Circle of Friends Winery Blog
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April 20 2008
Burr, what a chilly start to spring! We had snow all over the state a few days before April. I have confidence that Mother Nature will bless us with sun and warm weather in the near future. The weather, however, has not slowed us down here at the winery.
Ryan Driver, our new vineyard manager has made leaps and bounds in our estate vineyard. He has planted our cover crop and put the trellis system in for our newest block. Just to the South of our building we are planting Cabernet Sauvignon which will complement the Merlot we planted last year.
Christina and I have been on the road these past few months pouring our wines across the state. It was nice seeing many of you and I look forward to seeing many more of you this Spring Release weekend.
Speaking of Spring Release Weekend, we are releasing of our 2006 Walla Walla Valley, Les Collines Vineyard Syrah (only about 250 cases were produced of this delicious wine). Using just 17% new oak helped highlight the finesse of the Les Collines Syrah. When I was preparing the tasting notes on this wine I was impressed with how complex it turned out. The first whiff of this wine brings on aromatics of blue berry preserves and black berries, followed by scents of violets, rosemary and sage. The nose finishes with smoked game. On the pallet, balanced acidity gives way to velvety tannins and a smooth finish.
We are pre-releasing the 2007 Viognier to our wine club just before Spring Release Weekend (only 197 cases were produced of this treat). We will officially release it to the world sometime this summer. I have to admit that the 2007 Viognier is our best yet. On the nose, it delivers a bouquet of lavender, mandarin zest, pears and stone fruits. On the pallet it transforms from a balanced acidity to a well integrated minerality.
Every once in a while an opportunity to make a little different style of wine comes along that is impossible to pass up. This last harvest we got one ton of Mouvèdre grapes in. This is often blended in with the red wines of the Rhône region of France but it also makes for a great rosé. With that one ton of grapes, we produced 49 cases of our Rosé du Mouvèdre. It is pink in color with aromas of white pepper, fresh strawberries licorice and cranberries. A nice biting acidity transforms into a creamy mouth feel on the finish. This will be a must with the hot days yet to come and great to take on a picnic. I like it with roast beef sandwiches!
Our new production facility is nearly finished. We are expecting to move in the middle of the month. The cat walks are already in place and the tanks are in. I can hardly wait to move into my new playground! Mountain States Construction Company has done a great job, many thanks to them! With the new facility we will continue to grow the quality of our wines. Below is a picture of the back side of the new facility.
Look for me in the next few months at the Wine Highway in Woodinville, May 24th and 25th and at Jazz in the Valley in Ellensburg July 26th.
Cheers,
Ryan Raber
Tertulia Cellars
Winemaker
New Spring Releases!
Available May 1, 2008
2006 Les Collines Walla Walla Valley Syrah
Price: $30.00
Club Price: $27.00
Club Quarterly Case Price: $24.00/bottle
Tasting Notes
The first whiff of this wine brings on aromatics of blue berry preserves and black berries, followed by scents of violets, rosemary and sage. The nose finishes with smoked game. On the pallet, balanced acidity gives way to velvety tannins and a smooth finish.
2007 Rosé du Mourvèdre
Price: $16.00
Club Price: $14.40
Tasting Notes
This wine has aromas of white pepper, fresh strawberries licorice and cranberries. Nice biting acidity transforms into a creamy mouth feel on the finish.
Jim O'Connell
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March 8 2008
Ok, it has been a full month and I have yet to get pictures of our very first Wine Club dinner on the site! I know, it's unforgivable...Here are some pictures of our first Paella Dinner! I will let the pictures speak for themselves...needless to say it was fun and yummy and sure to be a yearly event with the release of the Tempranillo.
Cheers!
Christina
January 20, 2008
Ahhh it is good to be back!
November 25, 2007
I recently attended the Northwest Food and Wine Festival in Portland, Oregon, and I must say it was quite a fun time!
November 2007
I am dubbing this vintage “the year of the Bee”.
September 14, 2007
Harvest has begun with a vengeance.
August 9, 2007
Happy Birthday Ryan!!!
July 7, 2007
June was tremendously busy here at Tertulia Cellars.
June 13, 2007
Hello Everyone,
June 9 2007
Our Furniture has finally arrived,
May 12, 2007
In the Tasting Room...
April 2007
We have had such a busy winter here in Walla Walla we barely noticed the telltale signs that spring has finally sprung.
January 2007
January 16th 2007
Harvest 2005 Update
In the thick of it...