2021 Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet Franc

Happy Saturday!  I have been trying to relax today after two busy days of volunteer work as well as some near disasters with my plumbing and A/C on Wednesday, it's been a challenging week to say the least.  And that my friends is why the Lord gave us wine to cheer our hearts.  Tonight I've opened up a wine club exclusive bottle from Seven Hills, one of my all time favorite wineries in the Walla Walla Valley.  The 2021 Seven Hills Walla Walla Cabernet Franc is a 100% Cabernet Franc sourced entirely from the Walla Walla AVA of Washington.  So, let's see how this wine is tasting!

The wine is a lovely deep ruby color in the glass with excellent clarity.  A gentle swirl of the glass releases aromas of black cherry, vanilla bean and toffee with undertones of peppercorn and a hint of sage.  As the first sip washes over your palate, a rush of ripe cherry, black raspberry and plum tickle your senses, before evolving into some earthy notes of graphite and black pepper spice midpalate.  The tannins are soft but well integrated, providing for a luxurious, smooth dry finish that seems to linger until you next sip.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9, as it's an excellent example of pure bottling of what is historically a blending varietal, providing room for the grape to shine and highlight some of the wonderful characteristics of Walla Walla fruit.  This wine would pair well with a variety of dishes, from steaks and chops to pasta Bolognese, barbecued ribs to spicy chicken fajitas.  Tonight, I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled ribeye, with grilled hatch chiles and poblano peppers, and oven roasted rainbow carrots.  Cheers!

2017 SHW Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Happy Saturday!  Today was a fortunate day as I managed to get to the UPS store to finally pick up my wine club shipment from Seven Hills Winery!  These shipments usually go to my office, but with the pandemic and office closure, it was a bit of logistical gymnastics to finally get this shipment home to me, but it should be well worth it!  Tonight I've opened one of the two wines in this club shipment, the 2017 SHW Founding Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.  This wine is produced from the first significant Cabernet and Merlot planting in the Walla Walla Valley, and in the case of this wine, from the original estate founding Cabernet blocks planted by the McClellan Family in the early 1980s.  So, let's see how this old vine wine is tasting!

The wine is a deep garnet color in the glass, as you might expect from a well-built Cabernet.  The nose exudes subtle aromatics of blackberry, lavender and bit of vanilla, none of which are overpowering, suggesting a more elegantly structured wine.  The taste is a rush of ripe blackberry, marionberry and cherry that just coat your palate with velvety richness, before transitioning to some peppercorn and bay leaf midpalate.  The tannins are just expertly structured, to provide a fine network of support for the long, velvety dry finish that has you reaching for more.

Overall, I would rate this wine a solid 9.5, as it is easily the best Walla Walla Cabernet I've tasted this year.  This wine has characteristic old world styling that exemplifies the Walla Walla Valley, and would pair well with a variety of dishes from grilled steaks to wild salmon, mushroom risotto to lamb.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with a rare grilled prime ribcap, on a bed of grilled leeks, with some grilled white asparagus and a bit baked potato.  Cheers!

2014 Forgeron Facon Rouge

Happy Wine Wednesday!  I just got back from the gym and am ready for a nice dinner and a glass of wine.  Tonight I've decided to open a recent wine club selection from Forgeron Cellars in Walla Walla, the 2014 Facon Rouge.  This wine is a GSM blend of Syrah (58%), Mourvedre (26%) and Grenache (16%) from the Columbia Valley of Washington, so let's see how this one stacks up!

The wine is a deep ruby color in the glass.  The nose is a lovely cascade of fresh herbs, peppercorn, berries and a bit of smoke.  The taste is a lovely combination of ripe berries up front along with some wonderful spice notes that transitions nicely to some notes of bergamot and tea leaves.  The tannins are young but nicely structured for the long, smooth and voluptuous finish that simply beckons you for another sip.

Overall, I would rate this one a solid 8, as it's a very young GSM blend with some good potential to improve with a bit of time in the cellar.  This would pair well with a variety of dishes from summer barbecue to hearty pasta.  Tonight I am enjoying this wine with some Trader Joe's lobster ravioli with some pesto cream sauce topped with shaved parmesan and a baby arugula salad.  Cheers!

2012 Seven Hills McClellan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

HAPPY HALLOWINE!!!  Ok, so I left work and got right home to carve a pumpkin and get ready for all the ghosts and goblins to come asking for candy from 6-8 pm, and the pumpkin is carved, seeds are in the oven and now it's time for a glass of wine before the chaos begins!  And tonight I've opened a bottle of my most recent wine club selection from Seven Hills Winery in Walla Walla (one of my favorites!), the 2012 McClellan Estate Cabernet Sauvignon!

The wine is a lovely deep violet in the glass with great clarity.  The nose is quite nice, with aromas of leather over some ripe boysenberry and cherry notes and just a hint of dried herbs.  The taste is just wonderful, with a rather subdued bit of fruit up front, berries and cherry that quickly gives way to some lovely mineral notes midpalate, dusty limestone and basalt and a bit of peppercorn.  The tannins are young but very well integrated, lending a bit of spice and velvelty mouthfeel for the long, smooth dry finish.

Overall I would rate this wine a solid 8.5, with plenty of room to improve with some time in the cellar.  It was also a lot less expensive than I expected, with a list price of $45 and with my wine club discount it was only $38!  Maybe not an everyday wine, but for a special occasion like Hallowine, it's ideal!  Tonight I'm just having a glass with handing-out-candy duty, but it would be ideal with a nice steak or a hearty Italian meal, but for tonight, considering the kids are coming soon and it just started snowing (SNOWING?!?!?) it's just fine by itself.  Cheers!