TNs: Saviah Cellars, Quilceda Creek, Fidelitas, Leonetti and more

[Blake Brown]

In preparation for a week long family visit to the Boise area, I called my wine store owner friend, Brian Erickson of Erickson`s Fine Wines in Eagle, to see if he could put together a wine dinner during my stay. Quite graciously, he did and did it well.

Brian picked a theme of mostly Walla Walla wines which delighted me in that I have not had a lot of exposure to these wines and wanted to explore them more.

He also arranged for us to dine at a nearby Italian restaurant, Bella Aquilla, which served us righteously in a private dining room. The restaurant is at the top of their game in all areas including wine service, stemware and a good wine list as their General Manager, Chad Cooper, is wine knowledgeable and passionate, even to the point of serving us personally. Its location along the banks of the cresting Boise river made for quite an attractive setting.

Brian went to the extent of printing out tasting note forms for each of us and brown bagged the wines to enhance the learning experienced even more. The wines:

Our NV DE VENOGE BDN [80% PINOT NOIR, 20% PINOT MEUNIER] was corked, so the GM replaced it with a ADRIANO ADAMI GABREL PROSECCO from Veneto.

We then moved on to the bagged wines:

2009 SAVIAH CELLARS UNE VALLE WALLA WALLA VALLEY RED WINE- 14.1% alc; comprised of 56% Cab, 38% Merlot, 6% Cab Franc, youthful deep, dark, rich purple; this showed a major amount of what I guess to be new oak in the nose with vanilla and talc along with some butter and a hint of mint; the mid palate was graced with lots of blue and black fruit, a touch of coffee and a tad of bacon fat all in a medium body and soft mouth feel; good start.

2006 BETZ FAMILY VINEYARDS SRYAH LA SERENNE YAKIMA VALLEY- vibrant dark purple color, nose of some earth, popcorn and mild, black pepper followed up with some vanilla, Eucalyptus, medium body and smooth texture, long finish; good drink and well made wine.

2007 FIDELITAS CS CHAMPOUX VINEYARD HORSE HEAVEN HILLS COLUMBIA VALLEY WALLA WALLA CABERNET- 14.9% alc; this 100% Cab was fantastic; another youthful colored wine with dark purple, burgundy hues, a nose rich with spices, wonderful scents of black fruit, a touch of vanilla, caramel and talc; the mid palate receives ripe, red/black cherry notes, excellent structure, nicely balanced in a medium body; good complexity and length, my WOTN.

1999 QUILCEDA CREEK VINTNERS COLUMBIA VALLEY WALLA WALLA CABERNET- 100% Cab, a RP 98er; this seems young in its color and fruit profile and should be a winner for many years to come and has a lot of room to evolve to even greater heights; big time black cherry and spice in the nose moving into more black cherry/ berry and currant with silkiness and depth to please; it finished slightly dry; decanted prior to dinner; my #2 WOTN.

1993 LEONETTI CELLARS COLUMBIA VALLEY WALLA WALLA CABERNET- 13% alc; no aging evidenced in the color or experience, it starts off with nice black berry, spicy, minty aromas in the nose continuing on with an even more forward fruit expression with some Eucalyptus; it finished a little tannic; overall showed OK; not in the top 2 however which had more youth in their favor; decanted prior to dinner.

2006 SAVIAH CELLARS LAURELLA RED WINE COLIMBIA VALLEY WALLA WALLA- 14.1% alc; 51% Sangiovese, 33% Cab Franc, 16% Merlot; lots of ripe red fruit with some spice all the way through; fun, tasty wine, soft and easy on the palate.

2008 ADELSHEIM WILLAMETTE VALLEY DEGLACE- 375 ml; 10.2% alc, this Pinot Noir ice wine was really good; yes, sweet at 20% RS, it`s thick and creamy carrying fresh honeyed strawberries and cherries through the delightful end; dessert in a glass negating any orders off the menu.

A wonderful evening, making new wine passionate friends, new exposures to Washington wines and suggestive of repeat performances with each return visit.

Cheers

[Jeff Leve]

Blake... I think my palate has become too Eurocentric. I've had a few vintages of Quilceda and other Washington wines and most are too ripe and alcoholic for my taste, especially the Quilceda Creek wines.

[Blake Brown]

Blake... I think my palate has become too Eurocentric. I've had a few vintages of Quilceda and other Washington wines and most are too ripe and alcoholic for my taste, especially the Quilceda Creek wines.

Jeff, I hear you. As I stated, I`ve not had a huge amount of WA wines, but I have to admit, I was impressed with those from Saviah Cellars. I`ve had some good QPR Cabs from Gordon Brothers and I`ve enjoyed some Woodward Canyon Cabs in the past, but nothing recently. Now to my cellar for some Eurocentric delights.