Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Reminding me of a hypothetical mix of blood and herbs (blood sausage?), with notes of earth, mushrooms, rose petal and strawberries, the 2014 Grenache Sur Echalas Vineyard is full-bodied, exotic and seamless, with building tannin and a gorgeous saltiness on the finish. Like these latest 2014s, it opens up with time in the glass, has a layered, elegant and incredibly long finish, and perfectly polished tannin. It's not Rayas, it's not Chateauneuf du Pape, it's an incredible, singular wine that stands on its own.
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas explode with notes of potpourri, olive, smoked meat, fire pit, orange peel, mineral, mushroom, garrigue and white pepper. The palate is lifted, bright but intensely flavored, loaded with flower, berry, olive and charcuterie flavors. The finish seems near endless and the sense of balance is exquisite. It's shockingly good.
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Wine Spectator
Expressive and distinctive, with smoky meat, raspberry and garrigue aromas and gracefully complex cherry, olive and crushed stone flavors that linger toward refined tannins. Drink now through 2023.
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James Suckling
Intense meat, dried-flower and plum aromas follow through to a full body, round and soft tannins and a tangy finish. Hints of asphalt at the end. Complex subtlety. Drink now.
Grenache thrives in any warm, Mediterranean climate where ample sunlight allows its clusters to achieve full phenolic ripeness. While Grenache's birthplace is Spain (there called Garnacha), today it is more recognized as the key player in the red blends of the Southern Rhône, namely Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes du Rhône and its villages. Somm Secret—The Italian island of Sardinia produces bold, rustic, single varietal Grenache (there called Cannonau). California, Washington and Australia have achieved found success with Grenache, both flying solo and in blends.
Responsible for some of Washington’s most highly acclaimed wines, the Walla Walla Valley has experienced a surge in popularity in recent years and is home to both historic wineries and younger, up-and-coming producers.
The Walla Walla Valley, a Native American name meaning “many waters,” is located in southeastern Washington; part of the appellation actually extends into Oregon. Soils here are well-drained, sandy loess over Missoula Flood deposits and fractured basalt.
It is a region perfectly suited to Rhône-inspired Syrahs, distinguished by savory notes of red berry, black olive, smoke and fresh earth. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot create a range of styles from smooth and supple to robust and well-structured. White varieties are rare but some producers blend Sauvignon Blanc with Sémillon, resulting in a rich and round style, and plantings of Viognier, while minimal, are often quite successful.
Of note within Walla Walla, is one new and very peculiar appellation, called the Rocks District of Milton-Freewater. This is the only AVA in the U.S. whose boundaries are totally defined by the soil type. Soils here look a bit like those in the acclaimed Rhône region of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, but are large, ancient, basalt cobblestones. These stones work in the same way as they do in Chateauneuf, absorbing and then radiating the sun's heat up to enhance the ripening of grape clusters. The Rocks District is within the part of Walla Walla that spills over into Oregon and naturally excels in the production of Rhône varieties like Syrah, as well as the Bordeaux varieties.