Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesAromas of sweet black cherry, tobacco leaf and ground baking spice. Medum-bodied with tight, fine tannins. Bright, driving acidity and white-pepper spice. Juicy. While the fruit is rich it does not weigh the palate down, but stays lifted throughout. Delicious. Best after 2024.
The 2019 Sangiovese is youthfully clenched and understated in the glass. Swirling slowly unlocks spicy notes of cherry, mint of dusty dried flowers. This is surprisingly round and vibrant on the palate, with bright acidity driving its sweet cherry berry fruits. It finishes grippy, yet fresh with a tart coating of lingering concentration, while blueberries and inner rose fade. At this youthful stage, it took the 2019 a full hour to really come to life in the glass; but wow, it was certainly worth the wait.
The 2019 Sangiovese is all varietal and sourced from a handful of sites in the Walla Walla Valley. Pure, classic variety notes of ripe cherries, redcurrants, tobacco, dried herbs, and loamy soil all give way to a medium-bodied, silky, balanced, nicely textured red with integrated tannins and a great finish. It's going to shine for a decade. Best After 2022
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.
Among Italy's elite red grape varieties, Sangiovese has the perfect intersection of bright red fruit and savory earthiness and is responsible for the best red wines of Tuscany. While it is best known as the chief component of Chianti, it is also the main grape in Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and reaches the height of its power and intensity in the complex, long-lived Brunello di Montalcino. Somm Secret—Sangiovese doubles under the alias, Nielluccio, on the French island of Corsica where it produces distinctly floral and refreshing reds and rosés.