Cheers To You

Last weekend we dusted off our wine glasses in preparation of our first joint tasting event where we could both do some serious tasting — while Brynn is still out on maternity leave she was able to get away to Bainbridge Island for a couple of hours for the Bainbridge Uncorked event.

We had the chance to attend a VIP event held Friday evening before the main event got started, giving us ample time to jump from table to table and to chat up each of the seven winemakers that were on hand to pour their wines.

The event also gave us a chance to try some of the wines that were recently recognized at the Seattle Wine Awards. Here’s a recap of those wines:

Amelia Wynn Winery

DOUBLE GOLD 2009 Amelia Wynn Winery Cuvée, Columbia Valley

The Cuvee is a beautiful blend of 62 percent Cab, 27 percent Merlot, and 11 percent Petit Verdot. The color is deep and rich with a black cherry and plum upfront and then wonderful mineral and herb aromas. This all comes together to produce a very balanced wine.  This is the wine’s second year as a Double Gold Medal winner.

DOUBLE GOLD 2009 Amelia Wynn Winery Sangiovese, Red Mountain

We love this Sangiovese, from its nose of cherries and herbs, the refreshing acidity, the balanced cherry, fruit and herbs, to the silky finish. A blend of Red Mountain’s Kiona Vineyard Sangiovese with a dollop of Merlot from the Vista Vineyard in Columbia Valley. This is a definite must try! And coming in 2013, winemaker Paul Bianchi will release a Sangiovese Rose.

Eleven Winery

DOUBLE GOLD 2009 Eleven Winery La Ronde, Washington State

Here’s a blend of all winemaker Matt Albee’s reds that he sources from Horse Heaven Hills. This version is Syrah (44 percent), Mourvedre (22 percent), Petite Verdot (22 percent) and Malbec (11 percent). It has a perfumed nose of raspberry and strawberry. On the palate, this purple-black wine is rich in texture and has a beautiful finish that matches the nose.

BRONZE 2010 Eleven Winery Roussanne, Yakima Valley

We tasted Albee’s 2011 Roussanne made from 10-year-old vines off Elephant Mountain.

What a gorgeous wine. It’s aromatic with a rich, unctuous feel. The full-bodied wine is floral with lemon and pear fruit flavors. It is so delicious. But hurry; there are only 90 cases of this gem.

Rolling Bay Winery

SILVER 2009 Rolling Bay Winery Cuvée Aldaro, Snipes Mountain

Winemaker Alphonse de Klerk’s Cuvee this year is a blend of 78 percent Cab, 12 percent Cab Franc, and 10 percent Merlot. This blend is dominated by an herbal Cabernet with notes of dark cherry and plum from the Cab Franc and Merlot. The finish is more herbal than fruit so we’d pair this one with a steak that has plenty of grilled green peppers or even pesto.

BRONZE 2009 Rolling Bay Winery Syrah, Snipes Mountain

This was a hot year on the south facing slopes of Snipes Mountain. And as a result, this wine is fruit-forward with lots of blackberry and plum flavors. It has a heady floral aroma and a deep purple hue. Almost two years in French oak, this medium-bodied wine has soft tannins. It would be a great pairing with grilled baby back ribs.

Share on Facebook

Tags: Amelia Wynn Winery, Eleven Winery, Rolling Bay Winery

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 28th, 2012 at 8:00 am by brynn grimley and is filed under Bainbridge Island Wines, Tastings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.