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WTN: A visit to Upchurch Wines, Red Mountain

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Jenise

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WTN: A visit to Upchurch Wines, Red Mountain

by Jenise » Fri Apr 16, 2021 10:49 am

Chris Upchurch's local fame is as winemaker, from the beginning, for one of Washington's best wineries, DeLille. He owns his own vineyards on Red Mountain and produces these wines:

2019 Upchurch Grenache LTL Yakima Valley
A true rose, not a saignee. Light strawberry with unusual notes of canned creamed corn and aged gouda on the finish. Unusual, and I couldn't make up my mind if I liked it or not.

2019 Upchurch Sauvignon Blanc Southwest Facing Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley
Barrel tasting (but from cement egg), unfiltered and a little feral with green herbs and white grapefruit. Outstanding, and an occasion on which to regret that the public doesn't understand unfiltered whites--would be wonderful if it could be bottled with this additional complexity.

2018 Upchurch Sauvignon Blanc Southwest Facing Boushey Vineyard Yakima Valley
Sur lie aged 18 months in cement eggs. Surprisingly rich and overtly grassy--and more aggressively so than the '16. So glad to see a Washington winemaker putting some attitude in a Sauv Blanc. I love it, bought several!

2018 Upchurch LTL Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon
LTL stands for 'larger than life' which is a term often used, aptly, to describe tall, long-haired winemaker Chris Upchurch. 100% Cab Sauv that, though a bit one dimensional at present, punches well above its price tag. At around $30, this is a great value for Red Mountain cab.

2018 Upchurch Counterpart Red Mountain Red Bordeaux Blend
Tasted at the winery. 2/3 Merlot, 1/3 Cabernet, on 100% new French Oak. That kind of lavish FO isn't normally my thing but the elegance and understated power of the blueberry, violets and sweet spice of the merlot fruit swept me off my feet, and I purchased some for my cellar.

2018 Upchurch Cabernet Sauvignon Upchurch Red Mountain
Great complexity and richness from Chris' own vineyard fruit. Rich and complex, suitable for cellaring, will probably be his best cab yet (contains 10% merlot).
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: WTN: Upchurch Wines on Red Mountain

by John S » Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:24 am

Sounds interesting. Is there a tasting room on Red Mtn? Or are they available at DeLille?
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Re: WTN: Upchurch Wines on Red Mountain

by Jenise » Tue Apr 20, 2021 12:12 pm

At the winery on Red Mountain; I don't know if they're available in Woodinville or not.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

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