Winemaker Notes
The nose has mouthwatering notes of summer ripened strawberries and freshly whipped cream. The texture is long, crisp, creamy, and truly delicious with the palate cleansing acidity.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A juicy, ripe red with cherry, chocolate and light cedar character. It’s medium-to full-bodied and creamy with a long finish. Drink now.
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Wine Enthusiast
The aromas bring a dazzling sense of detail, with notes of raspberry, cranberry, sweet dried flower and moist earth. Action-packed, dense but not overweighted red-fruit flavors follow. The acidity is bright, and the tannins present but remarkably supple. It’s a pitch-perfect example of the variety, with a very long life in front of it.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Dark ruby in color, the 2017 Walla Walla Sangiovese has high-toned red fruit aromas with lush cherry skin, red plum, cherry blossom and touches of black raspberry with soft oak spices that lift the nose. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is ripe with robust dark red fruits that coat the palate with a subtle spice that lingers through the mid-palate, showcasing a balanced structure. There is a slight lift of elevated alcohol along with mouthwatering, energetic acidity and a tannic edge on the long, lingering finish that makes this wine food-friendly. This isn't your average Chianti Classico; instead, it's Sangiovese turned up to 11!
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.
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.