If you are local, we invite you to visit your closest tasting room* this Saturday, October 14, to sample our new wines! If you’re not local, this email is an opportunity to learn about our new wines from afar.
In this release, we are focusing on all reds, including three NEW Conner Lee vineyard designate wines. Conner Lee is such a unique and iconic vineyard in Washington, we wanted to give this estate vineyard the tribute it's due by highlighting three fantastic red varietals we grow sustainably at this site.
Club members: You can pick up your fall allocation - a combination of new and current release wines - beginning Saturday. If you're not free Saturday, come by during open hours anytime beyond the 14th. Shippers, we'll be sending your allocation out next week, weather permitting!
*Release party details by location:
Woodinville, Walla Walla and Ellensburg release/pick-up parties are all day Saturday, Oct 14, and non-club guests are welcome too. Club members enjoy light bites with their tasting.
Gård Public House in Royal City is hosting a wine club pick-up party Sat, Oct 14, from 2-4pm, featuring tastings, complimentary light bites and a meet-and-greet with Josh and Lisa Lawrence, who look forward to discussing the new wines and what’s to come from our estate vineyards.
Chelan area club members: Christina will be hosting a pick-up party November 10, so stay tuned for details!
About the Wines
88% Grenache, 8% Mourvèdre, 4% Syrah
Remarkably sweet and spicy on the nose, the wine begins with candied cherry, macerated strawberry, sandalwood, and vanilla. Swirling brings red plums, red licorice, nutmeg, and orange peel. Beautifully rounded and luxurious, the mouthfeel is broad and full-bodied. Sexy and hedonistic, tons of brambly red and black fruits and oak spice hit you immediately after one sip. Remarkably layered, with fantastic structure and length, the wine keeps evolving in the glass to darker flavors, but without losing any tension and energy. A classic from Gård, you can enjoy this amazing Grenache-based wine now or in the next 15 years.
Suggested pairings: Herb-driven braised or roasted meat/game, hearty vegetable dishes, mild curries, Manchego, aged cheddar
86% Mourvèdre, 10% Grenache, 4% Syrah
Blueberry compote, dried sage, white pepper, candied cherry, and black olives. Swirling brings plum syrup, tangerine peel, strawberry purée, menthol, and hints of potpourri and spearmint. Medium to full-bodied, the mouthfeel has crazy good texture and freshness. Blue fruits, flowers, and herbs all dance in the mid palate, but perfect levels of tannin and acidity are framed all together in a very sophisticated manner. There’s a dusty minerality here that is typical from this vineyard site. Spicy and almost crunchy, the wine finishes extremely long, with a touch of oak spice and savoriness. Beautiful now, you can enjoy this fantastic Royal Slope Mourvèdre in the next 12 years.
Suggested pairings: Manchego, Asiago, hearty meat dishes, Herbs de Provence
100% Merlot
Black plums, black cherry, dried herbs, and mocha. Swirling brings blueberry jam, scorched vanilla, and oak spice. The mouthfeel is elegant with remarkable tension, medium to full-body, and a beautiful combination of brambly red and dark fruits. The wine moves extremely well in the mid palate, with very soft texture, medium acidity, and powdery tannins. Extremely well balanced, the finish is mouthwatering and crazy long, with a touch of sweet spices and underlying minerality. Another great Merlot from the famed Conner Lee Vineyard that, even though it is still young, you can enjoy now or in the next 15 years.
Suggested pairings: Pizza, roast turkey, leaner cuts of beef, aged goat cheese
2020 Conner Lee Cabernet Franc {WCE} $65
100% Cabernet Franc
Boysenberry, pencil shavings, ripe plums, and hints of green peppercorn. The wine opens to blackberry confiture, cherry, red licorice, and hints of violets and tobacco leaf. Extremely energetic, the mouthfeel is medium-bodied with great acidity and tension, but without losing texture and roundness. There’s an underlying minerality typical from this amazing Conner Lee site. With tons of black and red berries and surrounded by a floral lift and minty aftertaste, the wine finishes long, with a touch of citrus sweetness and hints of oak spice and mountain herbs. Beautiful now, you can enjoy this fantastic Franc for the next 15 years.
Suggested pairings: Herb-driven dishes, tomato-based sauces, roasted meat, hearty vegetable dishes, goat cheese, Camembert
2020 Conner Lee Cabernet Sauvignon {WCE} $65
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cassis, black licorice, fig paste, and mint. Swirling brings dark plums, toasted spice, violets, and dried sage. The mouthfeel is remarkably fresh and playful, with fantastic acidity and length. Ripe red fruits, oak spice, and underlying notes of tart cherries, leather, and dried herbs, the mid palate is layered and remarkably polished. The tannins here are very fine, and the aftertaste has a perfect, almost crunchy, combination of sweet and savory flavors. Elegant and bright, you can enjoy this beautiful Cabernet Sauvignon now or in the next 12 years.
Suggested pairings: Grilled meats, peppery sauces, aged cheddar
100% Syrah
Dark and savory, the Winemaker’s Select Syrah begins with blackberry jam, dark cherry, bacon fat, green olive tapenade, and oak spice. Swirling brings earthy and meaty tones, with raspberry confiture, cigar box, black licorice, grapefruit pith, tobacco leaf, and a touch of leather. Medium to full-bodied, the mouthfeel is fresh, with terrific acidity and tension. Tons of brambly red and blue fruits are framed by mouth-coating tannins and a very soft texture. Beautifully sweet with lingering acidity, the longer the wine sits in the glass, the more you get from it. Still young, this Syrah can be enjoyed now or in the next 20 years.
Suggested pairings: Grilled meats & BBQ, hamburgers, lamb, Gouda
