CellarTracker!™

Search: (advanced)


External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher

Vintages
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2006

From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
  Home | All Cellars | Tasting Notes | Reports | UsersHelp | Member Sign In 
  >> USE THE NEW CELLARTRACKER <<


 Vintage2008 Label 1 of 10 
TypeRed
ProducerFall Line Winery (web)
VarietyRed Bordeaux Blend
Designationn/a
VineyardBoushey Vineyard
CountryUSA
RegionWashington
SubRegionColumbia Valley
AppellationYakima Valley

Drinking Windows and Values
Drinking window: Drink between 2013 and 2018 (based on 12 user opinions)

Community Tasting History

Community Tasting Notes (average 89.7 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 7 notes) - hiding notes with no text

 Tasted by dleaf on 10/30/2013 & rated 90 points: Drinking well right now. (1511 views)
 Tasted by dleaf on 3/29/2013 & rated 90 points: Very enjoyable! (1591 views)
 Tasted by kwn70 on 12/25/2012 & rated 91 points: No formal notes taken. Consumed with a Christmas prime rib. Drinking quite well right now. (1724 views)
 Tasted by rdriver on 10/28/2012 & rated 89 points: Opening notes of white pepper and cedar, with good bouquet. Opens nicely over the course of the evening, but I would reserve this wine for a greek salad opener rather than a dinner pairing. (1966 views)
 Tasted by garambler on 4/14/2012 & rated 90 points: Friends and I tasted this at the winery on 4/14/12. It had a pleasant, expressive bouquet of dried herb, spice, black cherry, black currant and toast aromas. The palate was tart and dry with flavors that followed the nose. It wasn’t nearly as impressive as last year…Me or the wine? 89+ (1946 views)
 Tasted by garambler on 6/17/2011 & rated 92 points: I tasted this at Wicked Cellars on 6/17/11. It had a terrific oaky bouquet of violet, cassis, cedar, toast, spice and smoke aromas. The palate was rich ripe and oaky with flavors that followed the nose. 91+ (990 views)

Professional 'Channels'
By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, November/December 2011, IWC Issue #159
(Fall Line Winery Red Wine Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley) Subscribe to see review text.
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels)

CellarTracker Wiki Articles (login to edit | view all articles)

Fall Line Winery

Producer website

Fall Line Winery is owned and operated by winemaker Tim Sorenson and his wife, Nancy Rivenburgh. Nancy is a professor of communications. Now retired from his 'day job' as an economics professor, Tim has been professionally involved with wine for many years.

Tim's romance with wine advanced in earnest in summer 2000 when he completed Introduction to Winemaking, given by the Department of Viticulture and Enology at the University of California-Davis. In May 2001, Tim joined the staff of a specialty wine shop in the heart of downtown Seattle. There part-time for more than three years, he tasted and studied his way to a more intimate familiarity with the world of wine, and he became acquainted with esteemed local winemakers, including Benjamin Smith of Cadence Winery.

In fall 2002, Tim embarked on what was to become a two-year 'vinternship' with Cadence Winery. From the beginning, Ben welcomed Tim's involvement in every aspect of winemaking—from making trips to the vineyards to inspect vines and sample the fruit to running analytical tests on juice and wine samples, crushing, pressing, racking, bottling, and all the other attendant activities of winemaking.

For as long as he has been enjoying wine, Tim has had a tremendous appreciation for its artistic and cultural aspects. He is especially intrigued, though, by its science. Since completing the Davis course, Tim has amassed a significant collection of texts and other references on viticulture, enology, and the world of wine—which he continues to actively study. And as time allows, he attends professional seminars, conferences and trade shows to stay abreast of the very latest in the industry.

Tim and Nancy founded Fall Line Winery, LLC, in June 2003. The winery was licensed and bonded in summer 2004, when it moved into its present location in the eclectic South Seattle neighborhood of Georgetown.

In perhaps its most common usage, 'fall line' refers to the natural line of descent on a slope. For Tim and Nancy, both avid skiers since early childhood, 'fall line' evokes the image of a perfectly balanced skier, gracefully descending a slope of deep, fluffy powder—leaving behind a beautifully carved swoosh. It's what they aspire to on the slopes...and what they instill in their wines: Balance. Grace. Depth.

2008 Fall Line Winery Boushey Vineyard

Blend: 43% Cabernet Franc, 29% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon
Vineyards: 100% //Boushey Vineyard//
AVA: Yakima Valley
Aging: 18 months in French oak, 31% new
Bottled: May 2, 2010
Production: 319 cases

Red Bordeaux Blend

Red Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.

Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.

USA

American wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.

Washington

Washington Wine Commission | Credit to Washingtonwine.org for this article

Washington Wine
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.

Wineries
With 30,000+ acres planted, the state has ideal geography and conditions for growing premium vinifera wine grapes. Primarily grown on their own root stocks, the vines produce grapes of consistent quality, resulting in strong vintages year after year. While its focus is on Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, the region also produces a wide range of other spectacular whites and reds.

Growers
Winemakers from all over the world have chosen to establish themselves in Washington, where they can create wines reflecting this region's unique characteristics. Their hand-crafted wines are receiving wide acclaim from critics regionally, nationally and internationally for their consistently high quality. Many of them have received scores of 90 and above from the major wine media. Overall this is a higher percentage than other leading wine regions.

Regions
As the state's fourth largest fruit crop, the Washington wine industry is an important contributor to the long-term preservation of Washington agriculture. The industry is committed to sustainable agricultural practices and conservation of water resources.
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.

Varieties
Washington produces more than 20 wine grape varieties - a ratio of 56 percent white to 44 percent red. As the industry matures and experiments, it finds many grape varieties that thrive throughout Washington's microclimates. There are more than 16,000 vineyard acres of red wine varieties statewide.

History & Vintages
Washington's wine future is limitless. As consumers discover the quality of Washington wines, demand continues to grow nationally and internationally. New acreage and wine varietals are being planted and new wineries are opening at a remarkable pace. Washington State is recognized as a premium viticultural region around the world.

State Facts
Washington's wine industry generates more than $3 billion to the state economy. It employs more than 14,000 people, directly and indirectly, with projections to add nearly 2,000 more jobs by 2006. In terms of tax revenues accrued to the state and federal government, wine grapes are among the highest tax generators of any agricultural crops. Furthermore, Washington wine tourism attracts nearly two million visitors annually contributing to the positive growth of local and regional economies.
Washington State - the perfect climate for wine = ideal growing conditions, quality wines, business innovation, lifestyle, and social responsibility. All are key elements of this world-class wine industry.

Vintages
"2008 and even more so 2010 and 2011 were cool, even cold vintages (think: 2002 in the Barossa) without the extreme ripeness, extract and higher alcohol that had become the norm in the state’s post 1995 world. 2008 was manageable but the duo of 2010/2011 nearly caused a “great depression” in Washington State." - Jon Rimmerman

Columbia Valley

Columbia Cascade Winery Association

The Columbia Valley AVA lies mostly in Washington state, with a small section in Oregon. The Cascade Range forms its western boundary with the Palouse regions bordering the area to the east. To the north, the Okanogan National Forest forms a border with the AVA and Canada. It encompasses the valleys formed by the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Walla Walla River, the Snake River, and the Yakima River. The Columbia valley stretches between the 46th parallel and 47th parallel which puts it in line with the well known French wine growing regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. The northern latitude gives the areas two more hours of additional daylight during the summer growing season than wine regions of California receive. The volcanic and sandy loam soil of the valley offers good drainage and is poor in nutrients, ideal in forcing the vine to concentrate its resources into the grape clusters.

Yakima Valley

Wine Yakima Valley

 
© 2003-24 CellarTracker! LLC. All rights reserved. "CellarTracker!" is a trademark of CellarTracker! LLC. No part of this website may be used, reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission of CellarTracker! LLC. (Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.) - Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook