by MtBakerDave » Tue Oct 14, 2014 1:47 pm
I just got back from another trip to Lake Chelan last weekend. It was really more of a vacation than a serious wine-scouting trip, but I did manage to get three winery visits in. We inadvertently came on Crush Festival weekend - I usually try to avoid wine festival weekends - and the tasting rooms were very crowded on Saturday.
Nefarious Cellars
For whites, we tasted Viognier, Consequence, Roussanne/Marsanne and Riesling. Consequence has been a winner for me in the past, but this year, it seems in the range of off-dryness that I don't prefer. Heather says the Sauv Blanc in the blend is done in an off-dry style, and it does taste of a very ripe Sauv Blanc style - kind of a nectarine thing going on. The Roussanne and Marsanne in the mix add some depth to the blend. The Roussanne/Marsanne on its' own was great though. In fact, I'd say it's one of the best Washington whites I've tasted in a while. It has all the broad, nutty notes I love in a good Southern Rhone wine, and it's just firm enough to carry it off. We'll have some of this in the shop this week.
For reds, we tried RX-3, a GSM blend, heavy on the M, which was OK. The two Syrahs showed better. Defiance Syrah had an appealing note of garrigue. We also got to try a bottle sample of the 12 Rocky Mother Syrah, which will be released in spring. It turns up the volume a bit, with a good dose of minerality.
Hard Row to Hoe Winery
These guys make a ton of different wines, and we only tasted through about 1/3 of what they make.
We tried Chardonnay, Gewurz, and a Riesling/Gewurz blend called 'Nauti Boy'. The blend was very good, with the Gewurz leading on the nose, but not blowsy in any way. On the palate, the Riesling took over with a dry finish. The Chardonnay had a good amount of oak but the fruit held on. Pretty good. The Gewurz was dry and just fine.
They were showing a rose, 'Shameless Hussy'. I wish it were a little more shameless! It was a sagniee of four or five varieties, and tasted like it. It was perfectly inoffensive.
We tasted Sangiovese, Primitivo, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc on the red side. One of these, the Primitivo, was very noticeably flawed, with a strong sherry note. To be fair, I should say that the fellow in the tasting room told us that the reds were all opened the day before. I don't think that explains what I tasted though. The other reds were unremarkable, except the Estate Cabernet Franc was enjoyable. Unfortunately it's also priced at $42, and at that price I expect more than merely enjoyable.
Hard Row showed us the winner of the weekend, but it wasn't wine. It was Ice Cider. Wow! This was made from Braeburn apples, frozen after harvest. It's got the full-up unctuousness of a dessert wine, with 26% RS, but it hardly comes across as sweet. The flavor profile actually leads with fresh apple acidity, and the Braeburns add a little tannin to the mix to further ramp down the cloy factor. This is $40 for a 375, and well worth it. It'll be in the shop soon, in spite of an ugly label.
Cairdeas Winery
On a previous trip, I had visited Cairdeas (say "Car-dees") and noted potential, so I really wanted to go back. They've moved into a much easier to find location, right on the road between Chelan and Manson on the north side of the lake, and will soon be planting grapes on their own property. This time, they had by far the best overall lineup of the weekend, and I now think these are the guys to watch in the Chelan AVA. They're concentrating on Rhone-style blends. We did taste on Bordeaux-style blend, with all five grape varieties, but I understand they won't be making that one any more.
The one white they were showing is called 'Southern White', a blend of Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Picpoul and Viognier. This has the nuttiness on the nose I like, but on the palate, it' bright and peachy.
The reds are TRI, Consonance (the Bordeaux blend) and Counoise. TRI is a NV blend of Grenache, Mourvedre Syrah, with a bit of Petit Sirah thrown in. Good and spicy! Consonance has all five of the Bordeaux varieties in it. Open and ready for business, and mercifully not overoaked. The Counoise was quite bright and fresh, and it seemed to be a tasting room favorite. We'll have the whole Cairdeas lineup in the shop this week.