2006 Columbia Rediviva
phinny hill vineyard estate grown, horse heaven hills
55% cabernet sauvignon & 45% syrah
Columbia Rediviva is the growing centerpiece of Buty. It is a captivating and exotic blend from Washington State comprised of two classic varietals. Buty was the first Washington winery to focus on blends of cabernet sauvignon and syrah as deluxe wines. We are pleased others are following our lead in pursuing this lovely blend. 100% sourced from our estate grown vines at Phinny Hill Vineyard, Columbia Rediviva grows from one of the warmest sites in Washington. Phinny Hill consistently grows ripe wines of structurally ideal balance. The cabernet and syrah grow on the east slopes of Phinny Hill in sandy silt-loam soils which lay above layers of cobblestones from the pre-Ice Age rivers. Our blocks are chosen also for the leeward side of the hill where they are permanently protected from the forceful Columbia River winds. The grapes of the Columbia Rediviva were sorted by hand both in the vineyard and again at the winery on hand sorting tables. Then, by strict selection of the best lots, our final cellar blend this vintage was made of only 60% of the vintage yield. The Phinny Hill Vineyard cabernet sauvignon we hand harvested 115 to 130 days after flowering, starting October 12th. Harvesting began at 25°brix and pHs of 3.55 and ended with brix of 26.5 and pHs of 3.68. The syrah we harvested 110 to 120 days after flowering starting October 2nd at 25.3°brix and pH of 3.65. The cabernet was fermented on skins for twenty days, and the syrah for eleven days—both in wooden Taransaud tanks. We chose two French coopers and one American cooper for the wine and aged it in majority new barrels until bottling in August 2008. We have always then bottled aged this wine until 3 years old. The nose opens with sweet fruits, cream brulée, and syrah’s pepper notes. Powerful extracted fruits fill the palate and follow through the long finish. The naturally acids are clean and connect with smooth tannins. Like the neighboring cabernets this wine will develop its perfume fully by the seventh year of age and remain youthful until fifteen years old. I know from experience, this wine will have a long life in your cellar of twenty years or more. Columbia Rediviva was the name of the ship Captain Robert Gray sailed up the mouth of the then unnamed river while searching for the elusive Northwest Passage in 1792. As the river that connects all of the vineyards we work with at Buty, the Columbia River is a lifeline we honor as the namesake of our Columbia Rediviva wine. Nine hundred thirty cases were bottled and released September 1, 2009, for $50

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