Festive wine for Christmas Social Holiday Gathering
We hosted our church ERT (Emergency Response Team) for a Christmas Holiday Social gathering. Linda prepared a buffet of ham, Swedish meatballs, BBQ Ribs and platters of artisan cheeses and a large selection of Christmas cookies.
As is customary, Linda had our house decorated for the holidays …
Many folks brought Christmas cookies and boxed candies and nuts, and Pat P brought his wife’s (https://karenthebaker.com/) incredible, fabulous cheesecake, which was wonderfully paired with the Ice Wine.
For the occasion I opened a medley of wines, each a response to a query or request upon touring our wine cellar.
There’s always room, and an audience for Champagne!
G. H. Mumm Grand Cordon Brut Rose’ NV
We visited the G.H. Mumm estate vineyards during our tour of Champagne with son Alec back in 2006.
This comes packaged in a festive holiday bottle with a red ribbon sachet molded in the clear glass bottle with gold painted markings that shows the natural rust orange pink color of the contents.
Winemaker Notes - “G.H. Mumm Grand Cordon Rosé celebrates the bold power of Pinot Noir (60%), the signature grape of Maison Mumm. Chardonnay (22%) is added to the blend to enhance the floral aspects of the wine, and Pinot Meunier (18%) brings a softness and round, ripe fruit character. During the blending process, the Cellar Master adds 14% still red wine from our prestigious vineyard sites to create the beautiful rosé color. The wine is aged for a minimum of 24 months before disgorgement.
Blend: 22% Chardonnay, 60% Pinot Noir, 18% Pinot Meunier
This was rated 92 points by James Suckling and 91Wine Spectator.
The (14%) still red wine added to the blend to highlight the color, mutes the effervescence somewhat, this release having a bit less than customary.
Rust orange pink colored, medium bodied, bright sprites of dusty rose petals highlights red berry and citrus fruits with notes of grilled nuts and toasted brioche, with orange peel, briny oyster shell and saline notes o a tangy zesty acidic finish.
RM 88 Points.
Wine Spectator described it this way; “A bright, mineral-driven rosé Champagne in an aperitif style, with a fine, airy mousse and a delicate mesh of wild strawberry, mandarin orange peel, toast point, and ground ginger and cardamom spices.”
During a tour of our wine cellar, the conversation turned to Bordeaux varietal red wine, large format magnums and Ice Wine, which set the stage for the following bottles.
Folks were intrigued by the whole concept of Ice Wine and were eager to try it so I pulled from the cellar this authentic Riesling Ice Wine from the Niagara escarpment.
Stratus Niagara Peninsula Riesling IceWine 2008
We discovered this producer and tasted and acquired this wine during our tour of the Niagara Peninsula Escarpment Wine Region back in 2012.
The Stratus estate winery and surrounding vineyards is located just south of the historic town of Niagara-on-the-lake, north of Niagara Falls on the Niagara Peninsula Escarpment that separates Lake Ontario to the north and Lake Erie and Buffalo, NY to the south.
Their 55-acre farm, set in the Niagara Lakeshore appellation of Niagara-on-the-Lake, just three km from the Lake Ontario lakeshore, is planted to 16 grape varieties. This breadth, allows them to produce a diverse portfolio of red and white wines including several small-lot single varietal bottlings and this special production Ice Wine.
The Stratus Niagara Peninsula Riesling Icewine 2008 is a highly-rated, sweet dessert wine, great for pairing with fruit desserts or enjoyed standalone as an apertif..
Well known Canadian Wine Reviewer Natalie MacLean rated this release 94 points.
Golden honey colored, full bodied, rich unctuous, viscous, complex, sweet tropical peach, honeysuckle, apple, citrus and stone fruits with notes of drizzled honey and cinnamon spice with vibrant acidity on the finish.
RM 92 points.
Some of our guests requested a Bordeaux varietal red wine so I opened a Cabernet from Columbia Valley Washington State. Seeking a wine in the ‘Goldilocks’ zone, not too old, not too young, I pulled a 2004 vintage release in large format magnum. I happened to have both standard 750 and 1.5 liter bottles of this release. Large format bottles generally age more gracefully, so the magnum would be more likely to be in that optimal drinking window.
Woodward Canyon Artist Series Cabernet Ssauvignon 2004
This is from the family owned and operated Woodward Canyon, founded in 1981 by Rick and Darcey Smith, and now joined by their children, Jordan and Sager. The Smith family has five generations of farming and family farm ownership in the Walla Walla Valley.
The winery was named for the canyon where Rick's family farmed for multiple generations and where the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard is now located. Woodward Canyon was the second winery in the Walla Walla Valley. Rick was President of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Growers Association, the precursor to the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance, when the growers petitioned and received federal approval for the Walla Walla Valley Appellation (AVA) in 1984.
Rick planted the first of thirty-five acres of the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard in 1977 on the family dryland wheat ranch. The hillside vineyard now includes Cabernet Ssauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah.
In addition to estate grown grapes, the winery purchases grapes from select growers and is a partner in Champoux Vineyard which lies above the Columbia River in the Horse Heaven Hills appellation.
Rick is partnered with wife Darcey who took the position of General Manager at Woodward Canyon in 2000. They are joined by daughter Jordan and son Sager, who are co-owners and serve as General Manager and Vineyard Manager respectively. Born and raised in Walla Walla, they grew up in the wine industry running around the dusty hills of the Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard.
After graduating from Lewis & Clark College in 2006, Jordan returned to Walla Walla to start a career in the wine industry, working in many different capacities from managing sales at Tertulia Cellars to running the lab at Long Shadows Vintners. She joined the Woodward team in 2013 and worked in Consumer Sales in 2018 before taking on the role of General Manager in 2021.
Sager attended culinary school in Seattle at the Art Institute and spent ten years working as a line cook in numerous French restaurants such as Rovers, Luc, and Cafe Presse, where he developed an appreciation of the synergies of food and wine. He returned to Walla Walla, and served as Woodward Canyon's resident chef while studying in the Walla Walla Community College Enology and Viticulture program. After graduation he manages viticulture on the Woodward Canyon estate vineyard and aids in producing small-lot wines with his father Rick.
In addition to fruit sourced on their 35-acre Estate Vineyard, they source fruit from some of the most-established Washington State growers including Champoux, Klipsun, Sagemoor and Tapteil vineyards.
The Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard is the western most vineyard in Walla Walla Valley AVA, roughly 15 miles west of Walla Walla, Washington. The Vineyard lies within a 320 acre farmstead containing 35 vineyard acres planted and several more acres of green belts that support native species such as western juniper, ponderosa pine, western sagebrush, arrowleaf, balsamroot, and perennial wildflowers.
Woodward Canyon produce a portfolio of premium, age-worthy cabernet sauvignons, Bordeaux-style blends and merlots as well as chardonnays. They have always focused on quality taking precedence over quality.
This particular label is from the Woodward Canyon Artist Series that began in 1992. In addition to serving as their flagship wine, the intent of the special program label is to showcase the finest cabernet sauvignon in Washington State. The vineyards used in the Artist Series are among the oldest and most highly regarded in the state with typical vine age around 35 years old. Each year the special label features a work or art from a different West Coast artist. This 2004 release features artwork of Todd Telander, depicting the resident red-tailed hawk that hangs out behind the winery.
Wine pundit Dr. Owen Bargreen, Rick Small and Woodward Canyon Winemaker, Kevin Mott conducted a a comprehensive vertical tasting of the Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon lineup starting with the 1992 vintage which featured
HERE the vintage notes and reviews.
This 2004 Artist Series Cabernet Sauvignon was produced from grapes grown at Champoux, Klipsun, Sagemoor, Tapteil, and Woodward Canyon Estate, five if the most highly regarded vineyard properties in Washington State. Woodward Canyon combines them in this blend to produce an extraordinary wine.
Winemaker notes - “This wine has a beautiful nose of spicy oak and cedar integrated with ripe black fruits and cherry. A firm rich mouth feel begins with cassis and black berry leading towards chocolate and mocha. The finish is generous and long, yet there is still restraint. While this wine can be enjoyed now it will definitely benefit from additional cellaring and, with proper storage, should develop for ten years or more.”
This release was rated 93 points by Robert Parker's Wine Advocate and 91 points by Wine Enthusiast.
At twenty-one years the label and foil, and most importantly, the fill level and cork were pristine. This met my highest expectations with its elegance and complexity, still near the apex of its taste profile, but not likely to improve any further with aging.
Dark garnet colored, medium full bodied, complex, concentrated yet elegant, finely balanced and polished black berry and cherry fruits accented with notes of spicy oak, cedar, cassis and tobacco leaf with hints of mocha chocolate.
of The Wine Advocatewrites that the 2016 La Crau is undoubtedly one of the top vintages of this wine and rated it 96 points; Vinous gave it 93-95 points.
