Spring Valley Nina Lee Syrah 2010
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2010 Syrah Nina Lee Walla Walla is a smoking Syrah that spent 21 months in 100% French oak, 50% being new. Dense, rich and fabulously concentrated, it gives up layers of black cherry, raspberry, flowers and creamy licorice to go with a full-bodied, multi-dimensional, lengthy profile on the palate. It’s a beautiful wine that will drink well over the coming decade or more. I loved these latest releases from Spring Valley vineyard. They all show classic, elegant and balanced profiles that will evolve gracefully. These wines are not blockbusters and come across as slightly restrained at first, yet they blossom with time in the glass and are highly recommended.
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Wine Spectator
Focused, lively, inviting and distinctive, with bay leaf and loam overtones to the bright blackberry flavor. Finishes with a floral flourish. Drink now through 2018.
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2018-
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Spring Valley Vineyard is located just outside of Walla Walla, amid the scenic wheat fields of southeastern Washington. The family-owned land dates back to the late 1880’s when original owner Uriah Corkrum started farming wheat in the area. In 1993, Shari Derby, granddaughter of Uriah and husband Dean Derby planted the first grapes at Spring Valley. The first vintage of Estate grown, and bottled Spring Valley Vineyard wines were produced with the 1999 vintage. In 2007, 66 acres of new vineyards were planted & now consist of 111 acres of grapevines including Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec.
Spring Valley was built on the strong foundation of grit, authenticity, hard work, love for the land, and love for family. The names given to the Spring Valley Vineyard Estate wines are in tribute to the family members who struggled and succeeded in farming in the same land for over 150 years. True to the family’s vision, the Spring Valley Vineyard and wheat fields are family-farmed this day to the 6th Generation. Katherine Derby, the granddaughter of Spring Valley vineyard owners Dean and Shari Derby and great-great-granddaughter of Spring Valley Founder Uriah Corkrum is carrying on the family’s legacy with leading winemaking operations – 30 years after planting the first vines.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
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.