Walla Walla, yeah, so great, or,. peaceful, ...or,... so beautiful or,... hip or laid back or transitional ...Its one of the most unique slivers of wine country ive ever visited. Desolate like a high desert plateau, in a way, it reminds me of the front range of Colorado or even the western slope of Colorado where the density of sudden fruit -seed agriculture emerges like a castle spotted fairy tale. Textbook and trough like, the groove of green-ness and life seems to be there for the taking. Surprisingly arid as a whole, the areas this time of year that boasted vegetation were all well irrigated. Realizing this for me squelched any real notion of dry farming viticultural practices.
The message is simple really. For those of us that are truly interested in wine regions and geology as much as we are wine itself, Walla Walla, over the Columbia river valley or Washington as a larger AVA, has more promise and more potential wine diversity than any emerging region i have ever witnessed. As difficult as it is to reach, I encourage all of you to harness up and hunker down for the extended ride… and next time you’re thinking about a wine country experience, go the distance,. hop on the darn puddle jumper, sleep on less than a 5000 thread count sheet, and head to WW. More to come ...details on wines and specific wineries next week
Photo: taken from blackberry.
Cayuse Vineyards, just across the border of Oregon on the far end of the Walla Walla AVA.. Biodynamic farming practices since 2002.
Varietal: Syrah 5th Leaf
Soils: Alluvial, Cobble-loam-silt of floodplains and terraces of WW River and tributaries: Well-drained, and low organics- permits good control of grape vigor by management of water and nutrients
This site is magic and so are the wines!
Friday, September 19, 2008
Aardvarks are my friends.
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3 comments:
Vajra,
Great to see you up in my world. Can't wait to get you up here again!
Trey
Looking forward to some notes. WA is a spot I need to explore more.
Vajra,
This is Matthew from Ecco... I have a personal love affair with the oh so beautiful Washington State as well as you. See I recently moved here from the grand ol state. Walla Walla is fantastic... As well as Horse Heaven Hills, The Columbia Valley, Rattlesnake Hills, etc... If you are looking to acquire a better understanding of the state as a whole there is a very accurate & insightful book that was recently written by Paul Gregutt... "Washington Wines & Wineries". You would appreciate the vast time that he has put forth to direct a wine enthusiast past the oh all to common so-so and upward toward that top tier we all strive to reunite with. It has many insightful references that I adore. If you are experimenting with new wineries you should attempt to purchase the "D2" from Delille Cellars in Woodinville WA... It is a cult classic. Also I spoke with Sy about Col Solare... It is an amazing collaboration between Chateau Ste. Michelle & the famed Marchese Piero Antinori family of Italy... No one would have thought a more brilliant Domestic/European wine would exist... See for yourself. I have my favorites as well. I was pointing that particular wine out to Sy for its unification... I thought that it would be a well suited match for Ecco. Ask around most likely you will find a distributor that works with Ste Michelle. If not well that just means that there is an excuse for yet another flight to the Evergreen State. Hey, you take care. I look forward to talking to you in the future. If you have any notes that you had taken or places that you thought were of special interest feel free to you forward them my way. MatthewDouglasAnderson@gmail.com
Thanks Vaj, Matthew
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