2010 DeLille Cellars “Chaleur Estate Blanc”
Columbia Valley, Washington
The Story
I was introduced to this wine several years ago at the wine shop I used to manage. At that time, the wine buying duties were divided up amongst 4 of us. I was responsible for buying wine from France, Italy, Spain and South America & Africa, while others bought wines from USA, Germany and Australia/New Zealand. Our domestic wine buyer brought in some wine from this small producer in Washington State. I had never heard of or tasted any of their wines, but we were all immediately impressed with both the white and the red that we tasted – they were so well made and some of the best “French-style” domestic wines that I had ever tried.
Though the wines were excellent, they were challenging to sell because the producer was not well known, the blends were fairly unique – and the fact that they hailed from Washington didn’t help much either…so they moved slowly and, once gone, were never re-ordered, unfortunately. In the passing years, I had basically forgotten about them – until one of my wine reps came strolling in with them a few weeks ago. He was all puffed up to show me some great wines from a winery he assumed I had never heard of (as they had changed distributors in the intervening years and had just landed in his portfolio). Imagine his shock when he pulled out the bottles and I exclaimed, “Wow, DeLille Cellars! I love their wines – but I haven’t seen them around in awhile.” His face fell. He was crushed. “You…you…KNOW these wines?” he asked incredulously. “Yes I do. I’ve had both the white and red Bordeaux blends, but I never got a chance to try their Rhone-style wines. Do you have any of those to taste??” “No, not today, just the Bordeaux blends,” he said half-heartedly. “Cheer up, my friend, it’s okay. I like the wines – you may actually make a sale today!”
He did both and now you are the lucky recipient of this wonderful, hand-crafted, world-class white wine. It has tremendous depth, balance and richness. I’m a sucker for wines that drink this easy and offer so much. If you haven’t heard of DeLille Cellars before, now YOU can claim you do!
Winery Background
DeLille Cellars is a small winery located in Woodinville, Washington and was originally co-founded in 1992 by Greg Lill, Jay Soloff, Chris Upchurch and Charles Lill (now his daughter Pat Lill Jorgenson is shareholder/partner). DeLille Cellars currently produces five Bordeaux-styled wines: Grand Ciel, Chaleur Estate Red, D2, Harrison Hill, and Chaleur Estate Blanc. Also produced are the Doyenne wines, which include a classic northern Rhône-style Syrah - awarded as one of the great 15 Syrahs of the world; a Roussanne; Métier a Southern Rhône-styled red wine; Aix, a Provençe-style red, and their latest addition, a Provençe/Bandol-style Rosé. DeLille, a high-end Washington State winery, says it decided to make this particular wine by “ascribing to the notion that the world is over blessed with chardonnays.” Hmmm, interesting thought. DeLille Cellars wines are aged in 100% new French oak barrels each and every year.
Region
The Columbia Valley AVA lies mostly in Washington state, with a small section in Oregon. The Cascade Range forms its western boundary with the Palouse regions bordering the area to the east. To the north, the Okanogan National Forest forms a border with the AVA and Canada.
Columbia Valley is situated at a latitude of 46 to 47 degrees north, which is the same as the famed French wine regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. This latitude gives it two more hours of daylight during the summer growing season than the wine regions of California – an important factor in intensifying the flavors in the grapes. Columbia Valley lies in a rain shadow caused by the Cascades, which contributes to its dry continental climate. Hot days here are followed by cool nights, helping to ensure a long and even growing season in which the grapes obtain full ripeness while retaining vital acidity. As Columbia Valley is a dry region, irrigation is often required and this restricts the location of its vineyards. On the plus side, where controlled irrigation is possible it can make a big difference to yields and the quality of the grapes.
The Columbia River and its tributaries not only provide water, but also help to moderate both summer and winter temperatures. Even so, many grape growers use wind turbines to get air circulating and prevent their vines from become being frozen. The cold does have one major benefit, however; because it staves off the deadly phylloxera louse, nearly all of the vines in Columbia Valley are planted on their own rootstocks. Purists claim this provides more original flavors in the grapes. Many fruit-driven wine styles are produced across this large region, including wines made from Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Chenin Blanc and Semillon. Rich, structured Cabernet Sauvignon and supple, concentrated Syrah with abundant black fruit flavors stand out amongst the reds. Merlot and Sangiovese have also been impressive.
Varietals
77% Sauvignon Blanc | 23% Semillon
Wine
The winery describes the Chaleur Estate Blanc as a classic Bordeaux style white, which is to say a blend of sauvignon blanc and semillion. It’s made from grapes grown in some of Washington’s oldest vineyards and free-run (as opposed to pressed) juice is fermented on its lees in 100% new French oak. Commendably, however, flavors attributable to oak don’t dominate or even much intrude on this very pleasant offering. Typical of wines made in Washington from grapes associated with Bordeaux, this is a somewhat bigger, creamier more mouth-filling wine than comparable wines made in France. Not surprisingly, given all that fruit, it is also more alcoholic than a typical French Bordeaux white, checking in at 14.1%.
Tasting Notes
Sauvignon Blanc leads the way with aromas of toasted almonds, sweet straw, cardamom and other baking spices. Reminiscent of vanilla cream, guava, Meyer's lemon, pears and toasty oak tones, this wine delivers a supple, mouthwatering texture lingering on the palate long after the final sip. Superb balance, elegance, and length all contribute to a wine of timeless grace.
Ratings/Reviews
“(An 80/20 blend of sauvignon blanc and semillon; the winery cut back on the percentage of semillon in 2010): Bright full yellow. Knockout nose combines musky curry powder and cumin notes with pineapple oil, ginger and chlorophyll; today it's the sauvignon blanc that dominates. Then supple and intense in the mouth, with excellent acidity serving to frame and intensify the peach, citrus, chlorophyll and basil flavors. Finishes very long, serious and suave, leaving an impression of fairly low alcohol. A beauty.” 93 pts. – Int’l Wine Cellar
“This white companion to DeLille’s Chaleur Estate red, is an elegant 62% Sauvignon Blanc, 38% Semillon combo. On the nose, it offers enticing grapefruit, butternut, orange blossom and jasmine scents. The flavors are finely fruited – citrus, gooseberry and a hint of fig – with touches of crème brulee and orange peel in the crisp, silky flavors that show near-perfect fruit acid balance. This is a truly compelling white.” - 19/20 points - Rand Sealey, Review of Washington Wines January 2010
Food Pairing
With its aromas of tropical fruit and flavors of citrus, gooseberry and fig, the DeLille’s Chaleur Estate Blanc pairs very well with seared scallops, bouillabaisse, cream soups, salmon and sushi. Also pair with fresh, semi-soft or cream-style cheeses.
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2005 Rolf Binder “Hubris”
Barossa Valley, Australia
The Story
So I indirectly boasted about knowing the white wine in this month’s club, but I have to confess that I was not familiar with THIS producer until one of my OTHER wine Reps came in with a couple bottles to taste in response to my asking him if he had any Australian wines that might be good wine club candidates. The interesting (at least to ME) thing that happened was that, when he stopped by, there were 2 other wine Reps (from a different distributor) sitting at the bar having a sandwich after they had showed me a few of their wines. Quick side note: There’s an interesting dynamic in the wine biz amongst the different wine Reps, a kind of love-hate competition rounded out by mutual respect – if not for each other, at least based on an appreciation that they understand the joys and pains of “working the street” trying to sell wine.
It’s classic case of “Frenemies.”
Anyway, as Jon opened the bottles and poured some staff members and me a taste of the wines, I asked if we could offer a taste to his counterparts and he obligingly agreed. Well, not only did my staff (and I) find this wine VERY impressive, but the 2 other Reps gave it props as well – that’s a pretty good indication that a wine has some broad appeal. The fact that this wine has some old vine fruit may likely contribute to its complexity. The few extra years of bottle age also helps, I think (this is a 2005 bottling), by giving the wine a sense of “mellowness” even though it’s packed with bold flavors. I also liked the long finish the wine possesses. I’m not the biggest fan of “big” wines, but this wine reminds me of Mike Tyson – big, bold and “bad,” but nowhere near as imposing and mean as it may have been in its brazen youth…
Winery Background
Formerly known as Veritas, Rolf Binder Wines produces rich and extroverted wines in a modern vein. Veritas Winery was established in 1955 by Rolf Heinrich Binder and his wife Franciska. In 2005, on their 50th Anniversary, Veritas became Rolf Binder Wines, to commemorate the legacy of the founder. The winery tradition is now continued by the next generation, Rolf and Christa. As brother and sister winemakers they were jointly awarded ‘Barossa Winemakers of the Year’ in 2005. Rolf Binder's son, who shares his name, handles the Shiraz and other Rhône blends here. The Hanisch and Heysen cuvees are among the top Shiraz bottlings in Australia. Binder's sister, Christa Deana, handles whites.
The Binder history with the Hubris wine goes back some 25 years, stemming from Rolf Binder Senior’s Hungarian heritage. In 1967, Binder Sr. decided to blend a tribute to his native wine – Bulls Blood – the most popular wine in Hungary. The legend of Bulls Blood originates from the unsuccessful attack on Hungarian troops in Eger by the Turks in 1552. The heavily outnumbered Hungarians saw their fate approaching and decided that, rather than fight a losing battle, they would just drink red wine. This proved to be to their advantage as their red-stained beards and crazed eyes terrified the Turks, who thought they had been drinking Bull’s Blood to give them extra strength. The Turks fled, leaving the Hungarians to turn their drunken solace into drunken revelry. Hungarian Bulls Blood is traditionally made using Kadarka and Merlot grapes, but Rolf Binder took it upon himself to source from local vines (Shiraz) and the pressings (skins and seeds) of the century-old Mataro to emulate this wine under the original Veritas label.
Varietal
Mataro – also known as Mourvèdre is a wine grape variety used to make both strong, dark red wines and rosés. It is an international variety grown in many regions around the world. Mourvèdre produces tannic wines that can be high in alcohol, and is most successful in Rhone-style blends. It has a particular affinity for Grenache, softening it and giving it structure. Its taste varies greatly according to area, but often has a wild, gamey or earthy flavor, with soft red fruit flavors.
Wine
Rolf Binder has tinkered with the Bulls Blood style for over the years, and is now comfortable with a blend of 70% shiraz and 30% mataro (Mourvèdre). Veritas owns a magnificent old block of 100+ year old mataro vines, from which all Hubris mataro is sourced. The shiraz is sourced from the vineyard’s Western Ridge – providing about 70% of the total.
The shiraz, being a more substantial, full bodied grape, is matured in new and old shaven oak. Mataro is trickier – easy to swamp due to its subtle, delicate flavors. This said, old shaven French oak is used for the mataro. Eventually, a few barrels of shiraz intended for the Veritas flagship wines – Hanisch and Heysen – are added to the final blend.
Winemaking
Hand pruned and picked, Hubris is fermented in open containers with pump overs twice daily, resulting in a seven-day fermentation process. This results in maximum flavor, color and tannin extraction with both the hot ferment and pumping over stabilizing tannin structure. At the end of fermentation on skins the juice is drained off. The remaining skins still contain a large amount of fermenting juice and due to the contact with the ripe skins contain wonderful, rich flavors. The skins are gently pressed. The final pressure on the cake is soft, giving an almost gentle ‘basket press’ effect. After pressing the wine is fermented to dryness, racked and placed in mostly shaven French oak with a small proportion of shaven American oak.
Tasting Notes
Rolf Binder’s “Hubris” is a monster of a blend – with 70% Shiraz and 30% Mataro blend to produce an homage to an infamous Hungarian wine called Bull’s Blood…According to Webster’s Dictionary, hubris means exaggerated pride or self-confidence. To Rolf Binder, hubris mean gutsy and bold. This pure black wine opens with a musty black licorice like bouquet. On the palate, this full bodied wine is extremely smooth, well balanced, and has lively and terrific spicy black cherry flavors. The finish is very very dry, a bit tannic, and extends on for a very long time. Big burst of chocolatey fruits berries. Sweet cassis fruits and blueberry liquer resting nicely on a relatively soft plumpish bed of spice. Good length and omphy finish. Softer styled as compared to it's predecessors.
Reviews/Ratings
"The 2005 Shiraz (65%) – Mataro (35%) 'Hubris' delivers aromas of spice box, clove, damp earth, pencil lead, black cherry, and blueberry. This is followed by a ripe, layered, structured wine with superb length. It merits 6-8 years of further cellaring and will drink well through 2025." - 94 Pts. - Wine Advocate
“Gamy notes sneak through the ripe cherry and blackberry flavors, and this finishes with a creamy texture and creamy flavors that manage to balance everything out nicely. Best from 2008 through 2011. 150 cases imported.” 90 Pts. – Wine Spectator
Food Pairing
Since this is a full-bodied, fruit forward wine, drink it on its own or with food that has big, full flavors. It will pair well with red meats or game; dishes that feature hearty sauces such as fruit compotes, pepper, mushrooms or other bold earthy flavors. Avoid seafood, light meats, citrus or plain cream sauces.
Remeber: Visit Vino Voce to check out the other January Club selections - you get the "Discounted Member Price" on those wines, too!
