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Aromas of dried cherries and vanilla are followed by flavors of marionberry with a smooth dense texture. Harvesting grapes from four different vineyards for this blend creates a layered, nuanced effect. Each vineyard brings a different strength, Cab from Fraser has great mid-palate texture, Cab from Williamson lends the strong finish, Merlot from Skyline lifts the fruit aromas, and Merlot from Eckerts lends the ripe raspberries flavors. A blend of oak types continues the theme of nuances, with French oak barrels contributing the dense texture and American oak barrels adding sweetness and spice to the aromas. I recommend sipping a glass before dinner then another with dinner to appreciate how the flavors evolve through the night.

Debates rage about Chardonnay: oaky vs. all stainless steel…with this wine I give you a Chardonnay with balance. Fermentation in mostly neutral oak barrels preserves the fresh fruit aromas and develops a round silky texture. A tiny percentage of new oak barrels add a touch of vanilla and spice while respecting the smooth finish. This is a great sipping wine for relaxing after work and pairs well with creamy soups, seafood, creamy pastas, and rich cheese and meat platters.

Fruity and refreshing, this is your wine for the summer. Aromas of strawberry and watermelon lift off the wine with a touch of carbonation left from the fermentation. The finish is clean, crisp and cool. This is a surprisingly versatile wine for food pairings; it’s great with light meat and pasta dishes where you might choose a light red, or match it with salmon, sushi, or smoky barbecue dishes. Salads are a good match too!

Very similar to the 2006 Syrah, this wine has exuberant aromas of blueberry with hints of espresso. The wine finishes with a silky smooth texture and intense lingering flavors. 2007 Syrah is a blend of three vineyards, Skyline, Sawtooth and Williamson, each vineyard dominated by one element and blending to create a more complete wine. From Skyline comes intense berry aromas, from Sawtooth a full mid-palate texture, and from Williamson the strength of the finish. Adding to the intensity of the aromas is about 3% Viognier, which we ferment in with the Syrah. About 50% of the barrels are new American oak and we removed the heads off of several to ferment directly in the barrel. This technique is labor intensive but pays off because the oak flavors integrate seamlessly into the wine. After fermentation and pressing when the barrels are empty again, we put the heads back on and refill them with the wine that was fermented in them.

The warm days and cool nights of the Snake River Valley AVA create Viogniers of style and balance. We fermented this Viognier in mostly stainless steel barrels to show off the aromas of orange blossoms and pear and to create a lively, clean finish. Rounding out the mouthfeel and adding texture to the wine is a smaller proportion of the blend that was fermented in old oak barrels and went through the second, malolactic fermentation. Although the old oak barrels no longer add the aromas of new oak (vanilla, caramel, clove, etc), fermenting the wine in the wood creates rounder, heavier textured wines than fermenting in stainless steel. About 12% of this wine is grown organically on a vine in Emmett, about 40 minutes northwest from Boise (see Rocky Fence Vineyard). The remainder comes from Sawtooth and Williamson Vineyards.