Fidelitas Wines

Happy New Year, from Charlie

Dear Friends of Fidelitas:

As 2016 draws to a close, I wanted to take a brief moment to thank all of you who are so supportive of Fidelitas. Plain and simple, we would not exist if it were not for all of you, our faithful, loyal, and true customers.

In the past year, we saw the release of some really great, 2013 vintage red wines. As I mentioned last year, I thought that maybe the 2013 vintage was one of my favorites since I started Fidelitas with the 2000 vintage. That still holds true after tasting these wines throughout the year. These 2013 reds will continue to improve as they age out a little more, and have not yet reached their peak by any means. The Canyons Vineyard Red and Malbec from Red Mountain were great new additions to our releases for the vintage. We look forward to continuing those wines into the future.

This coming year will see a couple of new products to our lineup. For the first time, we will make a very limited amount of Malbec from The Canyons Vineyard. Look for this wine to be released in August (with a sneak peek during Malbec Madness in January). We will also have the first release of Blackwood Canyon Cabernet Sauvignon. These vines were initially planted in 1984 and border our own Estate vineyard just to the west. The depth and intensity of this wine is incredible and we look forward to its release in April. We hope the quality of this wine is an indication of what we can look forward to in the Fidelitas Estate Vineyard. One other highlight of the upcoming year will be the release of our last vintage of Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon. We started making Cabernet Sauvignon from this iconic vineyard in 2002. This release will be our thirteenth and final vintage. As many of you know, Paul and Judy Champoux have retired, and we retired from the vineyard as well to focus on Red Mountain fruit.

2017 will be the first vintage we will get fruit from our new Estate planting. It will be a very small amount but we are looking forward to seeing what the future holds for us. The newest 9-acres of Fidelitas Estate has Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Cabernet Sauvignon. We will have a total of six different clones of Cabernet Sauvignon in production, so it should be quite interesting.

I always have people asking about how our most recent vintage, 2016 turned out. I think it is one of our more unique vintages in Washington. The year started off looking like it was going to be another very warm vintage, but starting in the summer months the weather mirrored what would be a normal year. This meant less extremely hot days and a slow even ripening of the fruit into September and October. We did see a slightly higher than normal yield with exceptional quality. The uniqueness of the vintage is that even with higher than average yields, we saw above average quality. That very rarely happens.

In closing, I would like to publicly take a moment to thank each and every person that works for Fidelitas. Although I have met many of our customers over the years, all of you have had an interaction with somebody from our organization at some time or another. These wonderful people are the voice of Fidelitas. Without them telling our story we would just be another brand. Thanks again for all your support. Cheers to 2016!

 

Charlie Hoppes

Fidelitas, Owner + Winemaker

2016 in Photos

As we say farewell to 2016 I thought it would be fun to look back at all of the great memories we had.

Enjoy!

One Stop Shopping at Fidelitas

The Holidays are rapidly approaching, are you ready?  Fidéiltas is and we are here to help you with all of your gifting needs.  Our elves in Woodinville and on Red Mountain have been busy creating the perfect presents for those hard to purchase for folks on your list. 

We have gift packs aplenty for the wine aficionado along with beautifully wrapped single bottles that are the perfect hostess gift for any of the Holiday parties you’ll attend. 

Go Big for the Holidays this year with Fidélitas Large Formats!  We have all your favorites, including 2013 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2013 Ciel du Cheval Cabernet Sauvignon (in both 3L and Magnum!) and 2013 Optu Red Mountain.  You will be the star of the party when you arrive with one of these!

Perhaps you’re looking for a gift that will continue to give throughout the year.  Our wine club gift membership fits the bill and gives your recipient the best of the best for the upcoming year! Giving a gift membership is easy, simply select the level you would like and click “gift” when you are signing up.

Our elves over on Red Mountain are busy at work and ready to ship gift wrapped wines to wherever you need them to go. They work extraordinarily hard during the holidays – we are so thankful for them!

If you need to take advantage of Santa’s delivery service outside of the Pacific Northwest, please have your requests to our elves no later than Monday December 19th.  For orders going within the Pacific Northwest, Tuesday, December 20th is the last day. 

For those last minute gifts, our elves in Woodinville and on Red Mountain will have wrapped bottles and gift packs available that can be easily picked up as you are heading out.  Please remember that we are closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. 

We here at Fidélitas would like to wish you the Happiest of Holidays and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Shareables for the Holidays

Every year I try and prepare for the holidays and every year I am left in the dust and scrambling around last minute. The true reason I am always last minute scrambling for gifts is because I spend my free time dreaming and planning of my next meal or glass of wine to share amongst family and friends. Below are some of my “must shares” for this seasons next gathering. 

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Prosciutto Pear Bites with Blue Cheese

Recently, served this at the last Fidelitas gathering and it was such a crowd pleaser. I might also add that it took little to no time at all to make, it’s a sure way to impress!

Wine Recommendation:

2013 Klipsun Vineyard Late Harvest Semillon 

or

2015 Optu White Wine

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Marinated Cheese and Olives in a Jar

I always have this little number on hand for gifts! Amazing how easy it is to mix up, place in jars and pass them out. It’s also a perfect snack for football Sundays or snuggling up on the couch watching Christmas movies and enjoying a glass of wine.

Wine Recommendation: 

2013 Ciel du Cheval Red Wine 

or

2013 Canyons Vineyard Red Wine

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Baked Brie Pecan Bite

This one takes a smidge more work because it has a few additional steps but totally doable. To me this has Christmas Eve written all over it, melted Brie, crunchy pastry, and the sweetness of the reduction sauce (don’t let that scare you, it’s simple).

Wine Recommendation:

2013 Ciel du Cheval Merlot

or

2013 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

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Ricotta and Prosciutto Crackers

I am always searching for a pretty appetizer for the picky eater and this is it! This is sure to be a preferred treat in my household for years to come.

Wine Recommendation:

2015 Klipsun Vineyard Semillon

or

2013 Ciel du Cheval Cabernet Sauvignon

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Here’s hoping these recommendations help with your next party or night in! I am still no closer to finishing my holiday shopping, but at least my next meal and glass of wine are covered, Cheers!