Tasting Notes
Idiot's Grace Cabernet Franc 2007
Vineyards: Idiot’s Grace Vineyard in Mosier, OR; and Mistral Ranch (Parker’s Vineyard) in Lyle, WA. Organically grown.
Harvest: By hand, October 6 and 8, 2007
Blend: 89% Cabernet franc, 7% Sangiovese, and 4% Cabernet Sauvignon
Cooperage: Aged 16 months in 2-5 year old French barrels
Bottled: March 14, 2009
Alcohol: 13.0%
Production: 165 Cases
Tasting Notes 7/09:
“One of those wines that can make you hungry…
The creative process at this stage demands, first, that we usher to bottle a wine that is lively on the tongue. Like a trout on the line (but not a sturgeon.) Playful almost. If we can preserve this quality with a member of the Cabernet family, our work is more than half done.
What remains is the detection and assessment of aromas. Is this wine true? Have we grown fruit of character, of virtue? This part of the work is a bit like bird watching, but also a lot like livestock judging. Can we observe aspects both classic and unique? In fact, the real creative act here is the farming, which is surprisingly like parenting: all we seek (!) is that under our care the fruit is allowed, encouraged to make the most of its genetics.
Anyway, this is not your usual Washington fare. Not really Continental either. (We’re getting used to this). The drink is fragrant, “redder” in its scents than certain role model bottlings – a fact I attribute partly to the Sangiovese in the blend. I am distracted by a beckoning wisp of anise, and I follow…”
— (Brian McCormick, Winemaker)
Food accompaniment: “Hearty Fare,” beef, beef stew, stuffed cabbage, game, ham, lamb, rabbit, tripe, many cheeses
Serving Suggestion: Chill slightly before serving
When drinkable: thru 2014
Mistral Ranch 2007
Vineyards: Syrah from AnketilDown Vineyard in The Dalles, OR, and Grenache from Hannah’s Vineyard on the Mistral Ranch in Lyle, WA.
Blend: 56% Syrah /43% Grenache/1% Viognier
Fermentation:
Cooperage: 3-5 year old French oak barrels
Bottled:
Alcohol: 13.0%
pH:
T.A.: g./ml
Production: 210 cases
Tasting Notes 3/5/09:
“These young vines are beginning to produce in earnest now.
If your favorite wine were an animal, what would it be? This one might be a beetle, it’s carapace of dark scent iridescent with Rhone-ish fruit, a sleek, somewhat unfamiliar outline on your tongue…. Surely not cuddly (not a mammal) in the way of more oak-imbued Washington Syrahs. There is focus and a compelling, savory snap, if not extreme density. A glass should keep your interest from top to bottom and leave your palate unwearied.
We try to walk a thin line, seeking a “typicity” or trueness-to-type in wine from any particular grape variety. I think this wine possesses that authenticity. At the same time, we’re also longing to encounter a distinct trait or mood emerging from the fruit we farm at our own place, the “signature” of the site. Stay tuned.”
— (Brian McCormick, Winemaker)
Food accompaniment: Steak, Game, Indian food, hard cheese, grilled vegetables, Duck, Rabbit, Stews, Pizza and Casseroles
Serving Suggestion: Comfortably cooler than room temperature
When drinkable: Thru 2013
Estate Barbera 2008 (formerly “York's Reward”)
Vineyards: (Estate) Idiot’s Grace Vineyard (Mosier, OR) @ 300 ft. elevation, Mistral Ranch (Parker’s Vineyard), Lyle, @1000 ft. both in the Columbia Gorge AVA.
Cultivation: Organically grown Barbera, Primitivo and Dolcetto from Mosier, and some organic Barbera grapes from Lyle.
Blend: 87% Barbera /7% Primitivo/6%Dolcetto
Cooperage: 3-4 year old French oak barrels
Bottled: 1/30/10
Alcohol: 13.0%
Production: 140 cases
Tasting Notes 3/1/10:
“Fruity and frisky and straightforward. I think of this is as “light-duty” Barbera, and you probably need to own some. (Consider a case purchase.) Here’s why: I propose that this wine does for you what wine should do for you most days of the week. True, 2008 was in no mood to make things easy on this juice (though as always, it smelled indescribably delicious coming off the press.) But the wine is fresh and easy-drinking, flavorful but not particularly alcoholic, and without a lick of oak influence. By tradition, this wine would be sold by the carafe. Equally good at lunch or dinner, with just about any fare (I had a glass with tomatillo soup the other night, and things were pretty harmonious.) Not something that will burden your intellect unduly.
Estate-grown, mostly over in Mosier (OR)….”
— (Brian McCormick, Winemaker)
Food accompaniment: Summer tomato dishes, pesto, risotto, Italian tomato sauce dishes, barbecue, hamburgers, beef, stuffed peppers, even salmon
Serving Suggestion: Comfortably cooler than room temperature
When drinkable: Thru 2014
Trevitt's White 2008
Vineyards : Viognier from McKinley Springs vineyard in Horse Heaven Hills, and Chardonnay from White Salmon Vineyards on Underwood Mountain in the Columbia Gorge AVA
Blend: 56% Viognier/44% Chardonnay
Cooperage: Stainless Steel
Bottled: 11/20/10
Alcohol: 13.0%
Production: 170 Cases
Tasting Notes 3/1/10:
“It is not the same, making red wines and making whites. Of course there are good and bad wines in both colors, and standouts (on either extreme) are equally able to make their impression on the taster. But I like the restricted pallet of whites, the absence of anything much to hide behind. Lacking opacity and tannin, and often oak, these wines are viewed bare.
They are comparatively simple in composition--spare arrangements of fragrance and acidity--and getting the balance right is a compelling challenge. Harvest decisions become particularly important, for example. Whites can demand more of the drinker, too, like appreciating the quality of light in a photograph or landscape as much as the subject itself.
The 2008 Trevitt’s White combines Viognier and Chardonnay, with emphasis this year on the former. It’s a trans-Gorge affair; up-river Viognier (McKinley Springs) and up-slope Chardonnay (Underwood Mountain). Aroma, and structure. No oak. Vibrant.”
— (Brian McCormick, Winemaker)
Food accompaniment: Salads, Chicken dishes, shellfish, charcuterie, sushi, salty foods, many vegetable dishes, fruit
Serving Suggestion: Chill before serving (not too cold)
When drinkable: thru 2013