DeLille Cellars Blog
Critic Jeb Dunnuck Reviews Washington State Wines
In his recent report on Washington State wines, wine critic Jeb Dunnick praises DeLille Cellars’ Bordeaux-style blends sourced from the Red Mountain, Yakima Valley, and Columbia Valley AVAs.
“DeLille can always be counted on to deliver classic, impeccably made wines, and they have done exceptionally well in 2018. They also pull from multiple regions, so it’s such a great education tasting through these wines when trying to understand a vintage. Their Red Mountain releases seem to be the stars of the show in 2018, but there are no dogs in this lineup. The icing on the cake is that they’re generally made in decent quantities, especially their D2 release, which is a year-in, year-out terrific Bordeaux blend.” - Jeb Dunnuck
2019 Chaluer Blanc: 94 points
Columbia Valley AVA
"One of the best Bordeaux Blanc blends coming out of Washington, the 2019 Chaleur Blanc checks in as 69% Sauvignon Blanc and 31% Semillon that was barrel fermented and aged in 60% new oak. Honeyed grapefruit, white flowers, sappy, green herbs, and a kiss of minerality all define the bouquet, and this beauty is medium-bodied, with a beautifully balanced, concentrated mouthfeel and a great finish. It ranks with the top examples of this cuvée I've tasted."
2019 Roussanne: 91 points
Red Mountain AVA
"This estate made a handful of terrific whites. Their 2019 Roussanne (100% Roussanne) reveals a light gold hue to go with pretty stone fruits, melon, and lemon curd-like aromas and flavors. It's medium-bodied on the palate, with a bright, nicely textured mouthfeel and a classic, dry finish that has some toasty, nutty nuances. This bottle had some trapped CO2, so don't be afraid to give bottles a decant if drinking any time soon. It's going to have a decade of longevity."
2018 Four Flags Cabernet Sauvignon: 96+ points
Red Mountain AVA
"All Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon (78% new French oak), the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags showed brilliantly, offering a Pauillac-like nose of smoky red and blue fruits, lead pencil, and tobacco. Medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, and concentrated, it has lots of velvety tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish. It ranks with the top Cabernets from the appellation and is a stunning wine. Drink bottles over the coming 20-25 years."
2018 Lot 3 Cabernet Sauvignon: 93+ Points
Red Mountain AVA
"Coming all from the Klipsun Vineyard on Red Mountain and brought up in 100% new French oak, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Lot 3 boasts a dense purple hue as well as red and black plum fruits intermixed with singed cedar, toast, chocolate, and lead pencil-like aromas and flavors. With medium to full body, a round, nicely textured mouthfeel, and classic Red Mountain savoriness and minerality, it will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 15 years or more."
2018 Shaw Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon: 96 points
Red Mountain AVA
"Another 100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Shaw Vineyard reveals a deep purple hue to go with a smoky, meaty, herbal style carrying beautiful black and blue fruits, medium to full body, ripe, building tannins, and a great finish. More chocolate and earthy notes emerge with time in the glass. This deep, layered, impressive Cabernet Sauvignon has some up-front appeal today yet will benefit from just short-term cellaring and keep for 20 years or more."
2018 Chaleur Estate: 94+ points
Red Mountain AVA
"One of the flagships from this reference point estate, the 2018 Chaleur Estate checks in as 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and the rest Petit Verdot. Solid notes of red and black currants, tobacco, dried flowers, and lead pencil define the bouquet, and it's medium to full-bodied, with a concentrated, balanced texture, building yet ripe tannins, and a great finish. As with all of these 2018s, it's not a blockbuster, but it has a wonderful complexity as well as elegance."
2018 D2: 91 points
Columbia Valley AVA
"Named after the famed D2 road that runs from Bordeaux up through the Médoc, the 2018 D2 checks in as 67% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It has a classy, medium-bodied style offering fine, elegant tannins, a balanced, charming texture, and classic notes of currants, violets, lead pencil, and tobacco. Reminding me of a top Cru Bourgeois, it should keep for a decade."
2018 Doyenne: 93 points
Columbia Valley AVA
"A blend of 61% Syrah and 39% Cabernet Sauvignon (this is the estate’s take on a Provence Red), the 2018 Doyenne has beautiful blackberry and blueberry fruits as well as medium to full-bodied richness, a plush, layered, expansive texture, ripe tannins, and classy spicy, peppery aromas and flavors. It's another beauty from this team to enjoy over the coming 7-8 years."
2018 Harrison Hill: 95 points
Snipes Mountain AVA
"The 2018 Harrison Hill is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc all from Snipes Mountain, located west of Red Mountain. Brought up in 100% new French oak, it's never the deepest colored Cabernet out there, but it has an almost opaque hue as well as beautiful red and black currant fruits intermixed with lots of floral, cedar, and leafy herb nuances. I always love the elegance and complexity of this cuvée, and the 2018 has those qualities in spades. More medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, and lengthy, it will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and keep for 20 years or more."
2018 Le Colosse: 94 points
Yakima Valley AVA
"The Merlot-heavy 2018 Le Colosse is 88% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 3% each of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot, aged 20 months in 78% new French oak. Saint-Emilion-like notes of black cherries, currants, lead pencil, leafy herbs, and damp earth give way to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully polished, elegant wine with loads to love. It should keep for 10-12 years, easily."
2018 Minuit: 94 points
Yakima Valley AVA
"The 2018 Minuit comes from the Yakima Valley and is 70% Malbec and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon brought up in 50% new French oak. This inky-hued effort has a great nose of ripe black and blue fruits as well as liquid violets, charred earth, and graphite. Beautifully textured and full-bodied, with an expansive yet still elegant, seamless texture, this stunning Malbec is up with the finest expressions of the grape from Washington.
2018 Red Willow Blend: 95 points
Yakima Valley AVA
"A Cabernet Franc-dominated wine, the 2018 Red Willow Blend checks in as 57% Cabernet Franc, 26% Merlot, and the rest Cabernet Franc, all brought up in 36% new French oak. It's another gorgeous 2018 from this team revealing incredible purity and elegance as well as richness. Blue fruits, forest floor, flowers, and graphite are just some of the nuances and it's medium to full-bodied, with a seamless, elegant texture and a slightly bloody, salty character on the finish that keeps you coming back to the glass. It's an awesome Cabernet Franc."
2018 Signature Syrah: 93 points
Yakima Valley AVA
"Including 2% Viognier, the 2018 Syrah Signature offers a vivid purple hue to go with rock star notes of cassis and blackberry fruits intermixed with smoked earth, graphite, peppered game, and background oak. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and beautifully balanced, it has enough background oak (and a kiss of char) to warrant 2-3 years of bottle age, and it should easily keep for a decade. I love its purity of this classic Syrah."
2017 Grand Ciel Cabernet Sauvignon: 96+ points
Red Mountain AVA
"The top Cabernet from Red Mountain, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Ciel comes from the Grand Ciel Vineyard and spent 20 months in new French oak. Blue fruits, graphite, leafy tobacco, lead pencil, and a kiss of meaty, iron-like notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced Cabernet with ultra-fine yet building tannins, a round, layered mouthfeel, plenty of mid-palate depth, and a great finish. This classic, flawlessly balanced Red Mountain Cabernet will benefit from 2-4 years (or more) of bottle age and keep for three decades. It's one of those wines that builds with time in the glass."
2017 Grand Ciel Syrah: 96+ points
Red Mountain AVA
"All Syrah from Red Mountain, brought up in 15% new French oak, the 2017 Syrah Grand Ciel Vineyard sports an inky purple hue to go with ripe, powerful notes of black and blue fruits, ground pepper, violets, and smoked game. Gorgeous on the palate, with a Hermitage-like class in its tannins, it's flawlessly balanced, has a pure, precise texture, and a great finish. It's a head-turning good Syrah to enjoy over the coming 10-15 years."
Shop Bordeaux-Style Washington Wine
DeLille Cellars is a boutique artisan winery that has been producing Red Mountain wines since 2000. The winery is known for pioneering Bordeaux-style blends from Washington State and has maintained a tradition of quality and excellence with over 200 wines rated 90+ from leading publications. Visit our Woodinville winery or shop Washington wine online.
May 8, 2021 at 9:27 AM
PermalinkUpdating the Aging Chart
On the 22nd of March, 2021, the DeLille winemaking team assembled to taste and evaluate a considerable number of wines from past vintages, with the primary goal of updating the aging chart. The obviously wonderful side effect, of course, is that we had the opportunity to taste some absolutely delicious older wines! The challenge for us as winemakers is to constantly improve, and that evolution is impossible without understanding the foundation of our style, and how that style has subtlety changed over time to keep pace with consistent improvement in the vineyard, with fine tuning in the cellar.
The actual tasting process involved several vertical tasting flights of several vintages of individual wines. The purpose of a vertical tasting is to isolate vintage variation as the most significant variable, and to better understand the evolution of the wines as they age in bottle. Although vertical flights can be tasted youngest to oldest, we elected to taste the older wines first, and started with Rhone varietals; the daunting number of wines on the table made it apparent that palate fatigue from accumulating tannin would come into play.
All the selected wines were turned upright several days prior to the tasting to let them settle and stored in one of our barrel rooms to ensure the temperature of each wine was consistent. Despite the volume of bottles and significant age, we only had a single bottle that suffered from a cork fault (an older vintage, the cork had lost its seal at some point). We pulled two bottles of each wine in preparation, so we were still able to evaluate the wine.
Each bottle was opened and immediately poured to eliminate the variable of exposure to oxygen. We had a Durand wine opener on hand in case we ran into a particularly delicate closure, but an Ah So proved to be capable enough for each bottle.
In terms of the evaluation of the individual wines, we all took copious notes on each wine within the vertical, and then openly debated the status of each wine on its individual aging trajectory. When a wine tastes best on this trajectory is subject to the opinion of every taster. For the sake of our aging chart, we use the following definitions:
HOLD wines exhibited only primary aromas and flavors - delicious to drink now, but certain to improve for some time.
DRINK/HOLD wines exhibited some secondary aromas and flavors associated with aging - time in the bottle has developed and improved the wines beyond their infancy, and further aging will continue to benefit the wine.
DRINK wines exhibited some tertiary aromas and flavors - drinking beautifully, and likely to continue to do so for several years, but likely at their very peak of enjoyment.
MATURE wines showed their age - individual bottles may be drinking well, but certainly should be consumed, as further aging will not improve their quality.
Comments (1262)DeLille Cellars to Open Wine Lounge at Former Redhook Restaurant Site
DeLILLE CELLARS TO OPEN WINE LOUNGE AT
FORMER REDHOOK RESTAURANT SITE
Caption: Tom Dugan, CEO of DeLille Cellars, stands in the former Wheelhouse restaurant (previously Redhook’s Forecaster’s Public House) currently being remodeled for a new wine and food experience at DeLille Cellars in Woodinville (credit: DeLille Cellars)
WOODINVILLE, WA (March 3, 2021) – DeLille Cellars, Woodinville’s third oldest winery, has announced that it is expanding at the Old Redhook Brewery in Woodinville. DeLille will be launching a new wine and food experience at the former Wheelhouse restaurant (originally Redhook's Forecaster's Public House). Located adjacent to DeLille’s winery and tasting room, The Lounge at DeLille Cellars will offer unique glass pours, flights, food and wine pairings, and spaces for private dining and small events. Come summer, the former patio will open as The Deck with an expanded menu. A remodel is underway, with DeLille aiming to have the space open in late spring or early summer.
The menu and food will be directed by Executive Chef Michael C. Toni, who has worked with DeLille for nearly two decades catering private events and wine release dinners, as well as curating food and wine pairings at DeLille’s tasting room. Most recently, Chef Toni has been in charge of DeLille’s “Date Night” meals, a weekly takeout dinner and wine experience that has been a huge success since the first COVID-related closures in March of 2020.
Chef Michael C. Toni, Executive Chef for The Lounge at DeLille Cellars (credit: A Platinum Event)
The new DeLille Cellars Tasting Room at Old Redhook Brewery, located next door to the new wine lounge. (credit: DeLille Cellars)
“We’re excited to offer our customers some different and unique wine and food experiences,” said DeLille Cellars CEO Tom Dugan. “As someone who took the Burke-Gilman and Sammamish River Trails out to Redhook years ago, we’re especially excited to launch an outdoor space when the weather cooperates, even more so with the slated Eastrail project that will bring more people by foot and bike to Woodinville,” added Dugan.
“The focus of our tasting room has always been about education and showcasing the world-class quality of Washington wine. The Lounge allows us to offer more casual experiences, both by-the-glass and into the evening, that our wonderful customers have been looking for,” added Deb Stadelman, DeLille’s Director of Retail Operations.
With the move of its winery and remodel of the former brewery, DeLille established its headquarters at the Old Redhook Brewery in 2019. The expansion into the restaurant comes just over a year after DeLille opened its brand new three-story tasting room at the site, and marks nearly three decades since the winery’s founding in 1992 (DeLille will celebrate its 30th harvest this fall).
The former Forecaster’s Public House has a long history in Woodinville as a gathering spot since 1994 when the Redhook facility first opened. Sparkman Cellars also relocated to the Old Redhook Brewery, with winemaking activities and a new tasting room in Redhook’s former bottling facility.
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About DeLille Cellars
Bordeaux Inspired – Distinctly Washington – Uniquely DeLille
DeLille Cellars is the third oldest operating winery in Woodinville, WA, founded in 1992. Known for pioneering Bordeaux-style blends from Washington State, the winery has maintained a tradition of quality and excellence with over 700 individual 90+ ratings from leading publications. DeLille Cellars focuses on the Red Mountain AVA and sources grapes from Washington's most acclaimed vineyards. The winery is recognized by notable wine critics and influencers, including Robert Parker, as one of the top producers in the state. To learn more about DeLille Cellars, visit www.delillecellars.com.
Media Contact:
Keri Tawney,
Director of Marketing & Events
keri@delillecellars.com
425.766.3962
www.delillecellars.com
Mar 3, 2021 at 8:12 AMWoodinville Wine Country Diversity Scholarship
DeLille Cellars is honored to be a founding donor of the Woodinville Wine Country Diversity Scholarship, supporting the Washington State University
School of Viticulture and Enology
With the goal of elevating minority voices and talent in the winemaking industry, Woodinville Wine Country has partnered with Chateau Ste. Michelle and DeLille Cellars to create an endowment through the Washington State University Viticulture & Enology Program. The Woodinville Wine Country Diversity scholarship will support minority and under-represented students within the program who demonstrate a passion for and dedication to the winegrowing and winemaking craft, as well as a love of higher learning and continued wine education.
“We are very excited about our new Viticulture & Enology major, and this scholarship will allow us to bring in students from all backgrounds to study with us and to join the wine industry,” said Dr. Thomas Henick-Kling, Director, Viticulture & Enology program.
“This endowment marks a small step in an ongoing effort to further the mission for greater inclusivity and diversity throughout our wine industry and community,” said Amber Schmitt, Marketing Director, Woodinville Wine Country. “We are excited that two of Woodinville’s leading wineries have joined in our commitment to support diversity in Washington state.”
Community members who would like to make a donation to grow the endowment fund for the Woodinville Wine Country Diversity Scholarship Fund can DONATE here.
“We are proud to be a founding contributor to the Woodinville Wine Country Diversity Scholarship” David Dearie, President and CEO of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates commented. “Fostering a diverse pool of workforce talent is vital to the long-term success of the Washington wine sector.
“This is a small but important step to creating more inclusivity and diversity within our wine community,” said Tom Dugan, CEO of DeLille Cellars. “WSU has a world class viticulture and enology program, and we’re honored to partner with Chateau Ste. Michelle and Woodinville Wine Country in creating this scholarship. It reflects the great collaboration and community of Washington wine.”
“WSU’s wine science program is an innovative part of our land grant university, and this scholarship gives us the opportunity to continue building diversity within our college, and the Washington wine community,” said André-Denis Wright, Dean of the College of Agricultural, Human, and Natural Resource Sciences.
About Woodinville Wine Country Association
Woodinville Wine Country Association is a group of vintners and affiliates who represents the growing presence of the Washington state wine industry in the Greater Woodinville area. The association’s mission is to create a world-class wine destination, and a supportive and profitable environment for Washington vintners and affiliates.
About Chateau Ste. Michelle
Founded in 1934, Chateau Ste. Michelle pioneered vinifera grape growing in Washington State and has been producing classic European varietal wines under the Ste. Michelle label since 1967. The winery combines an ongoing dedication to research with a commitment to classic winemaking traditions. The winery owns 3,900 acres of vineyards in the Columbia Valley of Eastern Washington, including Canoe Ridge Estate and Cold Creek, which are LIVE and Salmon Safe certified. Chateau Ste. Michelle enjoys winemaking partnerships with some of the world’s most distinguished vintners. Col Solare is an alliance with Tuscany’s Piero Antinori, Eroica Riesling is a partnership with the Mosel’s Ernst Loosen and Tenet is a collaboration with Michel Gassier and Philippe Cambie of France.
About DeLille Cellars
Bordeaux Inspired – Distinctly Washington – Uniquely DeLille
DeLille Cellars is the third oldest operating winery in Woodinville, WA, founded in 1992. Known for pioneering Bordeaux-style blends from Washington State, the winery has maintained a tradition of quality and excellence with over 700 individual 90+ ratings from leading international critics. DeLille Cellars focuses on the Red Mountain AVA and sources grapes from Washington’s most acclaimed vineyards. The winery is recognized by notable wine critics and influencers, including Robert Parker, as one of the top producers in the state. In 2019, DeLille Cellars moved all operations to the old Redhook Brewery in Woodinville. To learn more about DeLille Cellars, visit www.delillecellars.com.
Feb 5, 2021 at 9:22 AMDeLille Cellars Announces New Director of National Sales
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NOTABLE WASHINGTON WINERY DeLILLE CELLARS REVAMPS SALES EFFORT |
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| Caption: DeLille Cellars’ new Director of National Sales, Janna Rinker, standing in the library of the winery’s new tasting room at the Old Redhook Brewery in Woodinville (credit: DeLille Cellars) |
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WOODINVILLE, WA (December 8, 2020) – DeLille Cellars, one of Woodinville’s founding wineries and pioneer of Bordeaux-style blends in Washington State, has announced the hiring of Janna Rinker as Director of National Sales. Rinker joins DeLille from Copper Cane Wines and Provisions, where she most recently held the role of National Account Manager – On Premise. Rinker has extensive experience in the strategic development of national programs for preeminent wine brands in both California and Washington. With the addition of Rinker, DeLille will no longer be represented by Vintage Point Partners, a Sonoma-based sales and marketing company. “DeLille is grateful for Vintage Point’s leadership over the last four years and their help in growing our national footprint. We are excited to have such a talented individual join our strong team, and know Janna will strengthen our relationships with our great distributor, restaurant, and retail partners and continue our advocacy of the world-class quality of Washington wine,” said Tom Dugan, DeLille’s CEO. During her time at Copper Cane Wines and Provisions, Rinker managed major partnerships, including Landry’s, Nordstrom and Noble House Hotels and Resorts; and served as the Northwest Regional Manager. Prior to Copper Cane, Rinker was a founding team member of Washington’s Latta Wines, where she conceptualized and implemented the national sales and marketing program for Latta, Kind Stranger and Disruption Wine Company. Other prominent industry roles include Estates Group Division Manager at Young’s Market Company and Northwest and International Sales Director for Charles Smith. “I’m delighted to welcome Janna Rinker to the DeLille family. She brings a wealth of talent and industry expertise to our team. I’m looking forward to working in tandem with such a consummate professional,” said Jay Soloff, President, co-owner and one of DeLille’s founding partners who has been the primary force behind the winery’s sales and marketing for over 20 years. Rinker is back to her Northwest roots at DeLille Cellars. She is a native of Washington State and currently resides in Seattle. Rinker is a graduate of Whitman College and is currently getting her MBA at UW Foster School of Business. She enjoys skiing and cooking, and her favorite DeLille wine is Harrison Hill, a single vineyard Bordeaux-style blend the winery has been crafting since 1994 from the second oldest Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the state. “I’m thrilled to be joining DeLille and to solidify and expand its distribution,” said Rinker. “The combination of its legacy, the beautiful wines, and potential for growth are all incredibly exciting. I look forward to working with our distributor partners to bring DeLille to more retailers, restaurants and consumers across the US and the world.” The addition of Rinker brings DeLille’s sales management in-house to create high-touch programming to meet the current and changing needs of its valued restaurant, retail, and hospitality partners across the country. The move follows DeLille’s recent remodel of the iconic former Redhook Brewery in Woodinville, including the construction of a new three-story tasting room, to further DeLille’s goal of highlighting the world-class wine of Washington State and the winery’s 28-year legacy of excellence.
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About DeLille Cellars DeLille Cellars is the third oldest operating winery in Woodinville, WA, founded in 1992. Known for pioneering Bordeaux-style blends from Washington State, the winery has maintained a tradition of quality and excellence with over 600 individual 90+ ratings from leading publications. DeLille Cellars focuses on the Red Mountain AVA and sources grapes from Washington's most acclaimed vineyards. The winery is recognized by notable wine critics and influencers, including Robert Parker, as one of the top producers in the state. To learn more about DeLille Cellars, visit www.delillecellars.com. Media Contact: |
Dec 8, 2020 at 9:00 AM
A Message from DeLille Cellars
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We feel it’s important to connect with you regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) and the steps we’re taking here at DeLille to keep our community healthy and safe. More than anything, our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected, and we hope that you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe. Our number one priority is the well-being of our customers and employees, and we are continuing to take active measures to ensure our retail and work environments are safe spaces. At this time, our new Hollywood Station tasting room in Woodinville and our Maison DeLille wine lounge in Kirkland remain open for guests to visit, and we would love to see you. Our team is here to help. We are actively monitoring and following guidance from the CDC, Washington State Department of Health, and Public Health – Seattle & King County. As a winery and tasting room, our sanitation and cleanliness standards are very high. Over the last few weeks we have taken steps to ensure we provide a safe environment, including:
We ask our customers who are high risk or not feeling well to refrain from visiting us. If you are able to stop by, please make a reservation in advance. By reducing the number of seated tastings, we may not be able to seat as many walk-in guests as normal, but hope this will enhance your experience and comfort. If you cannot visit us, we have many options below to ensure you don’t go without DeLille wine. Please don’t hesitate to call or email us with any questions, and we thank you for your support and look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon. |
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Celebrate Taste WA Wine Month with Us! |
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#tastewapledge
Mar 13, 2020 at 4:35 PMDeLille Cellars is a Wine & Spirits Top 100 Winery for the Third Year in a Row
Sep 23, 2019 at 5:33 PMSign Up For Our Newsletter
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