This Saturday we’ll be pouring some great wines from two Washington wineries. Kestral started in 1999. Their Kestrel View Estate vineyard 1200′ up the Rattlesnake Slope is home to old plantings of Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec dating back to 1972. Alexandria Nicole focuses on small lots of hand-crafted wine from our their Destiny Ridge Estate Vineyard located high above the bluffs on the Columbia River, near the town of Paterson, in the Horse Heaven Hills.
2011 Alexandria Nicole, A Squared Rosé $12
96% Pinot Gris, 2% Mourvedre, 2% Syrah
This very pretty, salmon color Rosé boasts a bright bouquet of watermelon, strawberry, and raspberry. The palate starts out broad and fruit filled with cherry, rhubarb and hints of spice which lead to a crisp, yet lingering finish.
2012 Alexandria Nicole, Shepard’s Mark $19
65% Roussanne, 20% Marsanne, 15% Viognier,
A stainless steel aged Rhone blend, Shepard’s Mark comes from all estate fruit. This unique and flavorful white wine boasts floral notes of lavender, layered with pineapple, bosc pear, lemon zest, all leading into a delicious mix of citrus and white peach, and a viscous yet crisp mouth-feel that lingers to a refreshing finish.
2009 Kestrel, Sangiovese $20
This estate grown Sangiovese employs a number of different techniques to increase color and intensity. The vines are fan trained to spread the fruit out and improves exposure to sun, with only one bud per spur, and one cluster per shoot, reducing the yield At crush they draw off about 20% of the juice, this intensifies the color and flavors of the remaining wine by increasing the skin to juice ratio, making it darker and richer in body and structure. The wine has aromas of cherry, cassis, blackberry, blueberry and dried herbs, with notes of vanilla, cedar and leather, intertwined with the dark cherry and blackberry.
2010 Kestrel, Tribute Red $20
52% Mourvedre, 44% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon, 1% Sangiovese
The Tribute commemorates Kestrel’s founder John Walker. The Merlot lends strength and structure while the Mourvedre introduces beauty and elegance. The wine ages in 30% new French and American oak for 18 months. It is full of ripe dark fruits such as cherry, currant and elderberry accompanied by tobacco, dried herbs, cedar, vanilla, spice and currant jam.
2011 Kestrel, Cabernet Sauvignon $21
84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Malbec, 1% Syrah
The grapes for this cab are 72% Kestrel View Estate Vineyards, 17% Olsen Estate Vineyards and 11% McKinley Springs Vineyard. They age twenty-two months in small French, Hungarian and American oak barrels. The wine is filled with dark fruit such as Van cherries, boysenberries, elk heart plums, black currants, spice, dried herbs, cigar, coffee and smoke. This expansive and generous wine is full bodied, dense, with firm tannins and a lingering finish.