- > My first trip to Walla Walla
My first trip to Walla Walla
Walla Walla, Washington
Tasted Thursday, May 12, 2022 - Saturday, May 14, 2022 by Eric with 718 views
Flight 1 - Woodward Canyon (6 Notes)
We stopped on the way into town, classic, oaky, old school Walla Walla.
Flight 2 - L’Ecole Heritage Wine Bar (1 Note)
We shared a bottle before dinner at the lovely wine bar off the lobby of the Marcus Whitman.
2013 L'Ecole No. 41 Apogée Pepper Bridge Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/12/2022)
60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 15% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc. Saturated, perfumed, pleasing, smooth, tart berry, black cherry with nice acidity.
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Flight 3 - Figgins (at Leonetti) (3 Notes)
We started our day with a visit to the cave and cellar at Leonetti with Chris Figgins.
2021 Toil Oregon Pinot Noir Rosé
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
(5/13/2022)
Sulphur. Mineral. Pretty wound up right now.
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2018 Figgins Estate Red Wine
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/13/2022)
Mmmmm, saturated purple, perfumed, nice structure, really fresh acidity, silky but lingering tannins.
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2015 Leonetti Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon Walla Walla Valley
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/13/2022)
Mmmm, juicy, raspberry, floral, racy, spicy, candied red fruit. Very Walla Walla, very Leonetti but so much more delicate than than the wines from 20 years ago. Nice!
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Flight 4 - Rôtie Cellars (7 Notes)
I have always enjoyed these wines, so it was lovely to visit and taste through a nice portion of the lineup.
2021 Rôtie Cellars Rosé
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/13/2022)
85% Syrah and 15% Mourvedre. Juicy, really nice rosé, clean, tangy. A bit of bubble-gum but finishes out salty.
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2021 Rôtie Cellars Southern White
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
(5/13/2022)
70% Viognier, 20% Marsanne, 10% Roussanne. Floral, exotic, very Viognier in character. Really nice white! They use the Marsanne and Roussanne to bring more acidity to the blend, and it really works well.
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2020 Rôtie Cellars Southern Blend
USA, Washington
(5/13/2022)
65% Grenache, 25% Syrah, 10% Mourvedre. Juicy, smoky, strawberry, a bit candied, lots of acid. My Grenache bias leans strongly to Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but this has some nice funk to it.
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2020 Rôtie Cellars Northern Blend
USA, Oregon, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
(5/13/2022)
95% Syrah and 5% Viognier. Knockout nose, smoky, and floral. Mmm, sultry palate, nice texture, a really black and brooding expression of Syrah. I really enjoyed this.
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2021 Rôtie Cellars Bubbly Rosé
USA, Washington
(5/13/2022)
85% Syrah and 15% Grenache. 11.5% Alcohol. Frothy, juicy, airy. Very refreshing.
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2019 Rôtie Cellars Grenache "Big G"
USA, Oregon, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
(5/13/2022)
Wild, feral nose that is loaded with Rocks funk. Tons of strawberry character. Pure, laser-focused.
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2019 Rôtie Cellars Syrah Love Rocks Tablas
USA, Oregon, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
(5/13/2022)
Mmmm, loaded with black pepper, really proper Syrah, silky, a hint of sweetness but then leans savory, deep and long. Really impressive.
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Flight 5 - Force Majeure (6 Notes)
It is funny to read my notes which seem pretty pleased. In reality, while these are really well made wines, stylistically they are way over the top for me. Much too concentrated, some of the wines almost sweet.
2019 Force Majeure Parabellum Coulée Rhone Blend
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
(5/13/2022)
Saturated, lightly sweet, polished, pretty
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2017 Force Majeure Parvata Force Majeure Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
(5/13/2022)
Serious. Dark, smoky, grippy, quite nice.
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2019 Force Majeure Syrah Force Majeure Vineyard Red Mountain
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
(5/13/2022)
Spicy, really deep, nice Syrah, blue fruited, saturated.
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2019 Force Majeure Epinette
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
(5/13/2022)
Right bank blend. Very oaky. Saturated. Sweet.
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2019 Force Majeure Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
(5/13/2022)
Blackberry, hyper saturated, oaky.
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2020 Holocene Pinot Gris
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley
(5/13/2022)
A very dark Pinot Gris with some acknowledged smoke taint. It is interesting as an oddity for now, but I would not want this in my cellar.
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Flight 6 - Delmas (and SJR Vineyard tour) (3 Notes)
We started with 2 hours in the SJR vineyard with Steve Robertson and then went to Rasa to taste the Delmas and Rasa wines. Steve is a madman of the best kind, and SJR is a special site.
2018 Delmas Viognier SJR Vineyard
USA, Oregon, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
(5/13/2022)
Classic aromatics, fireworks, 100% new French oak, amazing that the wine easily handles the oak, really lovely.
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2019 Delmas Syrah SJR Vineyard
USA, Oregon, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
(5/13/2022)
13.5% alcohol with 7.5% Viognier. Smoky, charcoal on the nose. So feminine, so Rocks, deeply savory, very Syrah in personality.
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2019 Delmas The Peddler SJR Vineyard
USA, Oregon, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
(5/13/2022)
100% new French oak, whole cluster, from magnum. Stalk and mineral on the nose. More masculine with more concentration than the regular Syrah. I love this, really special, it is getting more complex each time I go back to the glass.
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Flight 7 - Rasa (6 Notes)
It was lovely to taste with Billo, and I found most of these wines to be exceptional and really in the wheelhouse of the style I enjoy.
2018 Rasa Vineyards Veritas Sequitur Grenache Syrah SJR Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/13/2022)
78% Grenache and 22% Syrah. Lovely raspberry and white pepper.
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2018 Rasa Vineyards Syrah Principia Reserve
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/13/2022)
A slightly off note on the nose, but this blows off.
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2017 Rasa Vineyards Syrah Veritas Sequitur SJR Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/13/2022)
100% whole cluster, 100% French oak. This was fun to taste after the 2019 Delmas. While that wine was more reminiscent of Cote-Rotie, this was Hermitage all the way. Smoky, very Syrah, black fruit. Really excellent.
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2017 Rasa Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon For The Love of The Game
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Horse Heaven Hills
(5/13/2022)
Nice Cabernet, green/leafy notes, black cherry. Excellent balance.
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2018 Rasa Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Plus One Kiona Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
(5/13/2022)
Less green, more Red Mountain, black fruit but still with nice acidity, a bit more ripe than the For The Love of The Game, quite nice.
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2016 Rasa Vineyards Fianchetto XL Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/13/2022)
47% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc. Pretty classic Walla Walla, candied red fruit, surprisingly tannic.
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Flight 8 - Reynvaan (6 Notes)
There was a little confusion, and our appointment didn't make it into their tasting book. However, with some social media sleuthing we were able to track down Mike and Matt who came and hosted us for a lovely tasting. I love what they are doing, and we could have stayed and tasted all day and been happy.
2019 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Grenache Blanc
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
Lemon, fresh, actually incredibly refreshing. Just 12.2% alcohol and so vibrant. Everyone loved this.
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2017 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah Foothills Reserve
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
13.9% Mmmm, smoky, leafy, salty, savory, racy, in the style of Cornas
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2017 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah Stonessence
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
14.3% More of a blackberry profile. Still has tons of the smoky, wonderful, meaty aspect of Syrah.
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2016 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah In the Rocks
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
Blended with 5% Viognier. Funky Rocks nose! The palate is pretty locked up and restrained, but this is juicy with nice inner mouth perfume. Patience.
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2017 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah The Contender In the Rocks
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
4-6% Marsanne. A bit of sulphur. Quite round yet still racy with so much cut and precision. There is an impressive richness brought on by the Marsanne.
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2018 Reynvaan Family Vineyards Syrah Stonessence
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
Some sulphur. Super juicy. Pretty locked up at this stage.
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Flight 9 - Gramercy Cellars (8 Notes)
Reading my notes, they generally seem OK. The reality though is I was pretty disappointed with a number of the wines, especially the Syrah. They just seemed to lack concentration and were even more restrained than I expected.
2021 Gramercy Cellars Rosé Olsen Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
(5/14/2022)
52% Cinsault 24% Grenache 24% Syrah. I didn't have any notes on this. It was basic and clean.
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2019 Gramercy Cellars Grenache The Third Man
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
(5/14/2022)
75% Grenache 15% Syrah 10% Mourvedre. Green and weedy.
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2017 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Walla Walla Valley
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
Coloring inside the lines. Fine. A basic Syrah.
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2018 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Holy Roller Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
5% Viognier and 70% whole cluster. Juicy, fairly tasty, but the weight and intensity here are more akin to Pinot Noir than Syrah. Some underripe, underweight and lacking tipicity.
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2014 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Forgotten Hills Vineyard
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
Black olive, tapenade, marine. This is nice.
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2018 Gramercy Cellars Syrah Lagniappe
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
(5/14/2022)
More structure but still quite lean. When I think of the Betz La Côte Patriarche which is also from Red Willow Vineyard, I am not even sure how these are from the same site.
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2018 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Columbia Valley
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
(5/14/2022)
Black cherry, nice, juicy, proper.
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2018 Gramercy Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
(5/14/2022)
Mmm, juicy black cherry, dry and toothsome tannins. I quite like this.
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Flight 10 - Doubleback (3 Notes)
A nice visit. Quite corporate.
2020 Doubleback Merlot
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
Round and ready, fresh, a nice Merlot. Nice acidity. Cocoa and cherry.
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2019 Doubleback Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
87% Cabernet Sauvignon 6% Merlot 4% Petit Verdot 3% Malbec. Very pure, clean, licorice, red fruit. Nice, leafy aromatics, tobacco, some oak. Very well made.
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2019 Bledsoe Family Winery Cabernet Sauvignon
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
75% Cabernet Sauvignon 13% Merlot 11% Malbec 1% Cabernet Franc. Cassis, tobacco, super fresh cab. Black cherry with pure fruit. Less oaky than the Doubleback.
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Flight 11 - Valdemar (2 Notes)
Well the Tapas was outstanding!
2018 Bodegas Valdemar Rioja Conde de Valdemar Crianza
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(5/14/2022)
Not good. Raisin and fig. Better with the tapas but still way too much dried fruit character.
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2012 Bodegas Valdemar Rioja Conde de Valdemar Reserva
Spain, La Rioja, La Rioja Alta, Rioja
(5/14/2022)
80% Tempranillo, 10% Graciano, 5% Maturana, 5% Garnacha. A huge step up from the Crianza. Fresh, powerful, juicy.
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Flight 12 - The Walls and Pášxa (7 Notes)
2021 The Walls Vineyards Cruel Summer
USA, Oregon/Washington, Columbia Gorge
(5/14/2022)
French Creek Vineyard, Yakima Valley. Beautiful, dry, watermelon, mineral.
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2020 The Walls Vineyards Chardonnay Martin's Gold
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Yakima Valley
(5/14/2022)
French Creek Vineyard, Yakima Valley. Spiced, poached pear. Quite sweet.
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2018 The Walls Vineyards Mahana
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
River Rock Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley. Sappy, red fruit, but a touch sweet. Interesting, not great. 30% Grenache which explains the sweetness.
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2019 The Walls Vineyards Bellamy
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/14/2022)
River Rock Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley. Quite ripe, raspberry ganache. 5-10% Petit Verdot, some nice and juicy acidity.
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2019 The Walls Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Curiositas
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
(5/14/2022)
Deep black fruit, sweet, sweet core. Savage tannins.
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2019 The Walls Vineyards Stanley Groovy
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain
(5/14/2022)
Powerful, structured, juicy, a nice kick in the teeth.
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2019 Pášxa Syrah SJR Vineyard
USA, Oregon, The Rocks District of Milton-Freewater
(5/14/2022)
This brings the Rocks funk. Sweet, white pepper, quite meaty.
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2020 Woodward Canyon Chardonnay
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/12/2022)
Sort of "popcorn" creamy. Rich, hot palate. I like the aromatics and some nice slate. Not really my style overall but a well made wine.
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NV Woodward Canyon Red Table Wine
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
(5/12/2022)
The so called "NV Pizza Wine", a psychotic blend of 43% Cabernet Franc, 15% Barbera, 12% Dolcetto, 8% Syrah, 6% Merlot, 6% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Mourvedre, 2% Chardonnay, and 2% Sauvignon Blanc. This is not a wine of distinction, but it is quite juicy, fun and fresh. A good wine for a BBQ.
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2019 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Franc Estate
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/12/2022)
Green. Candied. Sweet. Sort of everything I have not liked about Walla Walla historically.
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2019 Woodward Canyon Merlot Estate Walla Walla Valley
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley
(5/12/2022)
Meh. Spicy.
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2019 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Artist Series
USA, Washington, Columbia Valley
(5/12/2022)
Here we go. Pretty classic. Oak, black fruit, some vegetal spice. Nice!
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2017 Woodward Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon Old Vines
USA, Washington
(5/12/2022)
Serious Cab! Lots of oak but balanced with tons of fruit and structure. If If I hadn't tasted some older Old Vines wines over the years I might be worried, but I am confident this will turn into a beautiful wine that easily handles the oak.
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