Impromptu Time of Our Life with Friends and Stottle Sangiovese

This wine was a surprise. It was delivered to us on Friday night after a last minute invitation to great friends who happened to be in the area. Like any good friends coming from a wine tasting at Stottle Winery, they brought wine. In this case it's from a local tasting room (I used Mobile Wine Tour to discover the tasting room is less than a mile away). The label says the wine was produced in Walla Walla - so it must be good right? Anyway, it was a nice surprise. I've not always been a Sangiovese fan, not that I can really say why I haven't but - this wine (and some other Sangioveses I've tried recently) is making me a fan. It's lower alcohol and higher acidity are just crying out for a BBQ. I had a bit of the leftovers with barbecued chicken tonight and it was fantastic.

It's always great to find a treasure close to home - looks like I'll make that mile drive to stock up on some "local" Sangiovese.

Julie's take - "I like it".

Abeja - 2010 Beekeeper's Blend

Abeja winery is located east of the Walla Walla at foot of the Blue Mountains. The winery is not open to the public, and you can visit on select weekends or if you are on the allocation list and are in town to pick up wine (that's me). There is a Inn on the property and I highly recommend checking out their website at Abeja.net so you can see the property.

Taken from the Spanish word for "bee" it makes sense that one of their Columbia Valley blends is called "Beekeepers". They are known for fantastic Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon - I've never had a wine from Abeja I didn't enjoy. (A note that this will be consistent on this blog as I will likely only post wines, which in my opinion, are worth acquiring). 

The Beekeeper's Blend is tonight's subject and is produced from fruit in their "younger" vineyards in the Columbia Valley. Each vintage varies as to composition, but it is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon blended with some combination of the following varietals: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Syrah and Petit Verdot.

This is my first year having the Beekeeper's Red and I can say I ordered more after trying the first couple bottles a few weeks back. It is a great table wine and goes well with our nightly dinner and conversation.

Julie's Take - "I like this a lot!"

Amavi Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

There are a few destinations I flat out don't miss when I am visiting Walla Walla. If I'm heading toward the south end of town I always make sure to stop in to visit my friends at Pepper Bridge and their sister winery Amavi. Jean Francois Pellet is the winemaker at both locations and I always enjoy spending time with him. He is a true professional and takes time to chat even when he is busy. One of my favorite memories is spending time with him on the deck of Pepper Bridge last October enjoying a glorious day with great conversation and wine. Isn't that what wine is all about anyway?

Tonight's wine was Amavi's 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine is made of up 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 3% Syrah, 2% Cabernet Franc. The grapes are sourced from Pepper Bridge and Seven Hills Vineyards.

While this wine may not age like the Pepper Bridge wines, it is very good in its own right. I frankly wish I'd have let it spend more time laying down. I'm sure it will even be better in a few years - but I'm impatient.

Lots of cherry and berries which gives way to more cocoa flavors.

Julie's take: It's good - we like JF's wine. :)

Otis Kenyon - 2008 Matchless Red

This wine was a bit of surprise to me when I was visiting Walla Walla this past week. I stopped into the Otis Keynon Tasting Room on Main Street to say hey to Muriel and to confirm my wine club membership. It's always fun to stop in and taste a few wines, and was especially taken by the Carmenere. This post however is about the 2008 Matchless Red. This wine is 53% Cabernet Sauvignon and 47% Merlot from Seven Hills Vineyard and Otis Kenyon's Estate Stellar Vineyard. It retails for $23 (less if you're a club member). Since I was flying I was not planning on not bringing any wine back with me, however, this wine changed my mind. I elected to take advantage of the "First Case Free" promotion at Alaska Airlines and added 6 bottles of the Matchless Red to my luggage.

This is an extremely drinkable wine made from grapes in top vineyards in the Walla Walla area. The price is super hard to beat as is the taste and quality.

Julie's take - "I love Otis Kenyon wines, all of them." I'll take that as a recommendation.