2008 Quail Series Red Blend
Background
The trick to blending is to know when to stop, while the beauty is watching the wine reveal itself in its own time. The Syrah is plush; the Cabernet Sauvignon is the spine, resulting in a bombshell of a wine.
Harvest & Winemaking
Cool April weather resulted in a late bud break before the vines began to wake up as the typical Eastern Washington heat came on in late May.
Growers adapted to these challenging conditions with a few viticultural tricks, such as early crop thinning and removing leaves near the clusters to allow better sunlight on the fruit, sacrifices they were willing to do to improve fruit quality.
Vineyards were harvested one to two weeks later than normal, and along with growers’ efforts, produced a 2008 crop with good color, flavors and acidity, resulting in wines that are crisp and fresh.
This wine was an opportunity to blend the best attributes from each varietal. The 2008 Red Wine is equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, with a little Grenache to add a sexy, rough edge.
Wine Description
The 2008 Red Wine is a very accessible, easy drinking wine, revealing flavors of powdered cocoa, milk chocolate covered cherries and hints of sun baked leather.
Food Pairing Suggestions
This wine pairs beautifully with pot roast with braised vegetables, hearty vegetable soups (Minestrone), Boston clam chowder, spicy Chipotle chocolate or light fruity cheeses.
$10.00 Per Bottle
| Winemaker: | Kate Michaud |
| Appellation: | Columbia Valley |
| Varietal: | 56% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Syrah, 4% Grenache |
| Alcohol: | 13.5% |
| T.A.: | 5.1 g/L |
| pH: | 3.67 |
| Residual Sugar: | Dry |
| Vineyard Source: | Destiny Ridge, Alder Ridge, Oasis |
| Harvest Date: | October 2008 |
| Bottling Date: | May 2010 |
| Release Date: | July 2010 |
| Cases Produced: | 2,895 |
