Tag Archives: Forgeron

60 Second Wine Review–Gordon Cabernet Sauvignon

Published on March 23, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2014 Gordon Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from the Columbia Valley.

The Geekery

The roots of Gordon Estate date back to 1980 when brothers Jeff and Bill Gordon followed the suggestion of Dr. Walter Clore, the Father of the Washington wine industry, to plant grapevines on a south-facing slope east of Pasco that overlooked the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. A winery was up and running by 1983 and today Gordon Estate is one of the oldest family owned wineries in Washington that focuses on estate grown fruit.

Paul Gregutt notes in Washington Wines, that during the early years of the vineyard, Gordon would sell some of their grapes to esteemed wineries like Leonetti, Woodward Canyon, Dunham, L’Ecole 41 and Waterbrook but as their production grew the winery eventually began keeping all their estate fruit to themselves.

Since Bill Gordon retired in 1998, Gordon Estate has gone through a succession of winemakers that have included Marie-Eve Gilla (now of Forgeron), Tim Henley (formerly of Pine Ridge in Napa), Tyler Tennyson (now with Dunham) and, since 2016, Hillary Sjolund who is heading the winemaking team as part of Charlie Hoppes’ Wine Boss consulting firm.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon was aged 18 months in a combination of French and American oak barrels. Around 3900 cases were made.

The Wine

Medium intensity. A mix of black fruits and tobacco spice. Around the edges there is a little black licorice spice as well.

Plenty of black currants and tobacco spice in this textbook Washington Cab.

On the palate those dark fruits become more defined as cassis and blackberries. The tobacco spice also come through but brings a leafy green element underneath that is intriguing. Medium acidity and medium-plus tannins amply balance the fruit. Moderate length finish.

The Verdict

This is a well made wine that seems to fluctuate in price quite a bit from $16 up to $30.

In my opinion, this is a very solid Washington Cab in the $20-25 range so this can be either a great deal or just okay in value.

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60 Second Wine Review — Hence Syrah

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews, Washington wine, Wine reviews

Published on March 21, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2015 Hence Syrah from Walla Walla.

The Geekery

Hence Cellars was founded in 2001 when Henderson Orchard and his father, Willis ”Papa” Orchard, planted their Powerline Estate Vineyard in the foothills of the Blue Mountain.

The 2005 vintage was the first release of Hence Cellars wine with Troy Ledwick, a protege of Stan Clarke from the Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture program and formerly of Basel Cellars, Forgeron and Long Shadows, assisting the Orchards.

In addition to their Powerline Vineyard that is planted to Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, the Orchards also own the Ruzzuti Estate Vineyard that was planted in 2000 with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

The 2015 Hence Syrah is 100% Walla Walla Syrah with around 112 cases produced.

The Wine

High intensity nose. Pop and pour this just starts jumping out of the glass with black plums, pepper spice and a savory-sweet tamarind chutney note. In the background are some blue floral notes that aren’t very defined.

The savory-sweet note of tamarind chutney in this Syrah is very mouthwatering.

On the palate, those dark fruits carry through with the savory-sweet tamarind note bringing a meaty element along with it. Still, overall, fruit dominant but I can see the interplay of the savory elements coming out even more after some bottle aging. Mouthwatering medium-plus acidity balances the ripe full-bodied fruit very well and adds freshness. The medium-plus tannins contribute to the big mouthfeel but are quite ripe and smooth. Moderate length finish at this point ends with the black plums and pepper spice.

The Verdict

At around $30-35, this is a scrumptious Walla Walla Syrah that is drinking quite well now but is still on the young side. Beautiful balance with the fruit taking the forefront in its youth but the promise of more savory and complex tertiary flavors lurking in the background.

It’s a great value now for a delicious Washington Syrah but I can see this jumping up another level in 2-3 years that will make it even more outstanding of a deal.

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60 Second Wine Review — Avennia Gravura

Amber LeBeau in 60 Second Reviews, Washington wine, Wine reviews

Published on March 18, 2018

A few quick thoughts on the 2011 Avennia Gravura from the Columbia Valley.

The Geekery

Avennia was founded in 2010 by Marty Taucher, an alum of the Northwest Wine Academy, and Chris Peterson, a protege of Stan Clarke and Walla Walla Community College’s Enology and Viticulture program.

Prior to starting Avennia, Peterson worked at Dunham Cellars, Forgeron and Glen Fiona in Walla Walla before joining Chris Upchurch at DeLille Cellars for seven years. In addition to his work with Avennia, Peterson also makes the wine for Dan Marino and Damon Huard at Passing Time Winery.

The 2011 Gravura is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon, 29% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc that spent 20 months aging in 50% new French oak. Around 625 cases were made.

The fruit for Gravura is usually sourced from the Sagemoor Vineyard in Columbia Valley and Klipsun Vineyard, owned by the Teralto Wine Group, on Red Mountain. In 2011, the wine also included some Cabernet Sauvignon from Efeste’s Angela’s Vineyard.

The Wine

Medium-plus intensity nose. A mix of dark and red fruits–currants and berries–with some savory “roasted chicken herbs” like rosemary and thyme. There is also a very Bordeaux-like cedar cigar box note in the background.

The savory roasted chicken herbs add to the complexity of this wine.

On the palate, that same mix of dark and red fruits carry through but the savory herbal notes gets more smokey with some of the Cab Franc graphite pencil lead also emerging. Medium-plus acidity keeps the palate very fresh and mouthwatering. The medium-plus tannins are soft at this point but still very much present and balanced very well by the full-bodied fruit. Long finish.

The Verdict

The cool 2011 vintage in Washington often gets overlooked–especially being followed by the “Goldilocks” 2012 vintage–but the truism that “good winemakers make good wine even in rough vintages” is still very apt. Like with several of the 2011 Betz wines I recently reviewed, this 2011 Avennia Gravura is blossoming and drinking in its prime right now.

At around $35-40, this is a terrific Bordeaux style blend that is well worth finding.