Tasting with an old Friend
Around since 1995 Walla Walla Vintners continues to be one of the most popular wineries, producing some of the most popular red wines from the Northwest. Under the steady guidance of co-owners and co-winemakers Gordy Venneri and Miles Anderson, the winery continues to produce small lots of limited varietal selection that are frequently requested and most times sell themselves.
We had the opportunity this past week to taste with Gordy here in our shop and will likely schedule a weekend of public events with him this year pending his very busy schedule. The winery now produces a total of around 5,000 cases and based on what Gordy told us production is unlikely to get significantly bigger. However, there are special opportunities they will pursue from time to time based on the availability of fruit from some of the best growers in the Walla Walla valley.
One of the tasting bottles was unfortunately flawed, but we were really impressed with the remaining four varietals and blends that we did taste. Overall, we found all of the wines to be even better than we had remembered; in general we found the oak profile to be less pronounced on the wines. In the case of the older vintages their oak treatment integrates nicely in the bottle with the additional age. In the newer vintages Gordy and Miles are employing more 2- and 3-year-old French barrels where the style of cooperage and the previous use reduces the oak influence right out of the gate.
We started with the 2009 Sangiovese which retails for $24. This wine was an absolute joy to taste showing the reduced oak influence so the nose was vibrant with berry notes, and the palate followed up with good acidity, juiciness and a lush fruit-forward finish that in no way lacked structure. We had an interesting conversation about the Sangio as most folks would be inclined to pair the wine with hearty Italian fare. Gordy and I agreed though that the wine will likely really shine when paired with grilled meat or fish.
Next up was the 2009 Merlot which retails for $26.50. The oak flavors on this wine were deeper but still more subtle than we remembered. We were most impressed with the depth of flavor in the wine given that it is 100 percent Merlot. The wine was flat out delicious showing the signature Merlot flavors of chocolate covered cherries and I could not help but think there would be no better meal than this Merlot with a big rib eye steak.
The 2007 Bello Rosso is Walla Walla Vintners ode to the Super Tuscan blend featuring 50 percent Sangiovese and 50 percent Cabernet and retails for $35. The price on the current release from the 2008 vintage is slightly less expensive. We are quite familiar with the 2007 from previous tastings and from having it on our shelf, and we were blown away at how the wine has improved with increased bottle age that not only made this wine great but also bodes well for these newer vintages if you buy them in quantity for future cellaring. The wine is an intriguing blend as the flavors and aromatics are very clearly driven by the Sangiovese component while the structure and richness come from the inclusion of the Cabernet. With its age the wine has softened and become more round on the palate while it maintained a good layered finish.
We finished with the 2008 Morrison Lane Vineyard Syrah which retails for $31.50. Wow what a treat this wine was and a departure from the usual portfolio made by the winery. Gordy and Miles typically cast themselves as a winery driven by a more Italian varietal selection, while Syrah is the quintessential Rhone varietal from France. Also too Walla Walla Vintners tends to not vineyard designate all that often. This however is one of those special situations we mentioned at the beginning of the article where Gordy and Miles were offered a small amount of fruit from this notable vineyard source that shows up in some of the best Syrah made in Washington state. We are very pleased they took the fruit as the wine is a blockbuster. The nose shows a combination coffee and smoky meat. The palate delivers great flavors of ripe dark cherries and the finish is extracted and layered with rich combinations of these aromas and flavors. The wine is begging to be served with rack of lamb.
Thursday was a great day for us as we had time to catch up with our old friend Gordy and also had the opportunity to taste through a portion of his stellar portfolio of wine. For consumers you will have the benefit of continuing to see these wines in the marketplace both at retail shops and on restaurant wine lists here in North Idaho!
If there is a topic you would like to read about or questions on wine you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.
George Balling is co-owner with his wife Mary Lancaster of the dinner party - a wine and table top decor shop in Coeur d'Alene by Costco. George is also the managing judge of The North Idaho Wine Rodeo and writes frequently for the online version of Coeur d'Alene Magazine at www.cdamagazine.com. His articles can also be found on the blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com.