Oak Program: 72% New Oak, 28% Used Oak; 98% French Oak, 2% American Oak
- Time in Barrels: 22 Months
- Harvest Date: September 11 through October 5, 2001
- Brix at Harvest: 25.1
- Total Acidity: .590 g/ml
- pH: 3.72
- Finished Alcohol: 13.9 % Vol.
- Total Production: 2,883 9-liter cases and 96 cases of magnums
- Bottling Date: August 8-9, 2003
- Release Date: May 1, 2004
Rules and restrictions:
- Wine sold by winery (or a retailer in your state where necessary)
- You must be 21 or older to order
- Whoever receives the package must be 21 or older
- If you’re drunk when the package shows up, you will not be allowed to receive it
- Wine cannot be delivered to a P.O. Box
- We highly recommend you use a business address as your shipping address
Thanks to stick-in-the-mud buzzkilling state legislators, wine may only be delivered to the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
If your state’s not on the list, no wine for you! Take it up with
your state assemblyperson. Don't worry, we comply with all federal,
state, and local laws in providing this wine.
