Fidelitas Wines

Taste Washington: Plan Ahead!

In just a few weeks, I’ll be attending my 9th Taste Washington.  Wow.  Of the eight I’ve been to (worked at) so far, I have been on the restaurant side twice, and the winery side eight times.  I have met amazing people who are genuinely interested in learning more about the restaurant, the winery, or just wine in general.  I’ve chatted with Club members from as far as Tennessee who came to Washington just for this event.  We’ve met new people who have become dedicated Fidelitas fans as a result of finding us at Taste.  It is truly an amazing weekend.

This year, I get to bring a few newbies with me who have yet to attend Taste.  I’ve been thinking about how to prepare them and decided to share my thoughts…

Enter with a plan

There is so much wine at this event.  Spend some time perusing the event program in advance and highlight some wineries that you might want to visit.  Don’t worry about tasting every wine that a winery might be offering…just go for the one that really interests you.  Think about what you want to gain.  I’ll encourage my team to seek out wineries they have not tasted from before and to come up with two brand that are really comparable to Fidelitas and two that are really different so they can speak to the great variety that Washington wine country has to offer.

Drink

Water.  And lots of it.  There are water stations everywhere.  Grab a bottle and stick it in your purse or swag bag.  Chug a bottle between every couple winery visits.  If nothing else, it helps to clear the red off of your teeth.  Also remember…unless your glass is getting really funky, there is no need to rinse your glass between tastes.  Residual water in your glass will dilute the next wine you taste.  I always offer to rinse with wine prior to a taste to clear out a white or red or sweet that you had before.

You’ll also note that there is a bunch of beer at the event.  I’ll tread lightly here because I know there are some mixed feelings on this.  However, remember that beer (like wine) has alcohol in it and that polishing off a pint glass is only going to get you to your finishing point that much earlier in the day.

Eat

Similar words here as with the wine plan.  Our wonderful Kathleen prints off the map of the venue in advance and circles the restaurant booths that she wants to visit.  She has always been better than me on this and ends up eating some wonderful food, where I often just grab things as I see them.  Plan on having a big breakfast before you show up and maybe stick a protein bar in your bag if you don’t think you can fill up on little bites.

Attend a seminar

This is new for me!  I’ve always heard great things about the seminars and I get to attend my first one this year when Charlie sits on the panel of the Red Mountain AVA spotlight.  There is a great line up of subjects this year where you can really enhance your knowledge of Washington wine.

Be careful with clothes (and shoes)

Watch for it.  There will be someone in an all white suit that gets red wine down the front of them, and there will be someone limping over crumpled carpeting in heels.  I don’t want to be critical of anyone, but do want to advise that people remember this is a standing event where almost everyone is bumping around with red wine in their glass.  I’ll be in black and flats.

Exit with a plan

Please!  Get an uber, call a cab, hop on the bus.  Even better, take advantage of one of the hotel packages the Wine Commission has set up and make a weekend out of it.  You bought the ticket to taste wine, so taste and have fun!  But, with this much wine, it’s really hard to say “oh, I’ll just have a little and then be okay to drive home”.  I have to get out on the road with everyone at the end of the day and want to make it home safely to my baby.

I look forward to seeing my friends at Taste this year!

The Evolution of Optu

I came to work with Fidelitas in 2008, just as we were releasing the 2005 vintage reds.  The tasting room on Red Mountain had been open for a year, but everyone had their stories of where they had experienced Fidelitas before then.  For me, I first met Charlie at Canon de Sol (years before starting with Fidelitas), and then again in the Sandhill building.  At one point in time, I was lucky enough to get a tour of Red Mountain with Charlie before so many of the great vineyards of today were even planted.

I’ve noticed that most stories have Optu woven in somewhere.  My aunt recalls when she ordered some wine as a gift and Charlie delivered the case of 2002 Optu Red Wine to her door, case perched on his shoulder.  The 2005 and 2006 vintages were very popular in distribution and so we picked up several new Fidelitas fans who had the wine at their favorite wine bar.  This is the wine that has been with us from the beginning, representing our optimum blend of vineyards and varietals from each vintage.

And so now, a brief history of our signature blend, which started as Meritage, became Optu Red Wine, and now represents the region we call home as Optu Red Mountain.  Optu first debuted in the 2000 vintage, and is now being released in its 13th variation as the Fidelitas 2012 Optu Red Mountain.

The 2000 Fidelitas Meritage debuted as a blend of 62% Cabernet Sauvignon and 38% Merlot.  Our first vintage was limited to just 375 cases of this one wine.  We kept the Meritage name and this bottle through the 2001 vintage (a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 7% Malbec) and gave the wine a friend with the addition of Columbia Valley Syrah.

2002 is perhaps our most exciting vintage by packaging standards, and the origin of the name OPTU.  I also happen to LOVE this vintage and was lucky enough to hoard some for several years.  A blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot, and 9% Malbec.  I believe that this is the first wine we included some Red Mountain fruit in, with 10% of the make up coming from Red Mountain Vineyard.  We bumped the line up to a total of 6 products in this vintage, most notably with the introduction of Champoux Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.

By 2003, we came up with a design for the bottle that has stuck with us through the 2013 white wines.  This is a great time for a shout out to our tireless designer, Joe Farmer of Whizbang Studio.  He does awesome work and is a truly nice guy.  Back to the wine…2003 Optu Red Wine is comprised of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Merlot, and 4% Cabernet Franc.  We basically exploded to 9 products in this vintage with the addition of 2 white wines: the Columbia Valley Semillon and Elerding Chardonnay!

2004 sticks out in my mind as one of my favorites during the 10 Vintages of Optu dinner (also known as the flying salad dinner).  53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 10% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot, 3% Malbec…our first blend using all 5 Bordeaux varietals.

In 2005 we introduced the linebacker bottles.  Big shoulders, heavier than anything, and could only fit in 6-packs.  It seemed like a fun idea until people complained about the bottles not fitting in their cellars.  This only lasted us through 2 vintages… 2005 Optu is still showing fabulously now (as evidenced by my 05 Party), as a blend of 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 36% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Merlot.  In this vintage, we also debuted our first Red Mountain dedicated wine, the 2005 Red Mountain Merlot, and created the Boushey Red Wine as a tribute to Dick Boushey’s 25Th anniversary.

In 2006, Optu was made up of 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 23% Merlot, and 9% Cabernet Franc.  My fondest memory from this vintage was Charlie saying…"sure, you can lay them down, but why? They’re great now!”  We also introduced Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon in this vintage.

2007 brought another packaging change for some of our wines, thinner bottles, and one of Charlie’s favorite vintages.  07 Optu showcased 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 9% Malbec, and 6% Petit Verdot.  We were at 15 products by this point in time with the addition of Red Mountain Red Wine, Red Mountain Merlot, and Red Mountain Cabernet Franc.  We also gave Charlie the challenge of focusing just on Bordeaux varietals, and so Syrah fell away from the line up after 2006.  2008 stayed in the same bottled with 61% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Malbec.  2009 also got to stick in the same bottle (that’s a record!) and is made up of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Malbec.  This still stands out as one of my favorite vintages and I am squirrling away as many bottles as possible.

2010 was a turning point for Fidelitas, and for Optu.  In this vintage, we released the Optu Red Mountain…a blend dedicated just to the region we call home.  Still a blend, this vintage also favored Merlot with 53%, then 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot.  Love this wine.  We got to keep the Merlot dominance in the 2011 vintage of Optu Red Mountain with a blend of 50% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Sauvignon, and16% Cabernet Franc.  This vintage sold out in about 2 months.  Lucky for those in the Wine Club!

And so now, we end with the current release, our 13th vintage of what is now known as Optu Red Mountain.  A big, bold wine at this point in time, that is worthy of time in the cellar for sure as a blend of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot.  By this point in time, we have 18 red wines and 2 white wines: all Bordeaux-varietals, and 90% Red Mountain grown with the exception of some lasting vineyard relationships that are too good to pass up.

 

This blog post took me way longer to compose than I intended, but I think it’s because I truly do feel a connection to Optu.  It was fun to go back through the vintages and remember different times that I’ve had the wines myself.  If anyone has an Optu memory to add, I’d love to hear it.

 

A Menu to Get Excited About

It's hard to turn your head right now without realizing that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I've been trying to come up with some interesting ideas to serve my sweetheart for our big night in (I refuse to wait in line to eat dinner somewhere with 5 million of my best friends). Casual searching on Pinterest leaves me feeling inadequate and in need of a heart shaped cookie cutter.  Smitten Kitchen and the other foodie blogs make me wish I had more time to cook, and the big food sites and my endless cookbook selection offer me the same things that I peruse weekly.  So what to do?  How about use the amazing menu for tomorrow night's winemaker dinner as inspiration!  Chef Andy Craig has outdone himself this time with a fabulous menu to showcase the 2012 Fidelitas Reds in their new Richland venue space, Anthology.  I can't wait to share details and pictures next week.  In the meantime, I'll continue to drool over this:

First Course

Salmon 2 Ways - Served on Applewood Smoked Bacon Brussel sprouts

Grilled Northwest Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce

Baked Northwest Salmon with Fire Roasted Red Pepper Coulis

Paired with 2013 Klipsun Vineyard Optu White

Second Course

Garlic Roasted Beet Medley with Sautéed Kale and Fresh Thyme

Coffee & Cocoa Rubbed Smoked Tri-Tip finished with Jalapeno Remoulade

Paired with 2012 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard Merlot

Third Course

Wild Mushroom Risotto with Oyster, Portabella, and Crimini Blend

Finished with Fresh Shaved Parmesan and White Truffle Oil

Paired with 2012 Champoux Vineyard Magna Red Wine

Fourth Course

6 Hour Braised Short Rib s & Crispy Pork Belly

Served on Buttery Boursin Whipped Yukon Golds finished with Caramelized

Walla Walla Sweet Onions

Paired with 2012 Quintessence Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

& 2012 Fidelitas Estate Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert Course 

Chocolate Cake with Bacon Jam

Return to the tasting bar to choose your favorite debut wine

Giving Thanks

This week, I polled my team to see what they were thankful for.  In return, I received several heartfelt, sincere, and slightly interesting responses.  But best of all, Charlie’s response:

“Thankful to have her home,” he texted last night.  His oldest daughter, Emily, is home for 30 days from her Peace Corp commitment in Tanzania.

“I'm thankful for a warm, loving home, a healthy body, an amazing husband, and a job I love.  I'm also thankful for wine, chocolate, yoga, and bubble baths to bring me back to a happy place when I forget how much I have to be grateful for.” – Erin, Red Mountain Tasting Room Lead

“I am thankful for finding such a fantastic job working with fantastic people when I moved back to Washington :) I am thankful for being able to spend Thanksgiving filling my belly with delicious wine and great food made by my wonderful family. And also having the cutest dog ever to snuggle with when I need it!” – Skye, Woodinville Tasting Room Lead

“Well first of all I'd like to announce how happy I am that I've lasted over a year in Seattle (same goes for our new Woodinville Tasting Room)! I've moved into a cozy new place and learned some pretty essential Seattle things... such as where to find molten chocolate cake at midnight and where to pop in for a taste of bubbles. On that note, I am thankful that my job takes me back home to Eastern Washington about once a month. I get to double dip my family time and working on Red Mountain. I should also admit that I'm thankful that this time of year it's socially acceptable to add Bailey's to your coffee.” – Michelle, Wine Club Concierge

“I am thankful for my supportive family and boyfriend. I am also thankful to be working in the area I call home, my Fidelitas family, great friends, and even better wine!” – Chelsea, Red Mountain Tasting Room

And me?  I’m thankful for so much this year.  A supportive and loving husband who keeps me centered, a healthy, energetic toddler who reminds me I can’t control everything, a warm house, and an extended network of family and friends with whom I get to celebrate this holiday a total of FOUR times!  And of course, a wonderful, fun, job that introduces me to so many interesting people and provides me with a few fun wines to throw on the table.

 

Cheers to you and your families!

Jess

Friendsgiving

I have really started to enjoy the holidays more in recent years.  I still refuse to do the crazy mall dash, but do love the time I get to spend with friends and family.  It’s always a ton of food (which I love) and wine (again…obviously, which I love) and warm cozy houses.

I just kicked off the season with a Friendsgiving at our house.  Everyone brought an appetizer to share and I pulled out a few of my favorite wines for a spread.  Matching wine with appetizers can be tricky.  You need something with enough body to stand up to the bolder, richer, items, but definitely very light or no tannins.  For the most part, appetizers are based around veggies (which have tannins themselves), or cheese (many of which can be metallic tasting with the wrong pairing), and are not our intense main course items like the steak with love with Fidelitas Cabernet.

My choices for wine were the recent release of 2013 Klipsun Vineyard Optu White wine, and a couple of library reds, 2010 Columbia Valley Malbec and 2009 Columbia Valley Merlot (which sadly does not exist any more, but 4040 would be a nice replacement!).

Our Friendsgiving spread included flatbread with pears, blue cheese, and caramelized onions, a crudité platter with endive, Persian cucumbers, tomatoes, and white bean hummus, sausage stuffed mushrooms, baked brie en croute with apples, hot spinach dip, and an amazing chocolate pumpkin bread.  We wore stretchy pants and ate (almost) every last bite.

So, in a year where the holidays seem to be coming early and faster than ever (Target had trees before Halloween and Santa showed up at the mall a week ago), I wish you a wonderful season that is filled with wine, food, friends, and family.

Harvest Party Itinerary

Harvest Party is just around the corner, and if this warm weather continues, it’s going to be a gorgeous day to enjoy a taco on the patio.  I’ll be driving from Seattle for the weekend with Grace and Dara (who helps us out in the Woodinville tasting room from time to time) and decided that we might as well make a weekend out of it!  Here is the itinerary:

Friday

Tasting at Gilbert Cellars: Depending on what time we get out of town, we may make a stop at this downtown Yakima tasting room…just to get the weekend started right!  Plus, I could stare at their gorgeous portrait of Gilbert Peak all day.

Early dinner at Wine O’Clock:  Because the bacon and pear pizza is amazing!!!  Dara won’t come to Red Mountain without this Prosser stop.

Saturday

Saturday Morning Yoga at the new Walter Clore Center: It’s followed by mimosas so that’s a no brainer.

Pre-party visit to our friends at Frichette:  Miss Charlie’s Merlot?  We’ve been out for a while.  Find a good one here…

Harvest Party!  This is one of my favorite events of the year.  It’s just wine and tacos on the sunny patio in the afternoon.  Low key and way fun.

Wind down at Anelare: We love our friends Kahryn and Forrest’s new tasting room (on McBee…looking back at Red Mountain).

Sunday

Brunch at Anthony’s: Bloody Mary on the patio?  In October?  Yes please!

Pumpkins and farm animals at the Country Mercantile:  Finally, an activity that will appeal to Grace.  I can’t wait to pick out our pumpkins!

2014 Harvest- the Start

Harvest is officially underway! We get things going a little earlier on Red Mountain, where the heat units are higher than many other parts of the state, meaning earlier ripening.  So far, we've brough in Sauvignon Blanc from Klipsun Vineyard and Merlot from Scootenney Flats, to name a few.  This are happening quickly in the vineyards and the cellar...we'll be sure to keep you updated!

Heading to a Wedding? Think FAITHFUL, LOYAL, AND TRUE!

It’s wedding season!  Ben and I are preparing to attend our first (but not last!) wedding of the season this evening.  As many of you know, we got married four years ago now at the tasting room on Red Mountain (no…sadly we do not host weddings there. Charlie made an extra special exception for me!).  As my uncle pointed out in a speech, it was so fitting to have the tables filled with Fidelitas wine because the name translates to faithful, loyal, and true.  Something we definitely focus on in a marriage.

So, this evening, we’ll be bringing a set of Fidelitas wines as a gift for the bride and groom.  One of my favorite gifts is to share a bottle that will be excellent on their one year anniversary, and another for their five (or 10!) year anniversary.  Another great gift is a membership to the Wine Club.  This is especially awesome for couples who may want to take advantage of tastings and events as newlyweds.  It’s a good introduction to the wines, along with quarterly reminders of their wedding day and gifts received.

Congratulations to all who are getting married this year or celebrating any momentous occasion with loved ones!

Wine Picks for Food on the Grill

The Fourth of July has always been one of my favorite holidays.  It involves friends, food, and in Seattle, the start of summer weather…usually.  We are fortunate enough to live near one of the many vistas around the city where you can catch a glimpse of the fireworks.  It’s become a tradition to invite friends to join us in the afternoon for a backyard barbeque (although many years that means dodging raindrops while huddling around the Weber) and then trot over to the park with sparklers for the show.

As I prepare my menu for this Friday, I am reminded that grilling and backyard picnics are so often associated with beer or funny cocktails.  But I’m a wine lover, and believe that it is an awesome pairing as well.  My top picks for barbeque festivities?

Semillon.  Especially this current vintage of 2013 Klipsun Vineyard Semillon.  For those of you who may be in warmer areas than Seattle, this is a great warm weather cooler with bright fruit and lively acids.  However, there is also a subtle fattiness to it that rounds out the wine.   The Semillon is perfect with your potato salad and grilled chicken dishes.  It’s also a pretty perfect pairing with corn on the cob.

Malbec.  Malbec is a great barbeque wine, and I might be biased, but I swear that the Fidelitas Malbec is the BEST barbeque wine.  The tannins are in check and the plummy, spicy notes just mimic anything you pull off the grill.  I know that a few of our staff members think that the Malbec is awesome with ribs.  I personally vote for grilled sausage.  This wine is also going to be great with anything that involves grilled veggies, especially peppers and onions…maybe even an earthy quinoa black bean salad?

Cabernet Franc.  Looking for something a little bit special to share with friends this week?  Been wanting an excuse to open that sold out bottle of Ciel du Cheval Cabernet Franc?  Here you go.  Cab Franc is another great cookout wine because of those subtle tannins, peppery tones, and slightly smoky note.  This is the wine that is going to be awesome with your burgers, or honestly, just with really good potato chips.

I’ll definitely have a few bottles on the table later this week and hope you might sneak one in to the world of beer as well.  Have a fun and safe Fourth!

All In on Red Mountain