Delille Cellars

By any estimation Delille Cellars is one of Washington's best, easily in the top five and more broadly, one of the best this country has to offer.  They have twenty wines that have achieved success in international markets.  Wine critic Robert Parker apparently rates wineries now and he gives Delille a five star excellent rating based in consistent quality.

Delille specializes in Bordeaux blends.  Established in 1992, their first release was an offering of two wines: Chaleur Estate, a Sauv Blanc/Semillon blend and D2, a Merlot-centered blend with Cab Franc and Cab Sauv.  Those two labels now may be found amongst a stable full of types marketed successfully online and in stores across the country.

At our most recent tasting here at the store we offered three from their workhorse line, Metier; a Sauv Blanc, Cabernet and Red Blend.  Washington excels in Sauvignon Blanc along with Merlot and Syrah and that was evident at our event.  Cabernet Sauvignon does well everywhere and it outsold the others at the event but the other two were equal to, if not better than the Cab.  (Since Merlot and Syrah don't sell well as single varietals, they are usually packaged in Red Blends.)

The finest wine region within Columbia Valley is the Red Mountain AVA and not surprisingly, that's where Delille sources most of their fruit.  They also own vineyard land in the Snipes Mountain AVA, one of ten subregions esteemed as Grand Cru Vineyards.  Home base for Delille is in Woodinville where in 2019 they converted a defunct brewery into their company winery.

More Tasting Notes

Miner Family Winery is a sizable operation based in Oakville, Napa Valley.  They market twenty or so wines at any given time sourced from growers in Napa, Sonoma, Paso Robles and elsewhere.  Most of what they have is specifically vineyard-designated and those vineyard names carry cache in the wine business.  They are prestigious.  Miner also likes to emphasize their involvement in the vineyards.  They claim to have full management in the vineyards they buy from. 

At their website they show nine Bordeaux-style reds, all from Napa and many of those vineyard-designated.  They also offer four pinots, four Syrahs and a Sangiovese.  In whites they offer a Napa Sauvignon Blanc, four Chardonnays, four Rhone-styled whites and a Rosato.  But for what it's worth, the local supplier sold us a couple types not listed on the website, so who knows how many types they really make.

At our tasting we tasted the Sauvignon Blanc, a Paso Viognier and three reds.  Why not delineate the reds?  Because the whites were so-o-o good.  In fairness the reds were great too but lets stay with the whites right now.

The Sauv Blanc had a citrussy/herbal nose and a palate showing tropical fruit/stone fruit and vanilla!  This is California wine so it was forward with a finish that we would have liked more of.

The Viognier was from Paso and it's nose too featured stone/tropical fruit with (and I'm not kidding) honeysuckle, apple, pear and citrus.  The palate was melon, peach and apricot with minerality.  There was no oak, so no heaviness.  And if all of this sounds too textbooky, yes, I cribbed someone else's tasting notes.  So sue me.  The verbiage is accurate though.  Both whites were divine.  

Here's some backstory: This was the second time I tasted these wines.  The prior tasting was more expansive and featured a number of Chardonnays, some approaching the hundred dollar retail mark.  To my tastes we could have stopped after the Sauv Banc and Viognier which were memorable at a third of the price.

Wine Tasting Notes

Here are some high points from the last store tasting:

2Birds 1Stone White Wine - Primarily Colombard grape from Gascogne, just south of Bordeaux.  This is part of a line (with a red and rose) that has been reviewed by critics who usually don't review inexpensive wines.  That says a lot about the product.

Chateau Cantelaudette Bordeaux Rose -  Along with the 2Birds, sold out the night of the event.  Dry with red berry flavors, it is frankly the best rose in the store.  Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon blend.

Willamette Valley Vineyards Founder's Reserve Pinot Noir - This one impressed with its unexpected tannic structure complemented by requisite fruit and body.  Damn near perfect from a much jaded pinot lover.  In fact, Decanter magazine says the '23 Willamette vintage was a "perfect" vintage.

Substance RB (red blend) - Out of Columbia Valley Washington, this one was forward with dark fruit flavors.  Much better than we expected for its price point.  45%CS, 45%Merlot, 10%CF.

Peachy Canyon Cirque du Vin (red blend) - 2019 vintage, so imminently drinkable now.  Bordeaux blend (44%CS, 24%Petit Verdot, 19%Malbec, 13%CF) out of Paso Robles.  This is a "drink now" vintage so price here is good.

Next tasting is on Thursday the first of October 5-7pm.  Cheri Rubio leads this one.  Please join us!

 

Cannonau di Sardegna

This one may be our most popular Italian red wine.  It has ample red fruit flavors, moderate body and low acidity.  So it's a quaffer, right?  Or it's pizza wine.  Maybe its popularity is due to its flexibility, like, it's whatever you want it to be!

The textbook says it has flavors of  "raspberry, plum and cherry with herbs, spices and tobacco."  Sounds about right.  But it also says "full body and high alcohol."  Haven't noticed either.  But we have noticed the red fruit galore.

So what does this stuff go with?  Hearty, savory or rustic dishes like wild game, stews, roasts grilled meats or aged cheeses.  Again, that's what the textbook says.  Maybe our Sella & Mosca brand Cannonau is a little lighter than the norm.  Not to disparage our subject here but I bet this would go great with a hamburger.

Twenty-five percent of Sardinian vineyard acreage is planted in Cannonau, which is genetically the same as Spanish Garnacha or French Grenache but tastes so much different.  It is decidedly fruitier as you would expect from an Italian.  Think - tomato dishes.  

Here's what we think really accounts for the taste difference: high altitude island vineyards.  Factor in Mediterranean sea breezes for freshness and a hot and dry environment that requires tap roots to go deep for sustenance, picking up traces of minerality in the process.  And the diurnal effect of sharp day/night temperature swings that generate rich ripe varietal fruit flavors.

Sardinia is home to all of those centenarians who credit their longevity to the Mediterranean diet and lifestyle.  And perhaps, Cannonau red wine?

Il Masso Pinot Grigio

Different kind of post this time.  Purely for sales - We have about a case or so left of Il Masso Pinot Grigio and we're running out of summer, THEREFORE, it's half price!  Regularly $20, now $10.

Il Masso is made by Gambino Vini of Friuli Venezia Guilia.  It features hints of apricot, apple, pear and flowers in a crisp, green and flinty format and it would show well on the table with seafood and salads and since it's still summer, picnics!

Domaine Bernhard Alsatian White Wines

Our vendor told us a new batch of Alsatians had just come into Atlanta so we jumped on the offering without hesitation.  It seemed like a natural, our favorite white wines at just the right time of year.  What could be better!

Bernhard is distributed by one of the finer wholesalers in Atlanta so taking that as a selling point, we bought a couple mixed cases.  Some varieties were familiar to us, as in, we've tasted and enjoyed them in the past, while others were new to us.  As we said, we trust this particular vendor and Alsatian whites, in general, are golden in our opinion.

Bernhard is a family-owned, organically-farmed operation that was established in 1802.  The wine industry had a long history there before the Bernhards purchased their property but their longevity speaks to their success.  

You can marvel at Alsatian white wines in the same way you can admire just a few California wineries.  Those are the properties that do everything well.  For California wineries only two things can explain their providence: They either did their homework super well or they lucked out with their location AND they planted the right varieties in the right places.  Old Europe has had centuries to work that out.  Kudos to the Californians who have done it on the fly.

Alsace is different from the rest of France with their varietal labels.  Most fine French wines are named by their legislated appellation and the wine laws that apply there.  We suspect Alsatian varietal labeling  has to do with the geo-politics of being adjacent to Germany.  

In our order we received a Riesling, Muscat and two Gewurztraminers along with a couple blends.  Bernhard also grows Sylvaner and Pinot Blanc, which we are sure go into the blends, and they also grow Pinot Noir.  While we love good pinot, that one doesn't interest us here.

Gewurztraminer is one of the great white grapes of the world and Alsace has the best there is.  Considering the long winemaking history of Alsace, it only makes sense that vineyards would be rated on their quality.  In fact, Alsace delineated Grand Cru vineyards in the ninth century.  Today just four percent of Alsatian vineyards are rated as Grand Cru.  One of the two Gewurztraminers we now have is a Grand Cru Vineyard product and it is priced very fairly.

So it's August and we have a month of summer to go.  Come and get some Alsatians!

LAN

You know a wine is special when you find yourself saving empty bottles of past vintages; at the very least, reminders, I guess, to get more if the opportunity presents itself.

Bodegas LAN is an estate in Rioja Alta, Spain established in 1972.  Rioja is the finest wine region of Spain and Alta is the finest region of Rioja.  Three provinces within Alta are Logorno (now La Rioja), Alava and Navarra which each lend their first letter to the winery name.

The LAN wine we are so enamored with is their Edicion Limitada which is a blend of 82% Tempranillo, 10% Mazuelo and 8% Graciano.  These grapes are handpicked from 35-40 year old vines before sorting twice over two tables in the winery for quality control.  The winery is a modern facility with a native Rioja winemaker who emphasizes lees stirring and a malolactic fermentation.  The young wine is left unfiltered and unclarified before aging in French barriques for eight months. 

What you end up with is a nose displaying black cherry, licorice, black olive and some cigar box.  On the palate you get more black fruit and spice along with soft tannins.  If this sounds good to you stop in and start your own empty bottle collection.