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A blog about seven hills, with reviews (2005 Cab here).

sigh... no Ohio again?

So, I just finished my last week of law school. I'm home all week and available for lab ratting. Just sayin'.....

mill back on top....

Yay for washington cab!

Question 1 for the winemaker: How would you compare your winemaking style to some of the other washington cabs we've had on here -- e.g., Pepper Bridge '01 Cab, Reininger Helix, Reininger?

I am so very happy to see AZ on the list for the 3rd offering in a row! Thank you WD!

Question 2 for the winemaker:
Very glad to see that these are both under 14% alcohol -- is that entirely natural or was there any dealc involved?

For all those new to “Labrat” and/or “rattery” …..

Cheron98 has kindly put all information about the Labrat program at the beginning of the Labrat Thread (where she kindly and graciously cross-posts all the labrat posts into one convenient place).

She has the rules of "rattery" there. As well as a listing of the labrats and offers from June 2 of last year (2008).


In essence, you sign up for the labrat program, which makes you eligible to receive an additional bottle from the current offer (via FedEx overnight) if:

a) You purchase the current offer before the deadline (usually 10 am CT, first day of the offer).


There are no set guidelines other than doing your best to present your opinions about the labrat bottle in a timely manner (since there may be some people on the fence about the current offer, and are waiting for your opinions). You can be as creative (or not) as you want. Read thru some of the previous labrats to get an idea. There are a lot of humorous reports, as well as serious ones.


Some have used the UC Davis Wine Scoring System and others have used the Parker 100 point system. Others have just used “It’s Good!”. There is no right or wrong way to report.

For a quick overview of the majority of wine scoring systems, the DeLong Wine Ratings Review is available as a PDF.


DeLong Wine has been on Wine.Woot before with their Varietal Chart and Tasting Books, and sponsors The Century Club for those who have tasted over 100 different varietals (and we have several Wine.Wooters as members, with others on the verge). Check out Century Club thread in the World of Woot Wine for more info.

Question 3-5 for the winemaker:
What is the pH of each wine?
How would you describe the tannin structure of each?
Building on the last 2 questions, what would you say is the ideal drinking/aging window for each wine?

Very interested in that 2005. Very.

Everyone else see the new SB Blog?

Well, poo. Was hoping for the less typical varietals of PV, Carmenere, and/or Malbec. I've got CS coming out my ears.

Q #6:

The vineyards, blends and oak regimes are very different between the two vintages. What's the motivation for the big differences?

Hello Wine Wooters!
This is Casey winemaker and founder of Seven Hills, the creator of the two delicious Cabernets in the current offer.

Send me your questions and comments and rants about all things Washington, Walla Walla and wine.

Looking forward to hearing from you!

I notice that the 2006 CS has Petit Verdot in it, along with Cab Franc, while the 2005 CS has only Merlot.

What are the main differences we should expect from them, and how long can they be cellared? (may end up ordering another set.)

I turned 21 literally 20 minutes ago and wanted to buy this Wine, but I cannot select my state for a shipping address, which is Wisconsin. The main FAQ says Wisconsin is a valid state. Does anyone have documentation that I missed or was I just blind when I was trying to select Wisconsin for shipping?

PetiteSirah wrote:Question 2 for the winemaker:
Very glad to see that these are both under 14% alcohol -- is that entirely natural or was there any dealc involved?

We don't do de-alc, we're pretty traditional. Lower alcs are achieved with a picking a bit earlier. Also, our daily temps tend to taper off to the cooler side up here in Washington towards the end of September. Slows down the brix accumulation and allows more hang time.

Another question -- pH? (unles I missed it. . . )

Winedavid39 wrote:Peter, once again does not dissapoint.

And welcome to Woot Casey from Seven Hills.

Thank you very much. Glad to be here

Winedavid39 wrote:Peter, once again does not dissapoint.

Nice with the misspelling. ;)

Buyers are limited to just one set per account? Must be a relatively small quantity available.

MarkDaSpark wrote:I notice that the 2006 CS has Petit Verdot in it, along with Cab Franc, while the 2005 CS has only Merlot.

What are the main differences we should expect from them, and how long can they be cellared? (may end up ordering another set.)

The 2005 Klipsun is from a site that produces some of the most highly-structured Cabs from Washington State. I've made Cab from the same vines for 20 years now, and these Cabs can age beautifully for AT LEAST 15 years. The Merlot is in there just to soften and round it out. The wine is just now entering the phase where it shows more.

The 2006 Columbia Valley is styled to drink younger, but we do full-on small barrel aging, and these are all hand-picked grapes also. Its got a beautiful berry perfume, and some little nuances from the blending varietals that you don't see from straight Cab. Typically I say drink within 5 years of the vintage on these. Much less tannic than the Klipsun.

synchrodan wrote:Another question -- pH? (unles I missed it. . . )

Both the Cabs are in the 3.6-3.7 range.

gcdyersb wrote:Q #6:

The vineyards, blends and oak regimes are very different between the two vintages. What's the motivation for the big differences?

The primary motivation is show the personality of one site with the Klipsun, a great Cab site on Red Mountain. We committed to making a vineyard-designated wine from Klipsun in the early 90's, and have a great set vertical vintages at this point. Its, ageable, powerful, and has a distinct character. And I use the French Oak 100% on this one because it needs that refined, elegant oak to help balance it.

The Columbia Valley Cab is blended from a handful of different vineyards, and really is a "regional" expression of Cab from Washington State. We blend more with this, it broadens the palate and the nose on the wine, and allows us to experiment with some of the rarer varietals that have only recently been vinified in a significant way in the appellation.

annsalisbury wrote:Well, poo. Was hoping for the less typical varietals of PV, Carmenere, and/or Malbec. I've got CS coming out my ears.

Maybe we'll woot the rare varietals on the next session. Stay tuned.....

Casey7Hills wrote:Maybe we'll woot the rare varietals on the next session. Stay tuned.....

Have credit card, will use.

I would love to get this but I'm waiting for some white wines. I have depleted my stash of whites.

Casey7Hills wrote:The primary motivation is show the personality of one site with the Klipsun, a great Cab site on Red Mountain. We committed to making a vineyard-designated wine from Klipsun in the early 90's, and have a great set vertical vintages at this point. Its, ageable, powerful, and has a distinct character. And I use the French Oak 100% on this one because it needs that refined, elegant oak to help balance it.

The Columbia Valley Cab is blended from a handful of different vineyards, and really is a "regional" expression of Cab from Washington State. We blend more with this, it broadens the palate and the nose on the wine, and allows us to experiment with some of the rarer varietals that have only recently been vinified in a significant way in the appellation.

I really appreciate your quick participation in this discussion. My first inclination was to wait for lab rat reports, but your immediate involvement and the yield of your 2005 changed my mind. Seeing that I was limited to only one set upon ordering further suggests this will be a quick sell-out. Your involvement, then, speaks more of your love of the process than your love of marketing. We love that here. Thank you.

We're in for one! Both wines sound great and we would be happy to rat either of these to see just how good they really are!

I checked my local laws and as far as I know its legal.
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2007/data/SB-485.pdf
Provided there's a permit.

Casey7Hills wrote:The primary motivation is show the personality of one site with the Klipsun, a great Cab site on Red Mountain. We committed to making a vineyard-designated wine from Klipsun in the early 90's, and have a great set vertical vintages at this point. Its, ageable, powerful, and has a distinct character. And I use the French Oak 100% on this one because it needs that refined, elegant oak to help balance it.

The Columbia Valley Cab is blended from a handful of different vineyards, and really is a "regional" expression of Cab from Washington State. We blend more with this, it broadens the palate and the nose on the wine, and allows us to experiment with some of the rarer varietals that have only recently been vinified in a significant way in the appellation.

Thanks, this will be a tough offer to resist. I'm liking these Washington offers. Very compelling prices for what seem to be well-balanced, conscientiously made wines.

Current numbers (updated each minute)
First sucker: mill
Speed to first woot: 9m 42.703s
Last wooter to woot: hld1970

Hard to resist. Casey- thanks for your participation. I am looking forward to trying one now and cellaring the Klipsun for awhile. The only other Seven Hills wine I currently have is the '05 Red Ciel du Cheval. So these will be nice additions.

wiggie2gone wrote:I would love to get this but I'm waiting for some white wines. I have depleted my stash of whites.

agree.

unixrab wrote:agree.

Better red than dead.

Ahhhh, no love for Ohio.

I lived in Walla Walla for 15 years and love the wines from the valley. Will be hard to resist this one.

I noticed that the production of the 2006 was six times that of the 2005.

Was that one of the factors that figured into the more cosmopolitan blend of the former vintage?