Tasting at Doubleback

Friday I had the opportunity to enjoy a tasting at Doubleback Winery's tasting room on Main Street, this is one I've been wanting to do for a while, since I saw the tasting room on my last trip but couldn't get an appointment.  Though a tasting wasn't in the cards then, I did order some wine from their website so I guess there was a trade off.

For those unfamiliar, Doubleback is the winery venture started by former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe in conjunction with famed Walla Walla winemaker Chris Figgins.  Before we get too far, I have to thank Hanna, who did a wonderful job leading me through the different wines.  The tasting was great, and I had a chance to learn a few things and of course taste a few things!  We tasted the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is the signature wine and although it could use a few more years in the cellar, it was tasting phenomenal right now!  It had great notes of leather, blackberry and cherry, and was a lovely big, bold Cabernet.  We also tasted the 2013 Stolen Horse Syrah, which was a great earthy Syrah that I liked very much.  Finally we tasted the 2013 Bledsoe Family wine, which is now a vintage wine as opposed to the non-vintage blend of previous years.  This is a fun one just because of the bottle, a 1-liter with a flip top cap, and a price that makes this an nice everyday red (just $38 for the liter).  Hanna mentioned that the idea for the bottle came to Mr. Bledsoe in a dream, which is a testament to his creativity that goes beyond what's in the bottle.

Perhaps the highlight of the tasting for me was the barrel tasting of the Cabernet from the Healy Vineyard and the McQueen vineyard.  The wine from these two vineyards are blended together to make the signature Cabernet Sauvignon, in this case for the 2014 vintage.  The wine from Healy was really impressive, with a lot of bold fruit, but a little on the soft side.  If I can remember correctly, Healy sits at a slightly lower elevation, while the McQueen vines are higher up, resulting in vines with quite a bit more stress, which shows up in the wine.  The McQueen fruit will really provide the backbone for the blend, providing some much needed structure to the softer Healy side.  Just a fascinating look at a deconstructed wine, or perhaps a pre-constructed wine before it comes into being.  Overall a super fun and informative tasting!

As I publish this post, I will be beginning my trip back home (man, vacation is hard work!) so you might not see another post for a little while, but never fear, I have much more to share from my trip to Walla Walla and the celebration of Washington Wine Month!