Gold, 2015 Seattle Wine Awards

Gold, 2015 Wine Press Northwest Best of the Best

Focused with hints of red plum, lilac, cranberry, pomegranate, and wood characters throughout. Our 2012 Cabernet Franc is food-friendly and sure to be a palate pleaser.

The Vintage

The 2012 vintage tracked as a wonderful year across all Washington state AVAs and was significantly warmer than the previous two years. The vintage was consistent in ripening without dramatic heat spikes which can cause undue stress on berry development. Color progressed earlier in the growing season allowing for full tannins to mature in the reds as well as moderate alcohols and balanced acidity in both the whites and reds.

The Vineyard

Sourced from two award-winning vineyards in Washington State’s Columbia Valley AVA - 93% Tudor Hils Vineyards and 7% Gunkel Vineyards (Estate).

The Winemaking

Throughout harvest, Winemaker Richard Batchelor worked closely with local growers and visited each vineyard to taste for maturity and ripeness to determine the precise moment to pick the fruit. Grapes were hand-harvested during the cool hours of the morning to preserve bright fruit notes. This wine was fermented separately and then blended before bottling to allow the tannins to meld together. Each lot underwent a five day pre-fermentation cold soak before the tank was allowed to go through a native fermentation to dryness lasting roughly 21 days. To craft this wine, only the free run juice was collected and no press fraction was blended. The lots were then barrel aged for 18 months in new French oak. For the first year this wine was stirred in barrel on its lees and racked when necessary to soften the tannins. After the first 12 months the wine was racked off the lees for clarity and blended.

                                                     

                                                     

Double Platinum - 2013 Wine Press Northwest Best of the Best

Gold - 2013 Dallas Morning News Wine Competition

Garnet color. Intriguing and flirtatious, medium bodied with ripe plum and blackberry flavors balanced with hints of pepper and cedar overtones.

About the Vintage

The 2010 vintage was a cooler year on record, with a moderate summer which transitioned into a cool fall. Conditions remained mild until the end of the growing season when temperatures reached the mid-80s. This final push of warm weather allowed for the reds to ripen their tannins and develop into a softer fruit-forward vintage with lengthy acidity. We experienced reduced sugar accumulation which resulted in moderate alcohol levels in both the whites and reds.

About the Vineyard

Sourced from three award-winning vineyards in Washington State’s Columbia Valley AVA - this Syrah is comprised of fruit from 59% Milbrandt Vineyards (Northridge Vineyard), 39% Gunkel Vineyards (Estate) and 2% Tudor Hills Vineyard.

About the Winemaking

Throughout harvest, Winemaker Richard Batchelor worked closely with local growers and visited each vineyard to taste for maturity and ripeness to determine the precise moment to pick the fruit. Grapes were hand-harvested during the cool hours of the morning to preserve bright fruit notes. This syrah was fermented separately and then blended before bottling to allow the tannins to meld together. Each lot underwent a five day pre-fermentation cold soak before the tank was allowed to go through a native fermentation to dryness lasting roughly 21 days. To craft this wine, only the free run juice was collected and no press fraction was blended. The lots were then barrel aged for 20 months in a combination of new French and Hungarian oak. For the first year this wine was stirred in barrel on its lees and racked when necessary to soften the tannins. After the first 12 months the wine was racked off the lees for clarity and blended.

                                                     

Top 50 Regional Wines of 2015, The Seattle Times

Best Proprietary Blend, 2015 SIP Northwest Best of the Northwest

Double Gold, 2015 Seattle Wine Awards

Gold, 2015 Six Nations Wine Challenge

89 Points, International Wine Report

A slight smoky aroma with hints of blueberry, boysenberry, cherry and plum. Blueberry notes on the palate are accented by cherry and vanilla. Food-friendly and perfect for everyday drinking.

The 2013 vintage warmed up quickly creating warmer soil temperatures which resulted in early sap flow and bud burst, ahead of the normal averages. Warmer temperatures well through the season allowed shoot length to surge ahead and flowering to begin early, which is typically a week to ten days in Washington. This even flowering cycle was evident in cluster maturation across the vineyard, resulting in more uniform flavors in each block. Due to the favorable conditions, less fruit was dropped during veraison which resulted in slightly increased crop yields. It was a hot and even season from beginning to end.

The Vineyard

Sourced from our collection of award-winning vineyards in Washington state’s Columbia Valley AVA.

The Winemaking

Throughout harvest, Winemaker Richard Batchelor worked closely with local growers and visited each vineyard to taste for maturity and ripeness to determine the precise moment to pick the fruit. Grapes were hand-harvested during the cool hours of the morning to preserve bright fruit notes. Sourced from our collection of vineyards throughout Washington, each lot underwent a five day pre-fermentation cold maceration for color and fruit extraction. The fruit was kept separate by varietal and warmed up to begin the native yeast fermentation. Once pressed, these wines were blended together in similar lots for style and underwent Malolactic fermentation in tanks containing 40% new French Oak staves. At such time, the wines were slowly micro-oxygenated to enhance the softening of the tannins before the wine was blended. Aged on oak in tanks for 11 months.

                                                     

Silver, 2014 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

Silver, 2014 Great Northwest Wine Competition

Deep garnet color. Berry aromas dominate the nose on this classic merlot with hints of boysenberry, gooseberry and blueberry. On the palate, notes of dark cherry and blueberry are accented by grippy tannins and a lengthy finish.

The Vintage

A late bud break and cool April delayed the onset of the growing season in 2011. Although a cool year, the weather was highly cooperative in its longevity resulting in good tannin development. Decreased precipitation and a delay in the onset of rainfall also mitigated any undue weather impacts. With the diversity of AVA’s we source in Washington state, we experienced a smooth-run harvest due to a well-timed and continual supply of fruit from our growers.

The Vineyard

Sourced from four award-winning vineyards in Washington State’s Columbia Valley AVA - this Merlot is comprised of fruit from 44% Gunkel Vineyards (Estate), 42% Bailey Vineyards, 12% Elephant Mountain Vineyard and 2% Les Collines Vineyards.

The Winemaking

Throughout harvest, Winemaker Richard Batchelor worked closely with local growers and visited each vineyard to taste for maturity and ripeness to determine the precise moment to pick the fruit. Grapes were hand-harvested during the cool hours of the morning to preserve bright fruit notes. This wine was fermented separately and then blended before bottling to allow the tannins to meld together. Each lot underwent a five day pre-fermentation cold soak before the tank was allowed to go through a native fermentation to dryness lasting roughly 21 days. To craft this wine, only the free run juice was collected and no press fraction was blended. The lots were then barrel aged for 18 months in a combination of new American, French and European oak. For the first year this wine was stirred in barrel on its lees and racked when necessary to soften the tannins. After the first 12 months the wine was racked off the lees for clarity and blended before bottling.

                                                     

Silver, 2015 Grand Harvest Awards

A lovely pear nose accentuated by aromas of honeydew, granny smith apple and a hint of refreshing cucumber. Nicely balanced, this white blend is perfectly suited for all types of foods.

The Vintage

The 2014 vintage was the hottest on record for the grape harvest in Washington state. A warmer than average season encouraged early shoot growth, without any late season frost. Periods of high temperatures early in the season slowed physical development in shoot growth, but then a period of consistent heat was experienced during the onset of berry formation. The season included an extended Indian summer that was made up of warm days and cool nights throughout harvest, resulting in concentrated fruit character in the whites and lush tannins and color in the reds. The stable weather pattern allowed for well-scheduled fruit picking decisions which transistioned naturally through all varietals.

The Vineyard

Sourced from a collection of award-winning vinyards in Washington state’s Columbia Valley AVA.

The Winemaking

Throughout harvest, Winemaker Richard Batchelor worked closely with local growers and visited each vineyard to taste for maturity and ripeness to determine the precise moment to pick the fruit. Grapes were hand-harvested during the cool hours of the morning to preserve bright fruit notes and destemmed into the press, where each lot was processed on a champagne cycle. This is a slower press cycle that is extremely gentle on the fruit ensuring optimum fruit character is preserved. The juice was blended and then fermented in stainless steel tanks under cool temperatures further ensuring all fruit expression was maintained and the wine’s natural acidity could shine resulting in a crisp taste from start to finish.