Bob and I had to run 100 miles south on an errand that took us within two miles of DeLille's new tasting room in Woodinville, so we dropped in. Once they understood that we were already fans and quite knowledgeable, they poured everything in sight. DeLille is the most European winery in Washington with two distinct lines: the Bordeauxish wines appear under the original DeLille label, and a Rhone line is bottled as Doyenne. They were pouring 08 and 06 vintages: they're sold out of 07. I took brief notes and assigned letter grades based on compellingness, I guess you'd call it.
2010 Doyenne Roussanne, 14.5%: minerally yellow fruit, good precision and structure. A little hotter than I'd like at $14.5% but elegant enough to handle it. Didn't catch the price, but north of $20. B.
2008 Doyenne Aix blend: 61 Syr/34 CS/4 Mer/1 Cin. Blackberry, raspberry, cedar, coffee, pomegranite. Rustic. C+ $34.
2008 Doyenne Signature Syrah: 98 Syr/2 Viog. Classic cote rotie profile of black cherry, raspberry, sage and bacon. Great balance and structure. Fantastic, I bought two. A. $39
2006 Doyenne Grand Ciel Syrah: 98 Syr/2 Viog, from DeLille's own Red Mountain vineyard. 100% French oak, 30% new. 250 cases. Velveteen, malolactic, lacks drama. For me, disappointing. C. $65.
2008 DeLille D2: 55 Mer/39 CS/4 CF, from Columbia Valley grapes. 100% new French oak. 4,600 cases produced. Toasted black cherries, violets, tobacco, cedar and graphite, espresso. This was a great vintage for merlot and it shows in this bottle. Very Paulliac. This the their 'budget' cab blend, sells for around $58, and this vintage is as good as any I've had. But if I were going to spend that kind of money I'd go bigger and buy one of the next two:
2008 Chaleur Estate: 64 CS/25 mer/9 CF/2PV, from Red Mountain. 100% new French oak. 650 cases produced. Plum, cherry, graphite, dried herbs, white pepper. Elegant and stunning, and very very Bordeauxish. A-.
2008 Harrison Hill: Virtually the same blend as above, also aged in 100% new French oak, but where the Chaleur is from a warm site on Red Mountain, the Harrison comes from a cool site on Snipes Mountain. Side by side, especially in a cooler vintage like 2008, that difference really shows. More leather and spice on the Harrison, and a bit more graphite. More Lafite-like, and my favorite of the two. Very impressive. I don't know how a Washington cabernet blend can get better than this and where in the past I've preferred the Chaleur, I may have to switch hills. A+
2006 Grand Ciel Cabernet Sauvignon: DeLille owns a vineyard and they call it Grand Ciel. They produce 400 cases of cabernet from it, all aged in 100% new French oak, an this is the third release. Complex black fruit nose with some green notes that Bob thought pine-y where I thought green bell pepper. Silky tannins and supple body. Already developing interesting leathery secondary characteristics. I know in the wine press it would get damned for that green bell pepper, but I think it adds to a tremendous sense of place (it's a Washington trait, and I don't dislike it) especially now that it's maturing. The information they gave me suggests a drinking window of 2012-2025, but I have to guess the best days of this wine are sooner than later. Still, excellent. Highly questionable value at $130 but they sent one home with me so I'll be able to test my theory in the future.
), which had its charms, but 08 is probably the kind of vintage I like best. I'd love to have some of the Harrison Hill too, but actually held off my buying because I can buy any Washington wine out of Seattle for wholesale+10%. I have no incentive to buy at the winery at all, unless it's something that's not in the distribution chain. But after all that wine I was feeling reckless enough to buy a few things! One other thing I tasted and bought and realized just now that I didn't turn the page in my notebook to include?