Fidelitas Wines

Our Week in Pictures, June 15 - 21

The Mariner's sure got our attention this week!

Jess and Charlie hosted a wonderful group in Suite 25. Fidelitas wines were flowing and the Mariner's played an awesome game! (if you squint, you can maybe see Michelle just above the scoreboard)

How great are our members, James and Kristi?

Erin took her husband for a suprise Father's Day game.

Chelsea chose wine over baseball and checked out our neighbors.

And Skye got to do a little babysitting...

 

 

A Tour of Willamette

Ben and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary this past week.  Time flies.  Since we got hitched on the slopes of Red Mountain, it only seemed appropriated to do a wine themed trip to celebrate the date.  We headed to our neighbors to the south to explore the Willamette Valley.  Our three days of vacation took us to 6 wineries, a slew of restaurants, and one tiny little ferry.  Here is what I learned:

Dirt is a big deal

Willamette Valley is over 52,000 square miles, subdivided into 6 sub-avas.  Most vineyard sites lie between 200 and 1000 acres, but the AVA hosts mountains as tall as 1,600 feet and is protected by the 3,500’ elevation coastal range.  My point?  There is a lot of variability.  Some
vineyards cited sediment from the Missoula floods like we have on Red Mountain, others said they hosted marine sediment from when the Pacific Ocean covered the region.  Alexana Winery told us that they have 15 different soil types in their 80-acre property, with 8 of those on display as the front of their tasting bar.

Clones are key

When you are essentially working with just one varietal (pinot noir) and all of that variability in the landscape, it makes sense that growers and winemakers are going to get geeky about clones.  It was fun for me to see it in action since we are exploring the best clones for our own Estate Vineyard right now. (Remember, clones are genetically identical to their parent, reproduced via bud or shoot.  Using clones is a way of promoting grapes that are more disease resistant, provide more or less skin to juice ratio, produced a desired yield…overall picking the right plant for the right vineyard.  This is not genetically modified stuff…just natural selection with a little assistance via grafting.)

PS – I know that there is more than just pinot noir.  We tasted some lovely pinot blanc and chardonnay as well :)

Vintage really matters

Willamette Valley is much more temperate than Washington’s growing regions.  Higher rainfall, fewer growing degree days, cooling coastal breezes all contribute to being pinot friendly, but it also means that we can really taste the difference vintage to vintage.  Just a little more heat in 2012 showed a lot more ripeness in the wines (in some cases, to a point of being uncharacteristic of pinot noir).  Pretty much every winery mentioned that their overall tonnage and case production varied greatly based on the harvest year.  We’ve seen a bit of this in Washington (2004 in Walla Walla, 2010/2011 in the Horse Heaven Hills) but definitely not to the same extent.

They are a little different than us

Just like Seattle and Portland.  So close that to an outsider, you might not tell the difference, but there definitely is one.  The tasting rooms were GORGEOUS.  Most of the ones we visited were the ‘lifelong dream’ of a couple that had established their resources elsewhere then came to the Valley.  The overall feeling from a visitor is that everything was just a little more palatial and polished than us Washington folks.  More so than that, the stories were different.  Many wineries almost justified the fact that they sourced their fruit from other vineyards and every rose we had was introduced as being an ‘intentional’ part of their line up.  Biodynamic, organic, and sustainable certifications were a big part of the selling points as well.  All great stuff…just different.

Places we tasted and wines we loved (in the order of our visit, nothing else)

Winderlea: 2014 rose of pinot noir and 2014 meredith mitchel pinot blanc

Alexana: 2014 pinot gris and 2013 revana vineyard pinot noir

Soter: 2010 mineral springs brut rose and 2012 north valley pinot noir

Bergstrom: 2013 sigrid chardonnay and 2013 gregory ranch pinot noir

Brooks: 2014 pinot blanc and 2011 rastaban pinot noir

 

Our Week in Pictures, June 8 - 14

Yes - we work hard.  But part of the fun is getting out and exploring what's around us!

Erin 'accidentally' opened some Block One on Red Mountain while hosting 13 Bones and our wonderful visitors. (Missed 13 Bones this go around? They'll be back July 11th!)

Chelsea came across the pass to find terrible weather in Western Washington during UW Graduation and whiskey tasting.

Michelle found herself sipping Fidelitas during sunset at Golden Gardens.

And I apparently drank my weight in rose while touring Willamette Valley, celebrating my 5-year wedding anniversary. More to come on the Willamette wine region later this week!

 

Summertime Pasta Salad

Now that the warm weather is upon us, it is time for lots of outdoor dining and sipping on our favorite summer beverages. As someone who loves to entertain and host family and friends for dinner I find that this, Summertime Pasta Salad is a crowd pleaser. It is perfect for a light dinner or as a side dish for a weekend picnic and it is quick and easy to throw together. 

This recipe takes an ordinary pasta salad to the next level, by using orecchiette noodles, spinach, shaved asparagus and burrata it’s a nice twist on a classic. I will say that the shaved asparagus was a great addition and as a fun tip, shave the apsargus in a downward motion away from the tassle. Next, I sautéed the spinach and asparagus in olive oil and seasoned it to taste with salt and pepper.

Then, I added charred cherry tomatoes by using my broiler. I simply mixed them in a pan with olive oil and let them broil for about 5-7 minutes Once everything was complete I mixed it all together with another drizzle of olive oil and lemon zest.

Serve yourselves a giant spoonful and pour a glass of the newly released 2014 Klipsun Vineyard Semillon and enjoy the joys of summertime.

 

Our Weekend in Pictures, June 1 - 8

Charlie and Terri attended a wedding in Helena, Montana: "It is quite the place. Built in 1905 in a Gothic style of architecture. The building feels like it fell out of the sky and should be somewhere in Austria."

Chelsea (along with the rest of the staff) toured the newly opened WSU Wine Science Center in Yakima, finishing off the evening enjoying dinner with friends.

Erin represented Fidelitas at the beautiful (and very hot) Vintners in Vineyard event at Col Solare. The next morning "we celebrated Dave's 3 month post-op on his second hip and spine fusion with a hike up Badger Mountain."

Jess attempted to stay cool, enjoying a backyard kiddie pool party, then launched the boat for the summer with her family.

And someone had to hold down the fort. Michelle and Skye had some action shots from the Member for a Day event in our Tasting Rooms over the weekend. The popcorn bar was a hit!

Semillon in Summer

The time has finally arrived! Our 2014 Klipsun Vineyard Semillon has been released and it was well worth the wait. I was able to pick Charlie’s brain because I wanted to understand why this white does so well in such a hot AVA like Red Mountain. His answer was not a surprise to me, vineyard management. Klipsun vineyard is a much more established vineyard on Red Mountain and is owned by Patricia and David Gelles but managed by Julia Kock. They grow many varietals but only two whites, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. With vines dating back to 1982 they have a grasp for what is most important when focusing on helping a white grape thrive. But who cares about the technical stuff…

 This Semillon has zero residual sugar and is a dry, crisp, fruity and refreshing white to enjoy on your patio in this beautiful summer weather. If you like our Optu White which is 60% Sauvignon Blanc and 40% Semillon, then this Semillon is sure to hit every one of your taste buds. It has beautiful aromas with notes of citrus, melon, and grapefruit that pair perfectly with your picnic salad. Be sure to come to our tasting rooms to enjoy a taste and buy yourself a bottle, or four, to have on hand for your summer parties!

Our Weekend in Pictures, May 30 - 31

The biggest news of the weekend? Our leading lady in Woodinville, Skye, got engaged to her longtime sweetie, Kris. Congrats to the happy couple!

Erin enjoyed the view on the Columbia River.

Chelsea made a move, and took the pups along too.

Michelle finished her patio, and took the time to enjoy a little white wine with dinner on it.

 

We hope your weekend was as great as ours!

Interview With Charlie: Champoux Merlot

Not that I pick favorites, but I tend to always have a pretty big crush on our Champoux Vineyard Merlot. Check out my interview with Charlie on this current favorite:

“So Charlie, I know you're a fan of Merlot. Let's talk about the Champoux Vineyard Merlot which is being featured in the May Club release.”

Question 1: When did you make the 1st vintage of Champoux Vineyard Merlot and how/why did it come into the line up?

2005.  I didn’t really ask for it, Paul asked me if I wanted some and so I took it. There have never been too many people who have made it. I was making Champoux Merlot for 3 Rivers back when I started Fidelitas, and we have since that vintage.  

Question 2: What Vintage of Champoux Merlot has been your favorite so far and why? 

I think if I remember right I really liked the 2005 because it was one of the greatest vintages in WA.  And really, the 2012.  In our recent Champoux Showdown, I thought that it was really standing out in the line-up.  If there was a third, it’d probably 2009.  A vintage where it’s not too ripe or too warm…it needs a little hang time because it’s an early ripening variety.  These were all maybe a little warmer vintages but the grapes still got the hang time.

Question 3: Do you tend to have special wine making practices that are unique to the Champoux Merlot? 

Yes in that the Champoux wines can be so big and so tannic that we really monitor our fermentations to know when to pull things off so they don’t get too extracted.  We’re using 2 ton fermenters and smaller on these wines. Keeping them small and manageable gives us different components.  This is also a wine that can stand up to more new wood because it’s already so concentrated.  It borders on one of those wines where it could almost be mistaken as Cabernet…I love to make that style of merlot and try to push it as far as I can in that direction.

Question 4: What’s the biggest difference between Champoux Merlot and Red Mountain Merlot? 

Red Mountain can also provide big Merlot, but we’re generally not grabbing from just one vineyard spot.  I find Red Mountain Merlot maybe has a little more finesse than these powerful, concentrated wines from Champoux Vineyard.

Question 5: Whats a random fact about the Champoux Merlot that we couldn't hear from anybody else?

Not very many people make it!  It’s unique as a varietal wine. 

Bonus Question! Favorite food to have with Champoux Merlot…

Hmmmmm.  Probably something red meat.  Like a filet.

Feast of St Fidelis Recap

Friday, May 1st we celebrated our annual Feast of St. Fidelis celebration on Red Mountain.  Or as many of our wine club members know, this is our can’t be missed taco party!

Notice who is first in line for the tacos!

Sadly, we had already sold out of our favorite wine pairing with Eric’s famous tacos, our 2012 vintage of single varietal Malbec. 

However, after careful tasting, (and perhaps a bit of re-tasting) Team Fidelitas felt confident that our line up of the 2011 Boushey Red and the 2012 Optu Red Mountain also paired beautifully. 

As a special treat, Charlie poured hefty samples of our newly released 2010 Champoux Block One.  This is our second vintage of this wine, which is a 100% varietal Cabernet Sauvignon all sourced from the Champoux Vineyard’s oldest block planted in 1972, known as their Block One.  It was such a special treat to be able to sip on such a spectacular wine with some of our favorite long-time wine club members!

After a few bottles of wine, and a plate (or four!) of Eric’s amazing tacos, the infamous Red Mountain wind settled down and the evening treated us to a gorgeous sunset.

Thank you so much to Eric and his crew, Charlie, Team Fidelitas, and all of our wine club members who made this year’s Feast a great success!

 

AVA Comparison: Red Mountain vs. Horse Heaven Hills

 

The Red Mountain AVA (American Viticulture Area) and the Horse Heave Hills AVA equally have vines dating back to the early 1970’s. This is one of the many significant factors that lends a creative hand to these premier viticulture regions. While the Horse Heaven Hills is home to about 5 wineries the Red Mountain AVA is home to about 14. Many people may wonder, how does the Red Mountain AVA compare to the Horse Heaven Hill AVA?

Red Mountain was established as an AVA (American Viticulture Area) on April 2, 2001. The defined boundaries of the Red Mountain AVA are currently the smallest in Washington and only cover about 4,040 acres. The significant characteristics that make up Red Mountain include soil, the southwest facing slope, wind, temperatures, and it is home to Fidelitas. How does Red Mountain compare to our Horse Heaven Hill neighbors?

The Horse Heaven Hills AVA was established on August 1, 2005. It is fairly larger region that borders the Yakima Valley AVA and the Columbia River. The total acreage of the Horse Heaven Hills AVA is 570,000 with about 12,444 planted acres. Like Red Mountain, many of the vineyards are planted on a southwest facing slope with sandy, well-drained soils. They also have steady winds blowing from the Columbia Gorge that help to reduce the risk of diseases in the vineyards.

RED MOUNTAIN

Elevation: 500-1410ft

Average Rainfall: 5-7 inches

Soils: Sandy loam and gravel

Planted Acreage: About 2100 acres

Main Grape Varietals:

-Cabernet Sauvignon

-Merlot

-Syrah

HORSE HEAVEN HILLS

Elevation: 1800-300ft

Average Rainfall: About 9 inches

Soils: Sand loess, sediment, rubble

Planted Acreage: 12,444 acres

Main Grape Varietals:

-Cabernet Sauvignon

-Merlot

-Chardonnay

-Riesling