Fidelitas Wines

Shout Out to the Vineyard Crew

I’d like to give a shout out to our friends who make our harvest go off without a hitch. To the crew who arrives in the early hours of the morning, often before the sun shines, and works hard through the afternoon. They show up 6 days a week all year round. They work together to make sure the processes are run efficiently and the grapes come in on schedule. They prune, they pick, they move fiercely down the vineyard rows and fill crate upon crate, and bin upon bin, full of the mighty grapes we use to make Fidelitas wines. A big thank you from Team Fidelitas to our Vineyard Crew and Vineyard Manager, Dick Boushey, who has brought in such a great group.

Cheers to the 2016 harvest!

Grilled Pork Chops with Pan Roasted Plums + Ciel du Cheval Red Wine Balsamic Reduction

Just this week, I could start to see and smell the first signs that fall is on its way.  The leaves have started to turn their magical colors of red, orange, and yellow and there is a distinct aroma of autumn in the air.

Harvest is in full swing at the cellar and soon the 2016 vintage will be going into the barrels.

Harvesting 2016 Red Heaven Merlot

Pictured below is 2016 Quintessence Merlot:

Fall is a time when things move indoors and meals become richer. One of the things I love is being able to combine grilled meat with fresh produce that is in season. Italian plums are one of my favorite fruits and the season this year was an early one. Black plums are a great stand in though and work beautifully in the dish below which combines a thick, top sirloin pork chop with sweet plums.  It has sweetness, acidity and is a match with the 2012 Ciel du Cheval Red Wine. The darker fruit tones in the wine pair amazingly well with the sweet black plums.  The reduction is composed of CDC Red Wine, Balsamic Vinegar, and honey.  The acidity in the redux is balanced, making this sauce the perfect finishing touch to the dish.  As our Product Spotlight of the Month for September, the 2012 Ciel du Cheval Red Wine is offered at an amazing price and won’t be around for long.  So, go! Run! Get some CDC Red Wine, some plums and a pork chop and have an amazing, early fall meal.

Grilled Pork chops with Pan Roasted Plums and Fidelitas Ciel du Cheval Red Wine Balsamic Reduction

Serves 4

4 Top Loin Pork Chops

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

1 pound Fresh Plums, either Italian or Black, pitted and quartered

2 T Olive Oil

½ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Freshly cracked Black Pepper

2 sprigs Fresh Thyme

¼ cup 2012 Fidelitas Ciel du Cheval Red Wine

¼ cup Balsamic Vinegar

2 ½ T Honey

Wash, pit and quarter the plums.  In a bowl, toss plums with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Preheat a cast iron skillet to medium heat.  Add plums, thyme, wine, and balsamic vinegar.  Slowly whisk in the honey. Let come to a simmer, then lower heat to low and reduce until plums are soft and liquid coats the back of a spoon, about 20 minutes.

Preheat grill or grill pan over medium heat until hot.  While plums are roasting, season both sides of chops with salt and pepper.  Drizzle chops with olive oil and place on grill.  Cook until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F, making sure to turn once.  Remove to a plate, tent with foil and let rest.

To serve, place chop on plate and spoon the roasted plums over.  Drizzle with red wine/balsamic reduction.

Recipe developed by Amy Graham

Chops in the grill pan

Pan Roasting Plums

Grilled Pork chops with Pan Roasted Plums and Fidelitas Ciel du Cheval Red Wine Balsamic Reduction

A Quintessence Surprise!

Where are our white wine lovers at because we have a surprise for you! The day has finally arrived where we will be releasing our first 100% Sauvignon Blanc sourced from Quintessence Vineyard (yay!). We all know that Charlie makes some fantastic whites and he thought it was time to add to his collection. And what better vineyard to source from (seeing as how the Cabernet is so delicious)? Both whites that we currently produce are sourced from Klipsun Vineyard, an amazing more established vineyard on Red Mountain. Quintessence however, was planted back in 2010 with more acres planted in 2012 and 2014. It’s definitely turning into one of my favorite vineyards and we are excited to be introducing a white from a younger vineyard into our lineup! The 2016 Quintessence Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc will be released next year so keep your eye out! The Fidelitas staff will definitely be rushing to snag their share.

Red Mountain Vineyard Tours 2016

Before the busy season of harvest, each year we participate in an all staff vineyard tour of Red Mountain. This has always been one of my most favorite activities we do and this year it was by far the best year yet. Now I am not sure if it was more special because it took place in the morning (not nearly as hot as our usual time of mid-afternoon in July) or if it was the fact that it was just the Red Mountain staff who piled into Charlie’s truck early in the morning.

Our first stop on the tour was the beloved Fidelitas Estate Vineyard, located outside our doors on Red Mountain. Our Estate Vineyard consists of 13 acres, predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon of course, along with Merlot, Cabenet Franc, Malbec and an acre of Petit Verdot coming together to create the future of Fidelitas wines.

We then travelled over to the Canyons Vineyard; this vineyard was planted just in 2009 and is about 56.9 acres on a 6.3% slope. The debut of our 2013 Canyons Vineyard Red Wine is sourced from block 11 and the photo below shows you just how steep of a slope we are talking about.

From there we traveled up around Shaw Vineyard, which has about 175 acres of Cabernet along the Northwest corner of the appellation. Then passed through the Red Heaven Vineyard, another one of my favorites. Red Heaven had an interesting aspect to their vineyard; there were several vines that have been grafted. They are grafting over from a different varietal which is very interesting, for example the base and root could have been Zinfandel and then Cabernet Sauvignon was grafted and it will grow as such, this is done for varietal purposes and not from damage to the vines. How cool is that!

Then, we travelled up Antinori Road and went through another one of my favorite vineyards (can you tell I have a lot of favorites?) Quintessence Vineyard. This vineyard was planted in 2010 and is showing exceptional fruit coming from its vines.

We even explored a new area I had never visited before, just by the pond there is a block of clone 412 that Marshal Edwards (Vineyard Manager) planted for Fidelitas. Calcium carbonate can be found in the Quintessence Vineyard however brown loam soil was brought in to create topsoil. The photo below show the many layers of soils found from this vineyard.

Keeping with tradition we had to take our staff photo, after Charlie searched the area for snakes, the coast was clear. Cheers until next years tour!

 

Grilled Peaches and 2015 Klipsun Semillon

The sun is finally shining in earnest and fresh peaches are in season!  I have a hard time thinking of anything that could be better than that.  One of my most favorite summertime recipes is Grilled Peaches with Amaretto Spiked Mascarpone.  If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to grill stone fruit, stop, drop everything, and head to your local farm stand or grocery store.  Grilled peaches are the epitome of summer!  They are sweet, juicy, and luscious.  I’ve combined them with rich, velvety, Amaretto spiked Mascarpone.  It melts into the warm fruit and adds a layer of depth, making each bite explode with sweetness and creaminess.  By itself, the grilled peach and mascarpone is heaven in your mouth.  Combine it with our 2015 Klipsun Vineyard Semillon and rest assured, it will be the star of your evening.  The sweetness of the peaches compliments the ripe pear notes and combined with the roundness of the wine, makes the perfect pair.  Grilled Peaches with Amaretto Spiked Mascarpone and 2015 Klipsun Semillon is a light, refreshing, picture-perfect ending to your summer meal!

Grilled Stone Fruit with Amaretto Spiked Mascarpone Cream

Fresh Nectarines or Peaches Grilled to Perfection, Served with Almond Infused Mascarpone Cream

Serves 6

Olive Oil

3 ripe, but firm, Peaches or Nectarines

½ cup Mascarpone Cheese, room temperature

1 ½ teaspoons Brown Sugar

1 T Amaretto Liqueur or ¼ teaspoon Almond Extract

Fresh Mint Sprigs

 

Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or prepare the outdoor grill (medium-high heat). Lightly brush the grill pan or rack with oil. Place the peaches on the grill pan and do not move, otherwise you will not have great grill marks. It takes about 2 to 3 minutes per side to achieve this. Grill the peaches until the grill marks are formed, slightly softened and heated through, about 5 to 6 minutes total.

Combine the Mascarpone cheese with the brown sugar and Amaretto or almond extract and mix until smooth.  Divide the Mascarpone Cream equally, topping each grilled peach.  Garnish with Fresh Mint.

 

Recipe developed by Amy Graham

Coolest Thing in the Estate Vineyard Since Cabernet

You probably already know that Fidelitas has an Estate Vineyard on Red Mountain. That’s where we have our 3-acre 2009 planting of Cabernet Sauvignon (Clones 2, 6, and 8) that are absolutely thriving. The 2013 Fidelitas Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon is to be released next month!

You may even know that in Spring of 2015 we planted 9 additional acres in our Estate Vineyard, and the babies are looking good!

But did you know that we also poured a giant concrete circle smack dab in the middle of the vineyard? From space you might think it’s a helicopter pad. From the ground you might think it’s a dance floor. We think it’s the perfect place to host our annual Estate Vineyard Winemaker Dinner.

Join fellow members, friends, Charlie, and Team Fidelitas for dinner between the vines during harvest season on Red Mountain on Saturday, September 10th. Ethos Trattoria will be preparing a multi-course dinner paired perfectly with Fidelitas wines (check out the menu here!).

I think we can easily say that this dinner is an event that is close to our hearts. Owning his own vineyard and winery on Red Mountain has been Charlie’s dream for decades (sorry to date you, Charlie) and now we come together each year to celebrate this reality and toast to the future of Fidelitas.  

This is an intimate dinner and seats are limited. Dinner attendees are invited to join us for an Estate Vineyard walk Saturday morning, featuring a vertical of past and future Fidelitas Estate Vineyard wines.

$525 for two dinner tickets + 6-pack of 2013 Fidelitas Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon or $95 each.

For tickets, email me at michelle@fidelitaswines.com or call me at 509.554.9191

We’ve set up room blocks at our favorite Tri-Cities hotels and I’d be happy to help you plan your trip. If you can’t make it to the dinner but want to reserve the 2013 Fidelitas Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon before its release, let me know and I’ll make sure we have some with your name on it. 

We hope to see you in the vineyard!

Red Mountain Cabernet Summit

Earlier this month, the Red Mountain AVA Alliance hosted a group of trade personnel from around the country for a Cabernet Summit.  The purpose was to show these wine professionals what makes Red Mountain unique as a wine grape growing region.  I was lucky enough to tag along for most of the 3-day adventure, as I had the role of ‘van driver’ for much of the time, toting our guests of honor around the Mountain.

Fidelitas' Bagel Bar

The Summit was a blend of activities: a geology lecture, tastings led by a Master Sommelier (who I knew from my old ISG days!), vineyard tours, winery visits, and amazing meals with paired wines.  Through all of this, there were a few key points that stuck out to me.  Maybe they are different than what our visitors took home, but they are the ones I am choosing to share today.

1 – Red Mountain is our home.  And home to a lot of other great people.

I pulled up to dinner #1 – my favorite tacos on the patio of Kiona – after a grueling 6.5 hour drive from Seattle to Red Mountain (more than 2x the normal drive time).  Everyone was sitting in the evening sunshine, enjoying the most amazing tacos, drinking awesome Red Mountain Cabernet, catching up on wedding plans (congrats Kasee and Mitch!), kids’ activities, winery parties, and how to get Uber into the Tri-Cities.  Being just 4,040 acres, this is a tight knit community where everyone is excited to see one another and truly cares about each other’s lives and well-being.  That terrible drive was quickly forgotten.

2 – We may be young, but we have staying power, and bring a competitive edge to international brands.

We hosted two seated tastings during the Summit.  The first focused on the ageability of Red Mountain, while the second was a blind tasting where participants compared Red Mountain Cabernets to the same varietal from around the world. 

We determined that Red Mountain has the stuff to create a highly ageable wine.  Good tannin structure, bright acidity, and balanced fruit all come from the specific weather trends, soil types, and terroir that is specific to Red Mountain.  It’s up to the winemaker then to create a wine to last.  The Hedges 1993 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon was surely hanging on, and tasted great in a line-up of younger and much younger wines. 

When compared to the rest of the world, Red Mountain did have some unique characteristics that set our wines apart from those around the globe.  Tasting four Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignons blind, and mixed with Cabernet from Italy, Bordeaux, Australia, and Napa, we found that Red Mountain showed brighter and fuller fruit, depth balanced with acidity, and less of the pyrazines (green tones) than its cousins from other growing regions.

3 – Every vineyard has its own story, and winemakers love the variety within the AVA.

“Some of these vines are as big as a maple tree,” Scott Williams told us, as we stood in the Old Block of the Kiona Vineyard.  These are some of the most established vines on Red Mountain, and while maybe not quite the size of a maple tree, they are far larger and taller than anything else we toured.  Self-regulating and lovely, this block provides the fruit for Kiona’s OLD BLOCK, which Charlie pegged as one of his favorites in the Red Mountain vs. the World tasting.

Far on the other side of AVA, we stood in Quintessence Vineyard, which began planting in 2010, and continues to be developed today.  Managed by veteran Washington grower, Marshall Edwards, Quintessence is trying new clones, new planting styles, and producing some quality fruit for a number of Washington labels.  We tried 4 different winery’s Cabernet from Quintessence Vineyard and each was truly different from the others.

Charlie, Brian, and Marshall discuss the clones of Quintessence.

These are both vineyards that Fidelitas sources fruit from, in addition to 7 other vineyards around the Mountain.  That is a lot from such a small growing region, but Charlie would call it his spice box from which he pulls all the key components to making a strong line up of Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting wine and touring vineyards all day can really take it out of you.

Just this morning, I listened to feedback from those who visited us during the Cabernet Summit.  We had folks from Kansas, and Chicago, and California, who all said that this trip taught them that Red Mountain really is a great, unique growing region, and that they cannot wait to share it with those around them.

 

Veraison in the Vineyard

As I pulled into the parking lot the other day, the vineyard rows were catching my eye a little more than usual. Every day I am fortunate enough to work directly from our Red Mountain tasting room, with that I get the joy of watching the vineyard change and grow with each passing day.

On this particular day I noticed Veraison was taking place in the vineyard. Veraison is the change in color of the grape berries or the ripening of grapes. Depending on the varietal, Veraison takes place at different rates, especially with the warmer temperatures that we experience on Red Mountain it seems to happen earlier. During Veraison white wine grapes are a yellow hue and red wine grapes are shades of red and purple.

As Red Mountain is one of the hotter regions in Washington and home to Cabernet Sauvignon, we know that Cabernet Sauvignon is typically one of the last varietals to ripen in the vineyard. It’s an exciting time when Veraison takes place in the vineyard it means that harvest and new wines are fast approaching.

Baked Shrimp + 2010 Champoux Cabernet Sauvignon

I was poking around the library recently and found some 2010 Champoux Cabernet Sauvignon.  I was extremely excited to try it as it is the only Champoux Cabernet (excluding Block One) that we have available for purchase.  As I had guessed, it is absolutely delicious. I opened it last night and paired it with a rib steak and baked prawns.  Let me tell you, it was amazing. The aromas of big dark fruit, mainly blackberry and currant, along with the dried herbs and even more dark fruit on the palate make this wine an absolute joy to drink.  Pairing it with the steak and prawns was a no brainer!  It was the perfect compliment to the wine and the nice summer evening.  Visit the Woodinville tasting room to get a bottle while they last!

Amy’s Baked Shrimp

1 pound 16-20 sized shrimp, peeled, deveined, tail on

4 Tablespoons butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher Salt

Freshly cracked Black Pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  In a rimmed baking sheet, melt butter.  Add garlic and prawns and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with kosher salt and cracked black pepper. Bake for 5 minutes.  Turn shrimp and add additional pepper if desired.  Cook for 2-3 minutes until shrimp are just done.  Serves 4 as entrée accompaniment.

New Patio Seating and Hours!

  We have opened our patio area outside! Come join us for a tasting or a glass and enjoy your visit as you sit and relax in the fresh air.  We are excited to announce that effective August 1, Fidelitas in Woodinville will be open from 11am-5pm.  We look forward to being able to accommodate our guests with these extended hours!

We look forward to your visit soon!

 

Team Fidelitas Month

July is Team Fidelitas month, where we celebrate members old and new. 

MEMBER FOR A DAY

Sunday, July 10th on Red Mountain and in Woodinville

Bring in your friends for the VIP Club treatment in our tasting rooms.  Hit up the popcorn bar, receive complimentary tastings of the newest releases, and friends and family receive Club pricing this day only.  Groups of 6 or more, please email wine@fidelitaswines.com

Can’t make it in?  Use or pass along the code TEAMFIDELITAS for friends of Fidelitas pricing on our website, July 10th.

CLUB MEMBERS here's your chance to tell us what you really think. Take the Fidelitas Club SURVEY and be entered in a drawing for a Fidelitas Swag Bag.