Dual Syrahs for BBQ Rib Dinner

Dual Washington State Columbia Valley Syrahs for BBQ Rib Dinner

For a mid-week BBQ dinner we opened from the cellar two primo Syrahs - both from Washington State Columbia Valley.

We started with this Force Majeure Red Mountain vineyard Syrah. We visited Force Majeure Estate and Vineyards and site of their new winery in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, in Walla Walla during our Walla Walla Wine Experience in 2018. We tasted and acquired this label at that time during that trip. 

Force Majeure Red Mountain Syrah 2015

This Red Mountain estate Syrah is grown predominantly at the top of  Force Majeure's hillside vineyard where it is steepest and rockiest. There the vines must put put down deep roots to gather moisture and nutrients, and the soil helps to create a powerful but elegant wine with a volcanic soil backbone. The blend is aged in a combination of new and used French oak barrels and puncheons for 18 months.

This label was awarded 93-96 points by Jeb Dunnuck of the Wine Advocate.

Dark garnet colored, full-bodied, rich concentrated black berry fruits, hints of blue fruits, accented with layers of smokiness, minerality and tones of anise, black tea, black olive tapenade and hints of smokey meats, with bright lively acidity and cloying but approachable tannins on the tangy lingering finish.

RM 92

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2659540 

A visit to Force Majeure Estate and Vineyards in the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, Walla Walla.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/force-majeure-vineyards-site-visit-and.html

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/12/force-majeure-red-mountain-syrah-2015.html 

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/

@ForceMVineyards

Spring Valley Vineyard Nina Lee Syrah 2015

We followed with another Washington State Columbia Valley Syrah, this one from Walla Walla. We visited the vineyards and the producer tasting room in town during that same trip to Walla Walla. This label is more fruit forward and bold, but less refined and elegant than the Force Majeure label above.

Our visit to the ranch and picturesque vineyards, and meeting owner Dean Derby were highlights of our Walla Walla Wine Experience in the fall of 2018. We first tasted this release of this label in the tasting room in town during that visit.

We just received our supplemental wine club allocation from Spring Valley Vineyards. 'Supplemental' meaning that we added an additional two cases to our normal shipment - a mix of five Spring Valley labels, Uriah Red Blend, Frederick Red Blend, Sharilee Petit Verdot, Katherine Corkrum Cabernet Franc and Nina Lee Syrah. 

As I've chronicled in these pages, each label is named for an ancestral family member dating back to patriarch founder Uriah Corkrum. Nina Lee was his son Frederick's wife, a vaudeville actress that he met while she visited Walla Walla and performed at the local theatre on a North American tour back in the 1920's.

Nina Lee Spring Valley Vineyard Walla Walla Syrah 2015

The 2015 release of Nina Lee is a blend of 99% Syrah and 1% Viognier, aged 19 months in 100% French oak, 30% new.

This was rated 93 Points by JamesSuckling.com and Jeb Dunnuck. It was awarded 92 points by International Wine Report.

Upon opening the black fruit aromas permeated the room, the dark inky purple color is most apparent, medium-full bodied, rich concentrated black berry and black cherry fruits are accented by smoke, black tea, notes of olive tapenade,  pepper, spice, and hint of dark mocha with a long earthy finish. Needs some time to settle and integrate a bit further, give it a couple of years cellar aging to reach its prime.

RM 91 points pop and pour. 92 points the next day ... and chilled.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2808195

https://www.springvalleyvineyard.com/

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2020/05/nina-lee-spring-valley-syrah-2015.html

Force Majeure Collaboration Series Ptera Red Mountain 2012

Force Majeure Collaboration Series Ptera Force Majeure Vineyard 2012

For midweek dinner, Linda prepared a beef roast variation of her shepherd's pie and pot pie. I pulled from the cellar this big complex Columbia Valley red wine for an accompaniment. This is from proprietor entrepreneurs Paul and Susan McBride who ventured to the Northwest in pursuit of a dream to develop world-class vineyards and wines from the region. They believed in the promise of the quality wines coming from Red Mountain in the Columbia Valley in central Washington State, They purchased undeveloped land that is now Force Majeure Vineyard in 2004 to pursue their passion to make wines that define the region and showcase the terroir of its vineyards.

Drawing inspiration from the great vineyards of Bordeaux and the Northern and Southern Rhône valleys, they developed the first vineyard on the steep, rocky upper slopes of Red Mountain that were formed by the ancient Missoula floods, winds and volcanic activity. This steep vineyard ranges in elevation from 960 to 1,230 feet. 

They worked to carefully match varietal and clonal selections and viticulture techniques and irrigation to the eight distinct soil types in their vineyard. The outcome is a vineyard articulated into many small “micro-blocks,” maximizing the potential to to capture the distinctive and varying terrior of the unique and dynamic site.

The rocky upper-slope with shallow soil is well suited to the cultivation of Rhone varietals such as Syrah and Grenache, while the lower blocks of the vineyard are comprised of deep, well-drained Warden soils, where the Bordeaux varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc excel. The west/southwest exposure of the site is planted to Syrah on the hill, tightly spaced to provide shade on the fruit. Development of the site began in 2006.

In 2014 they recruited winemaker Todd Alexander from California. Todd had developed a reputation for crafting terroir-driven wines that showcase the unique characteristics of specific sites through uncompromising, meticulous work in both the vineyard and winery. Prior to his arrival at Force Majeure, Todd had been Winemaker for acclaimed “cult” winery Bryant Family Vineyard in the Napa Valley. At Bryant, he worked closely with some of the very best and brightest in the wine industry, including legendary vineyard manager David Abreu and famous winemaking consultant Michel Rolland. 

In 2014, Todd came to Force Majeure with the goal of applying his skills and talents toward pushing the envelope of winemaking in Washington state, to join in our endeavor of crafting truly world-class wines from our own special sites.

We hosted Todd and his wife Carrie during their vintage release tour visit to Chicago in 2016 where we introduced him to our good friend Jared Gelband, wine director at the Italian Village restaurants.

We later visited Force Majeure during our Walla Walla Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting Walla Walla Washington Wine Experience in 2018. We tasted and acquired a broader portfolio of their wines at that time and subsequently through their wine club allocations.  

We have subsequently served Force Majeure Red Mountain wines at dinners we have hosted at Italian Village Chicago.

 

This vintage release is a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. This label, Ptera, was only made in a few vintages and quickly become a mailing list favorite. This was from the Force Majeure Collaboration Series, begun in 2004 with a partnership between viticulturist Ryan Johnson, owners Paul and Susan McBride and seven specially selected winemakers, each chosen for their proficiency with various grape varietals and styles.

The “Collaboration Series” was produced in small quantities of Bordeaux- and Rhone-inspired wines, sourced from the notable Ciel du Cheval Vineyard from 2004 to 2013, and including in later years the Force Majeure Vineyard.  This and the follow on 2013 release were the final vintage for the “Collaboration Series” wines, as Force Majeure estate production increased to allow them to be a completely estate-focused winery sourcing fruit from their own vineyards.

This label was a unique blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. It was awarded 95 points by The Wine Advocate and 91 points by Wine Spectator. 

At nearing a decade old, this was likely at its prime, at the apex of its drinking window and profile. The cork was in perfect condition as shown.

Dark inky purple garnet colored, full bodied, firmly structured but nicely balanced and approachable full black raspberry and black berry fruits are accented by notes of cola, coffee, spices with lead pencil graphite and floral turning to fine grained tannins on the long lingering finish.

RM 92 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2236027

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/

 

 

Force Majeure Syrah 2015

Force Majeure Syrah 2015

We discovered and gained a deeper appreciate for Red Mountain AVA wines during our Woodinville (Washington) tasting experience where we tasted several fabulous Red Mountain AVA wines. We discovered and acquired this label during our Walla Walla AVA visit hosted and organized by Carrie Alexander of Force Majeure. 

The Red Mountain site was the very first vineyard on the steep, rocky upper slopes of Red Mountain. Developing the Red Mountain estate vineyards involved carefully matching varietal and clonal selections and vineyard trellising and irrigation to the eight distinct soil types in the vineyard.

This 100% Syrah is sourced from the Force Majeure Red Mountain Estate Vineyard, in the Red Mountain, Washington State AVA. The site was formed by the ancient Missoula floods, winds and volcanic activity resulting in many small “micro-blocks,” each uniquely suited to specific grape varietals. The rocky upper-slope with shallow soil is well suited to the cultivation of Rhone varietals such as Syrah and Grenache, while the lower blocks of the vineyard are comprised of deep, well-drained Warden soils, where Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc excel.  

Red Mountain is located in the Yakima Valley AVA which was the first AVA created in Washington State. The  600,000-acre valley in south central Washington is within the Columbia Valley AVA. It is home to the largest concentration of vineyards and wineries in the state with more than 60 wineries and 16,000 vineyard acres. Nearly 40% of Washington wines are made with Yakima Valley grapes. 

Winemaking here dates back to 1869, when a winemaker from Alsace planted grape vines. Vineyard planting and wine production broke out in the early 1980s Yakima Valley wines gained notoriety with top reviews.

Force Majeure Estate Red Mountain Syrah 2015

This is 100% Syrah sourced from the steep rocky sections of the top of the Red Mountain hillside vineyard.

Winemaker Notes: "The estate Syrah typically exhibits a broad spectrum of black, blue and red fruits, dried herbs and jasmine, fennel, smoked meats and crushed rock along with very fine tannins, great length, balance and complexity."

This was awarded 95 points by Wine Advocate Jeb Dunnuck,  92 points by Stephen Tanzer, and 91 points by Wine Spectator.

Dark blackish garnet colored, full-bodied, rich concentrated black berry fruits, hints of blue fruits, accented with layers of smokiness, minerality and tones of anise, black tea, black olive tapenade and hints of smokey meats, with bright lively acidity and cloying but approachable tannins on the tangy lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2659540

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/force-majeure-vineyards-site-visit-and.html

 

 

Force Majeure Red Mountain Syrah 2015

Force Majeure Red Mountain Syrah 2015

We recently received our case allocation from Force Majeure which featured their top rated 'SJR' Syrah, their Cabernet and Épinette, their Right Bank Bordeaux Blend. We're holding them for special occasions but opened this 2015 Syrah that we tasted and obtained during our visit to the estate vineyards in Walla Walla in 2018. We look forward to returning to Walla Walla and seeing the new facilities they were building when we were there. 

 

This is 100% Syrah from their rocky steep hillside estate vineyards in the Washington State Columbia Valley Red Mountain AVA. This release got 93-96 points from Jeb Dunnuck of the Wine Advocate, 92 points from Jeb Dunnuck and 91 points from Wine Spectator.

We last tasted this about two years ago to the week when I wrote: "Dark blackish garnet colored, full-bodied, rich concentrated black berry fruits, hints of blue fruits, accented with layers of smokiness, minerality and tones of anise, black tea, black olive tapenade and hints of smokey meats, with bright lively acidity and cloying but approachable tannins on the tangy lingering finish."

RM 92 

Great flavorful sipping with some hearty artisan cheeses.

https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/force-majeure-vineyards-site-visit-and.html

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2659540

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/

Force Majeure Collaboration Series II Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 2011

Force Majeure Collaboration Series II Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 2011 

Wanting a nice Syrah for a BBQ rib dinner, I pulled from the cellar the oldest vintage of our collection of this producer's labels. Our visit to Force Majeure Vineyards was one of the highlights of our Walla Walla Wine Experience in 2018. 

Marketing Director and wife of winemaker Todd, Carrie Alexander was kind enough to host us and help arrange some of our wine tastings and winery visits. 

We assembled a collection of Force Majeure wines after hosting Carrie and winemaker Todd Alexander here in Chicago during their release tour back in 2017.

This vintage release if from the previous generation winemaker at Force Majeure. Force Majeure Vineyards was originally called Grand Reve which means “great dream” in French. It was founded in Woodinville, near Seattle, in 2004. It was a collaboration between businessman Paul McBride and vineyard manager Ryan Johnson who spent a decade managing vineyards in Eastern Washington’s prestigious Red Mountain AVA. He and McBride wanted to focus on Rhone-style varietals and they were soon winning raves and ratings from Wine Advocate and other reviews. 

McBride and his wife Susan changed the winery name to Force Majeure. They hired winemaker Todd Alexander who was previously winemaker at Bryant Family Vineyard in Napa Valley to oversee winemaking.  

Jeb Dunnick of Wine Advocate has called Force Majeure “One of my favorite estates in Washington… This label is comprised of Red Mountain fruit, with grapes sourced from the crème de la crème Ciel du Cheval vineyard. 

Today, Force Majeure wines are increasingly from their estate Force Majeure Vineyard on a steep, rocky site on the upper slopes of Red Mountain and their Walla Walla estate vineyard as more and more plots come online. 

Force Majeure Collaboration Series II Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 2011

This is a blend of 96% Syrah, 2% Viognier and 2% Rousanne. It was aged two years in 33% new French, 67% neutral French barrels. 

Dark garnet colored, medium-full bodied, concentrated but nicely balanced, smooth but more subdued blackberry and dried cherry fruits with notes of olive tapenad, spice, leather and hints of black pepper with fine acidity and tannins on the lingering finish,  a nice accompaniment to our BBQ rib dinner. . 

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1788978

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/

Force Majeure Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon at Italian Village Chicago

Force Majeure Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon at Italian Village Chicago

Mid-week business dinner with colleague Jeff L, (shown with Jared, left) we dined at my usual dine-site, Italian Village, Chicago.

Jared Gelband, wine buddy and wine director pulled from the cellar this recent acquisition, Force Majeure Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon, to which he was introduced by me when we took producers Todd and Carie Alexander to the Italian Village Restaurant in Chicago and introduced them to Jared.

That was during producers Todd and Carrie Alexander release tour to Chicago a couple years ago. Jared has been stocking and offering Force Majeure ever since.

This was especially fitting for this evening as my guest, colleague Jeff L, heralds from Seattle and is an avid collector of Washington State wines. 

Our visit to Force Majeure vineyards was one of the inspirations for and objectives of our Walla Walla Wine Experience 2018. As mentioned above, we first met Force Majeure winemaker Todd Alexander and marketing, distribution and branding exec Carrie Alexander during their Chicago stop of their promotion tour in 2016 when we hosted them at Italian Village in Chicago. Since then we've acquired a respectable collection of Force Majeure wines.

We tasted and acquired this wine when we visited the Force Majeure estate during our Walla Walla Wine Experience year before last.  

FORCE MAJEURE Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

This estate Cabernet Sauvignon is grown primarily along the south-west ridge of the Force Majeure  vineyard, in soils that are deep and loamy but contain many small rocks of fractured basalt, concreted ash and granite from Missoula flood erratics. 

The 11 year old vines produce small berries with lots of power and concentration. This wine spent 22 months in 75% new French oak barrels, 340 cases were produced.  This is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot,1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.

This wine was awarded 99 points by Jeb Dunnuck who wrote; “The 2016 Cabernet Sauvignon Red Mountain Estate is a thrilling effort from winemaker Todd Alexander that rates with some of the most monumental wines to come out of Washington State.  It reveals a saturated purple color that's followed by a rich, primordial bouquet of crème de cassis, espresso roast, crushed rock, and graphite. It needs considerable air to start to show its potential yet is a full-bodied, powerful wine that has subtle oak, plenty of sweet tannins, and a huge, layered finish that won't quit. It's the tannin management that's truly spectacular. This brilliant wine needs to be forgotten for 4-5 years and will keep for 2-3 decades.”  

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate gave this 93+ points.

Dark garnet purple colored, rich, concentrated, full bodied, bright expressive ripe sweet black berry and black raspberry fruits, notes of creme de cassis, mineral, spice and dusty sweet oak on a long full flavored finish. Needs a couple years to settle and integrate the bold bright aggressive flavors.

RM 93 points. 

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3006827

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/

@ForceMVineyards
@unwindwine
@italianvlg
@jzgwine 

Force Majeure Collaboration Series Syrah and Mollydooker Carnival of Love

Force Majeure Collaboration Series Syrah and Mollydooker Carnival of Love

Sis Dr Pat visiting for the holiday, the kids and g-kids came over to visit with the cousins. We shared details and showed pictures of our recent trip to Walla Walla (Washington) wine country and our visit to Force Majeure Vineyards. So, we opened this Force Majeure Syrah to commemorate the trip, for sipping with cheese and fruit plates. Ryan brought over this Mollydooker Carnival of Love to go along.

After meeting Force Majeure winemaker Todd Alexander and marketing, distribution and branding exec Carrie Alexander during the Chicago stop of their promotion tour in 2016, we acquired a selection of Force Majeure Columbia Valley and Walla Walla wines. That set up our Walla Walla Wine Experience 2018 this fall to see the appellation and their vineyards and in-process new winery.

Force Majeure Collaboration Series VII Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Red Mountain 2013

When we met with Todd and Carrie, they told us about the Red Mountain appellation, the smallest in Washington State, but perhaps one of the most select for Rhone and Bordeaux varietals. They also talked of their work in Walla Walla, developing Estate vineyards there, and building a new winery production and hospitality facility.

This vintage release predates Todd's arrival and work at Force Majeure, but it did introduce us to the appellation and terroir driven fruit from there.

This label was produced by Chris Peterson (of Avennia) and was the only vintage of this cuvee that was be made since they have since moved to all estate bottlings.

This 2013 release Collaboration Series VII was a blend of Red Mountain fruits, 96% Syrah, 2% Viognier and 2% Roussanne.

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, concentrated and rich black berry and black cherry fruits accented by a layer of chalky minerality with notes of tobacco leaf, pepper, wild herbs, and hints of anise aromas and flavors with firm but approachable smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 92 points. Wine Advocate gave this wine 96 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2323417

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/wp/

Mollydooker "Carnival of Love" Shiraz McLaren Vale South Australia 2012 

Ryan brought over this big full throttle Shiraz from Mollydooker. At eight years old, it provided an interesting comparison tasting of two diverse styles from two disparate regions of similarly aged Syrahs (Shiraz').  

This is deep purple-black in color, full bodied, powerful, rich, concentrated forward ripe black berry, black raspberry and blue berry fruits with a layer of creme de cassis, anise and dried herbs with notes of lavender and dark mocha with tongue coating firm, structured, lingering tannins on the very long finish.

This is 100% single vineyard sourced Shiraz.

RM 93 points, This got 95 points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and from Wine Spectator, and was their #2 on the Top 100 Wines of 2014.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1773715

https://www.mollydookerwines.com.au/default.aspx

Thanksgiving Feast Features Rhone Wine Flight

Thanksgiving Feast Features Rhone Varietal Blend Wine Flight

Twenty members of immediate family and dear friends gathered for our Thanksgiving feast. . For the occasion we selected a flight of Rhone varietal wines from our cellar and from son Ryan's.

We started with a aged vintage birth year selection celebrating son Alec and partner Viv joining us from NYC, a classic Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Following the protocol of wine tasting, we moved from lighter wines to larger more complex wines. We progressed to more recent vintage Rhone Blend selections from our recent trip to Washington State Walla Walla and Red Mountain AVA, and then moved to a Rhone varietal Blend from Paso Robles.


Domaine de Beaurenard (Paul Coulon et Fils) Châteauneuf-du-Pape Boisrenard 1990

We discovered and acquired this label during our trip to Châteauneuf-du-Pape back in 1998.

Nearing thirty years of age, this is nearing the end of its drinking window but still suitable for such an occasion. This is beginning to lose clarity and taking on an slight opaque tone and the garnet color taking on a sight brownish hue. We still hold three bottles from this case acquired decades ago representing son Alec's birth year, holding them for family occasions.

Consistent with earlier tasting notes, this was medium to full bodied with slight earthiness and leather fronting layers of herbs, black and green pepper that accompany the slightly subdued black cherry and black berry fruits with a hint of spice, moderate lingering tannins.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=30341


https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2017/12/chateau-boisrenard-and-bbq-beef-brisket.html

Progressing in weight and complexity, this GSM Blend (Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre) in the Châteauneuf-du-Pape style is from Washington State Red Mountain AVA. We visited the producer Force Majeure during our recent Walla Walla Wine Experience 2018.

Force Majeure Collaboration Series VI Ciel du Cheval Vineyard 2011

We acquired a collection of Force Majeure wines including this vintage after meeting and hosting Force Majeure winemaker Todd Alexander and marketing, distribution and branding exec Carrie Alexander during their Chicago visit last year.  


Bright vibrant, garnet/purple in color full bodied, concentrated complex Blackberry fruits predominate with tangy red berries, tones of pepper and tar, earth and meat, hints of expresso, anise and smoke accented by nicely integrated smooth lingering dusty tannins. Another CT'er rightly noted this 'benefitted with time and warmer than cellar temps'.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/notes.asp?iWine=1788937

The Collaboration Series has ended as Todd has taken over general management and winemaking duties and his handiwork is now coming on line; this historic label was made by James Mantone of Syncline Winery. This is a blend 47% Mourvedre, 42% Syrah and 11% Grenache.

We just received our current release of Force Majeure 'GSM' blend, Parata, that we tasted and acquired during our recent Force Majeure Vineyards and new winery facility site visit and tasting, and were eager to open it and compare but didn't get that far in our consumption. We will look forward to a comparison tasting in the future as we hold several bottles of each.

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/

We continued in our flight to a bigger, heavier, more concentrated Rhone varietal blend from Paso Robles L'Aventura that Ryan brought from his cellar.

L'Aventure Côte-à-Côte Estate Paso Robles 2011

Ryan brought this Rhone Red bruiser vintage 2011 providing a mini-horizontal tasting aside the Force Majeure.

Another GSM blend, very similar in style and taste but bigger and more concentrated with a whopping 15.8% alcohol content. Amazingly approachable considering the high alcohol content.

This is the handiwork of legendary winemaker Stephan Asseo who has been making wine since 1982. After graduating from L'Ecole Oenologique de Macon, in Burgundy, France, he started his wine career when he established Domaine de Courteillac in Bordeaux, then later purchased Chateau Fleur Cardinal and Chateau Robin in the Cotes de Castillion, Bordeaux. Over the next 15 years he honed his winemaking skills there.

In 1996 he embarked on a year long global search of the world's great wine regions for a great terroir when he "fell in love" with the unique terroir of Paso Robles in Central California in the rolling hills  of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range. There, Stephan began his adventure, "L'Aventure".
 
Bright garnet colored, full bodied, rich, concentrated, firmly structured, complex but nicely balanced and integrated forward fruits of ripe blackberry and red berry fruits accented by menthol, bacon fat, tones of black olive, anise and herbs with firm but well behaved silky tannins on the long finish.

RM 93 points.

This is a blend of 40% Syrah, 38% Mourvedre and 22% Grenache, similar to above but more Syrah and less Grenache.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1578540

http://www.aventurewine.com/

Later after dinner, watching a movie, we opened this big Syrah Blend from Washington State that we discovered and acquired during our Seattle Culinary and Woodinville (Washington) Wine Tour 2018. 

Long Shadows Wineries Sequel Syrah 2015

As chronicled in my recent blogpost on the Long Shadows Vintner's Collection, this is part of the portfolio of premium wines produced by legendary winemakers from around the world who are masters for their artwork with specific varietal wines.  

This Sequel Syrah is crafted by legendary Syrah winemaker John Duval, known for the leading Syrah label from Australia, Penfold's Grange. We hold a OWC (original wood case) of the 1990 Penfold's Grange, commemorating Alec's birth year. That label was Wine Spectator's Wine of the Year for the year 1993. 

Dark inky purple colored, rich, thick concentrated ripe black berry and black raspberry fruits, black pepper, smoked meat, notes of vanilla and caramel. 

RM 93 points.  

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2777751

https://www.longshadows.com/

This could likely improve with some further aging as it could benefit from some time to settle and should improve with a couple more years to achieve more balance and harmony as it reaches the apex of its drinking window, which clearly will be another decade or more. With our deep cellar, we'd normally hold a bottle like this for a while before consuming but we tried it now since it is available still at Binny's, our local wine super store so we can go get some more to replace this bottle and stock up some more, (even though we're in the highest level of the Long Shadows wine club and will be receiving some in our shipment allocation; but that will be the next 2016 vintage and we'll want to hold the '15, as it is birthyear of two grandkids, Reid and Jessie.). 

Finally, late in the evening we opened this TBA dessert wine. Viv just returned from an extended trip across Europe that include visits to Budapest and Prague in the Danube River Valley. There they visited several wineries. So, I pulled this Kracher dessert wine from the Burgenland wine region in Eastern Austria which I visited back in the early 2000's.

Alois Kracher Chardonnay TrockenBeeren Auslese (TBA) #7 Nouvelle Vague 2001



We hold more than a dozen labels of Kracher wines from this era. Its fun to watch quality dessert wines mature and change color over time, from straw color, to butter, then weak tea, and progressing darker and darker over time. Note this color of tea at seventeen years of age.

At their most desirable (to my taste preference) these wines are rich, thick, unctuous, and voluptuous with apricot marmalade, mango, toffee/brown sugar, and caramel notes. This may have been there at some point and perhaps passed that stage of its aging profile. If so, then it is time to drink although it will no doubt continue to age gracefully for several more years. But the rich, sweet apricot fruits nectar was gone and has turned more to a smokey charcoal layer over the fruits which were more subdued. Delightful never-the-less.

RM 91 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=19086

Walla Walla AVA Wine Experience

Walla Walla AVA Wine Experience

In follow up to our Seattle Culinary and Washington Wine Tour, we planned a trip to the Columbia Valley wine country. We traveled to Walla Walla (Washington) to visit the Walla Walla AVA wine appellation there, to visit some favorite producers, and meet and discover some legendary and emerging labels. Our trip yielded new discoveries, wonderful meetings and new/renewed friendships, great wines, great food, history and spectacular scenery. It exceeded our expectations on so many levels, we can't wait to go back, and have much to look forward to on our return visit (s). Immeasurable thanks to Carrie Alexander of Force Majeure Vineyards for hosting us and making some wonderful introductions.

Carrie Alexander and Linda at Force Majeure

As I wrote recently in these pages in our Woodinville Washington Wine Tour report, Washington State wines are coming of their own achieving new heights in quality and recognition. The number of  Washington wineries has increased 400% in the last decade and has grown proportionally as a tourism industry. It is the nation's second largest wine producer. Interestingly, the area is geographically located on approximately the same latitude (46ºN) as some of the great French wine regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy.

As we discover more incredible wines, its becoming more and more apparent that Washington State wines are on par with the top wines from the world's great wine regions. Yet, for lack of notoriety, in many cases (no pun intended), they represent some great values for great QPR (Quality Price Ratio) wine buys, from casual sipping to serious collecting.

Indeed, I wrote recently in these pages about Long Shadows , a collaborative project by Allan Shoup, former leader of Chateau St Michelle where he introduced Washington State grapes to winemakers from around the world in collaboration to produce quality wines. He founded Long Shadows to produce world class premium wines in Washington. 

Shoup has recruited a top winemaker with expertise and a track record producing best in class wine in several categories or types of wine based on a varietal grape. The resulting Vintners Collection, features a Long Shadows label produced in collaboration with a legendary winemaker in each category. See my Long Shadows Wine Cellars feature for more details.

Washington State wine growing areas are now officially recognized in 14 federally designated American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), also commonly known as appellations.  The vineyards producing wine grapes in the fourteen different appellations lie in the Columbia Valley river basin that cuts through the center of the state from North to South and then turns west separating Oregon from Washington as it heads to the Pacific.

In the Walla Walla AVA, in the southeastern corner of the state, the number of wine producers in the  area has grown to over 150 and the total vineyard acreage has grown from 800 acres in 1999, to 1,300 in 2011 and nearly 3,000 in 2017. 
 
Highlights of our Walla Walla wine and dine experience were:

Visiting the Force Majeure Vineyards and new winery facility site

Rotie Cellars visit and tasting

The Wall Wines Winery visit and tasting

Spring Valley Vineyards Site visits and tasting

Gramercy Cellars tasting

Walla Walla Steak Company wine dinner

Brasserie Four French Bistro lunch and wine Force Majeure wine flight tasting

Touring downtown Walla Walla and surrounds, seeing homes to so many famous labels

The journey to get to Walla Walla County and seeing historic sites and magnificent Washington State geography

Legendary Cayuse

Rotie Cellars and Browne Tasting rooms

Mark Ryan Winery Walla Walla Tasting Room

Canoe Ridge Walla Walla Winery

Woodward Canyon Walla Walla Winery

L'Ecole Walla Walla Winery

Spring Valley Vineyards Walla Walla
Tasting Room

 

 

Watch for upcoming blogposts and updates on our tours, tastings, dining and travel discoveries and experiences.

Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting

Force Majeure Vineyards Site Visit and Tasting

One of the inspirations for and objectives of our Walla Walla Wine Experience 2018 was to visit Force Majeure vineyards. We first met Force Majeure winemaker Todd Alexander and marketing, distribution and branding exec Carrie Alexander during the Chicago stop of their promotion tour in 2016 when we hosted them at Italian Village in Chicago. Since then we've acquired a respectable collection of Force Majeure wines, hence, they were one of our shortlist priority visits when we planned our Washington State, Columbia Valley wine trip.

Force Majeure Carrie Alexander and Linda

Following our Woodinville (Washington) tasting experience where we tasted several fabulous  Red Mountain AVA wines, we were targeting there for our first Washington State wine appellation visit. Carrie convinced us to visit Walla Walla and we followed her guidance and were amply rewarded as it was a spectacular wine travel experience. Our Walla Walla AVA visit provided the opportunity to visit a vibrant wine region, meet some legendary winemakers on the Washington wine scene, and still experience the best of Red Mountain appellation wines as well!

Force Majeure have vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA where they grow Rhone varietals on the upper slopes and Bordeaux varietals on the lower blocks of the site. According to Carrie, the varietal blocks are based on the selection and matching of the grape varieties to the appropriate soil composition in the eight different soil types on the site.

The Red Mountain site was the very first vineyard on the steep, rocky upper slopes of Red Mountain. Developing the Red Mountain estate vineyards involved carefully matching varietal and clonal selections and vineyard trellising and irrigation to the eight distinct soil types in the vineyard.

The site was formed by the ancient Missoula floods, winds and volcanic activity resulting in many small “micro-blocks,” each uniquely suited to specific grape varietals. The rocky upper-slope with shallow soil is well suited to the cultivation of Rhone varietals such as Syrah and Grenache, while the lower blocks of the vineyard are comprised of deep, well-drained Warden soils, where Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc excel.

Force Majeure recently acquired a small vineyard in the Walla Walla Valley. The site is within the boundaries of the The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater AVA, just across the Oregon side of state line border. The portion of the vineyard outside The Rocks District is within the borders of the Walla Walla Valley AVA.

The Rocks District is named for the rocky deposits left by the Walla Walla River where the river exits the foothills of the Blue Mountains and enters the Walla Walla Valley. It resembles the gravelly soil of the Southern Rhone River Valley in Chateauneuf du Pape. The Rocks District of Milton Freewater is the country’s newest AVA. Wine Spectator calls this AVA “perhaps America’s most distinctive example of terroir."

The unique riverbed of cobblestones and pebbles is as much as two hundred feet deep, formed 12,000 years ago from massive floods that swept through the region caused by ruptures in the ice dam that held Montana's glacial Lake Missoula. The Rocks District is a 12-square mile alluvial fan of 3,770 acres.

Force Majeure are building a new winery and tasting room facility in an old historic renovated rural schoolhouse and an adjacent wine-making production facility on the Estate site. They are scheduled to be open and operational next year.

Force Majeure also source grapes from select blocks of a thirteen acre vineyard of SJR Vineyards (left) just down the road which are owned by Delmas Vineyards and managed by Brooke Delmas Robertson.

The SJR Vineyard is located on the corner of Lower Dry Creek and County Road in Milton-Freewater, at the SW corner of ‘The Rocks District’. The site is planted in Rhone varietals Syrah and Grenache.

After touring the vineyards and winery site we dined at Brasserie Four French Bistro in downtown Walla Walla where we tasted a flight of Force Majeure wines.

Force Majeure Estate Red Mountain Syrah 2015

This is 100% Syrah sourced from the steep rocky sections of the top of the Red Mountain hillside vineyard.

Dark garnet colored, full-bodied, rich concentrated black berry fruits, hints of blue fruits, accented with layers of smokiness, minerality and tones of anise, black tea, black olive tapenade and hints of smokey meats, with bright lively acidity and cloying but approachable tannins on the tangy lingering finish.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2659540


Force Majeure Parvata Red Blend 2016

Parvata is a blend of 69% Mourvèdre, 21% Syrah and 10% Grenache, 100% sourced from the Force Majeure Red Mountain Estate vineyard.

Parvata means “mountain” in sanskrit, and hence is the name for Force Majeure's southern Rhône style blend, grown in the sandy, loamy soils of the lower section of the Red Mountain vineyard.

Dark garnet colored, medium bodied, this is black fruits accented by white pepper and tones of dried herbs with bright lively acidity.

RM 92 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2968905


Force Majeure Estate Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex but smooth and polished with bright lively forward blackberry fruits accented by notes of anise, hints of dark mocha, spice and subtle tones of pain grille' and soft spicy oak with silky smooth tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 93 points. 

This is a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 2% Merlot,1% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=3006827



Later we dined at the brand new just opened Walla Walla Steak Company Depot Restaurant where we enjoyed Force Majeure Épinette Red Mountain Bordeaux Blend.



Force Majeure Épinette Red Mountain Red Blend 2014

Épinette is Force Majeure's Right-bank Bordeaux-inspired blend, and was named after an avenue in Libourne that leads to Pomerol and Saint-Émilion, the home of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

Épinette is also the name of a musical instrument akin to a piano, as well as a word for pine tree, which is a fitting nod to the locale's in Washington state.

Épinette is a Bordeaux blend in the 'Right Bank' style meaning it is primarily Merlot and Cabernet Franc, with smaller amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot.

The blend for this 2014 vintage was 58%  Merlot,  22%  Cabernet Franc 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remaining 5% Petit Verdot.

The Merlot and Cabernet Franc are grown in the lower areas of the Red Mountain vineyard with its  deep, well-drained soils. The wine was aged for approximately 22 months in mostly new French oak.

The Force Majeure Épinette was the perfect complement to our aged prime steak dinner, perfectly prepared 'Pittsburgh' style, served with mashed potatoes.

Silky tannin' 'Legs' of Force Majeure Epinette

Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, bright vibrant forward black berry, ripe black raspberry and black current fruits with notes of cigar box, mocha chocolate, hints of leather, anise, graphite and spicy oak with gripping but approachable silky tannins on the lingering finish.

RM 94 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=2762573

https://forcemajeurevineyards.com/

http://wwsteakco.com/

http://brasseriefour.com/ 

The Force Majeure Rhone wines were perfect complements to the Provencale bistro foods of Brasserie Four.

Brasserie Four Authentic French Bistro in Walla Walla

The Rillettes porc et de Canard, 'Pork shoulder & duck breast preserved in lard with Juniper berry & sage', was authentic and very interesting, crying for and ideal for with a sophisticated wine accompaniment such as the Parvatta GSM.

I had the very unique lunch entree selection, 'Vermont duck breast burger, Hudson Valley foie gras on a Kaiser roll, served with fries'. This was exotic and obscenely rich, an interesting culinary experience, not for the feint of heart. The Foie Gras accompaniment was fabulous and ideally suited for the big Syrah and the more complex and polished Cabernet.