Country: | United States |
Regions: | Washington Washington (Columbia Valley) |
Winery: | Long Shadows Vintners |
Grape Type: | Riesling |
Vintage: | 2022 |
Bottle Size: | 375 ml |
Tasting Notes: The Poet's Leap Riesling offers aromas of white peach, jasmine, Thai basil and nutmeg. Flavors of ripe melon, apricot and an appealing minerality continue across the palate. An underlying hint of honey sweetness is balanced by a streak of bright acidity that provides a long, clean finish.
Long Shadows Vintners
Founded by Washington wine pioneer Allen Shoup, Long Shadows Vintners is a collection of ultra-premium wineries comprised of internationally acclaimed winemakers from the major wine regions of the world. Each winemaker is a partner in a unique winery dedicated to producing a single Columbia Valley wine representing a 'best of type' that reflects the winemaker's signature style and the viticultural excellence of Washington State's Columbia Valley.
They construct wines in their own style, and with their own complexity, while striving to improve upon their singular benchmarks. Beginning with the 2003 crush, they are crafting signature wines that carry great promise for years to come.
They have devoted hundreds of hours sampling the many wines originating from the most important vineyards, and chose those particular vineyards that fit the desired style and type of wines each hopes to create. Grapes from every sub-appellation of the Columbia Valley were selected to take the fullest advantage of the region’s individual microclimates and terroirs.
"Long Shadows is the brainchild of Alan Shoup, longtime CEO of Chateau Ste-Michelle. It is a consortium of seven different labels, each with its own star winemaker who has a 25% share in the brand. The concept is that each “is dedicated to producing a single Columbia Valley wine representing a ‘best of type’ that reflects the winemaker’s signature style.” For the second straight year, every wine in this portfolio has achieved an outstanding rating. For this, the credit goes to Alan Shoup who put it all together."
- Wine Advocate (Issue 177, July 2008),
A late harvest Riesling with fruity sweetness and great aging potential, aromatic bouquet of honey, melon, ripe fruits. Grapes come from Brauneberger Juffer and Juffer-Sonnenuhr - one of the most prestigious vineyards in the Mosel winegrowing region. The vineyard faces south and provides the best conditions for growing Riesling.
Pairs well with pâté, Asian cuisine.
Chateau Gaudrelle Vouvray Reserve Personelle 2009 is 100 percent Chenin Blanc
Fine Chenin Blanc typicity, with aromas of ripe apples and honeyed notes. Rich, smooth, rounded palate with great structure and weight. Has the acidity to support ageing for 10 years.
Long Shadows Poets Leap Riesling is made from 100 percent Riesling.
Tasting Notes: The Poet's Leap Riesling offers aromas of white peach, jasmine, Thai basil and nutmeg. Flavors of ripe melon, apricot and an appealing minerality continue across the palate. An underlying hint of honey sweetness is balanced by a streak of bright acidity that provides a long, clean finish.
Long Shadows Cymbal Sauvignon Blanc is made from 100% Sauvignon Blanc.
Tasting notes: Wonderfully vibrant and aromatic, with notes of lemongrass, passion fruit and a hint of honeysuckle. Flavors of mango, fresh herbs and white peach, come together seamlessly across a textured palate and lengthy finish.
Over the years, Gilles and Allen have experimented with small quantities of uniquely styled wines for their personal and family enjoyment. A few of these wines became too good not to share with their “extended family”, including the Cymbal Sauvignon Blanc.
Sauvignon Blanc from three distinct vineyards combined to give this wine its wonderful vibrancy and complex flavor profile. Gamache Vineyard (planted in 1985) is located on a gently sloping hillside in close proximity to the Columbia River. The site benefits from the cooling effect of the river to give the wine fresh acidity. Boushey Vineyard also contributes liveliness and lemongrass character. Bacchus Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (planted in 1972) is a warmer site, producing a riper style wine that provides a distinct passion fruit character to the
finished blend.
Long Shadows Chester Kidder is made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah and 15% Petit Verdot
Allen Shoup named this wine in honor of his mother, Elizabeth Chester, and his grandmother, Maggie Kidder. He selected Long Shadows' director of winemaking and viticulture, Gilles Nicault, to craft this New World blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and other classic Bordeaux varieties.
Select Cabernet Sauvignon lots underwent an extended maceration of 40 days to produce supple yet firm tannins that stand up to 30 months of barrel aging in tight-grained French oak barrels (85% new). The extra time in barrel helped to integrate the fruit, enhance the mid-palate with an extra layer of complexity, and provide an appealing earthiness to the finish.
Review:
The Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated 2017 Chester Kidder is another more closed, reserved wine that's loaded with potential. Cassis, toasted spices, violets, and leafy herb notes give way to a rich, full-bodied red that has ripe, velvety tannins, a rounded, mouth-filling texture, and one heck of a great finish. Give bottles 3-5 years if you can and it should be very long lived.
-Jeb Dunnuck 93 Points
Long Shadows Chester Kidder is made from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah and 15% Petit Verdot
Allen Shoup named this wine in honor of his mother, Elizabeth Chester, and his grandmother, Maggie Kidder. He selected Long Shadows' director of winemaking and viticulture, Gilles Nicault, to craft this New World blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and other classic Bordeaux varieties.
Select Cabernet Sauvignon lots underwent an extended maceration of 40 days to produce supple yet firm tannins that stand up to 30 months of barrel aging in tight-grained French oak barrels (85% new). The extra time in barrel helped to integrate the fruit, enhance the mid-palate with an extra layer of complexity, and provide an appealing earthiness to the finish.
The 2018 Chester-Kidder Red Wine is based on 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Syrah, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 30 months in 85% new French oak. It's another brilliant wine from this team and has vibrant plum and darker, almost blue fruits as well as spicy oak, chocolate, graphite, and scorched earth aromas and flavors. Balanced and medium to full-bodied, with a terrific sense of freshness as well as building tannins, it's going to benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and have two decades of longevity.
-Jeb Dunnuck 94 Points
Long Shadows Feather Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 100 percent Washington State Cabernet.
Acclaimed Napa Valley vintner Randy Dunn has a reputation for producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon. He brings more than four decades of winemaking experience to the Columbia Valley to produce Feather, his only wine made outside of California.
Tasting Notes: Deep crimson colored with pure and expressive Cabernet Sauvignon character. Generous aromas and flavors of dark fruits, violets, coffee and toasted herbs combine with a textured mid-palate to deliver a big, yet focused, wine with polished tannins and persistent finish.
Winemaking: Grapes were hand-harvested at the peak of ripeness, then lightly crushed and fermented in small stainless steel tanks. Once fermentation was underway, the cap was pumped over aggressively to extract color and structure. As fermentation neared completion, pump overs were handled more gently to further extract color and flavors without imparting harsh tannins. The finished wine was aged 22 months in 90% new Vicard French oak barrels (Randy's cooper of choice at Dunn Vineyards as well).
Alcohol: 14.4%
pH: 3.86
TA: 0.58 grams / 100ml
Review:
All Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend put together by Randy Dunn, the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Feather is inky purple-hued and offers a brilliant nose of cassis, new leather, graphite, and truffly earth. This rich, spicy, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon has terrific purity, a deep, layered mid-palate, and a broad, layered, expansive mouthfeel that keeps you coming back to the glass. Drink this remarkable Washington State Cabernet Sauvignon over the coming two decades.
-Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Long Shadows Pedestal Merlot 2016 is made from 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot.
Michel Rolland, Pomerol vintner and consultant to many of the world's top wineries, teamed with Washington State wine visionary Allen Shoup to produce this limited release wine.
With its intense color and inviting aromas of dark berries, licorice, baking spice and a hint of smoke, the Pedestal is a bold wine that leaves a lasting impression. Dark fruit flavors integrated with sweetness from the barrel and richness from the tannins come together seamlessly, lingering across a structured mid-palate and lengthy finish.
Winemaking: Hand-harvested grapes were double-sorted to remove green material that might impart harsh tannins, then most of the lots were cold soaked to build richness and flavor before undergoing whole-berry fermentation in 55L upright French wood tanks. This, combined with gentle pump-overs throughout fermentation, enhanced the wine’s color, texture and mouthfeel. The finished wine was aged 22 months in 85% new French oak barrels.
Review:
"The 2016 Pedestal from Michel Rolland checks in as a blend of 75% Merlot, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, and the rest Petit Verdot that spent 22 months in 85% new French oak. It has a rocking bouquet of smoked black fruits, espresso, chocolate, and tobacco that gives way to a full-bodied, plump, incredibly sexy red that does everything right. It's one serious mouthful of Merlot and should keep for 10-12 years." - Jeb Dunnuck (April 2019), 95 pts
"The 2016 Pedestal Merlot has a precise nose of dusty plum, red flowers and soft oak tones with an elegant aroma of pencil lead fluttering about. The medium to full-bodied palate is clean and correct, with plush dark red fruit, dusty tannins, purple flowers and soft oak spices of vanilla, cardamom and nutmeg. The wine ends with a long, thoughtful, well-balanced finish that delivers complexity and pleasure simultaneously. Michel Rolland made this beauty of a bottle. - Anthony Mueller"
- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (Issue #246, December 2019), 94 pts
Grand Veneur Chateauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is made from 50% Grenache, 40% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah
Matured in concrete vats (40%) and oak casks (60%)
It boasts an inky/purple color in addition to a gorgeous perfume of crushed rocks, jammy black fruits, charcoal and graphite. Blackberry aroma with an air of dates pressed in alongside – this is sweet-noted. It is easy to appreciate, a sleek and stylish start. The palate holds excellent fruit that runs well and has kick. Its tannins move round freely and a minted finale comes forward. Its dark fruit is tasty, darkens on the finish, where tar and char from its oak enter. It is all very much together, a bundle of harmony, and will gain local attributes as it ages.
An outstanding Chateauneuf du Pape which display the best of its terroir.
The vines are 50 to 100+ year old. They are planted on red clay soils covered with pebble stones.
Harvest is destemmed and crushed. Fermentation temperature is controlled at 30°C. Vatting period of 18 to 20 days. Matured in concrete vats (40%) and oak casks (60%).
The vineyards are located in the north of Châteauneuf du Pape. GRAND VENEUR «Vieilles Vignes» cuvee is produced from the older vines. Thanks to time and an organic growing, roots go very deep in the soil. Yields are naturally low and grapes highly concentrated.
The vines are 50 to 100+ year old. They are planted on red clay soils covered with pebble stones.
Winemaking and aging
Harvest is destemmed and crushed. Fermentation temperature is controlled at 30°C. Vatting period of 18 to 20 days. Matured in concrete vats (40%) and oak casks (60%).
Pair with venisson, duck, braised lamb or strong cheese.
Review:
"Up with the crème de la crème of the vintage, the 2018 Châteauneuf Du Pape Vieilles Vignes is a bigger, richer wine than the Les Origines cuvée and has a beautiful core of smoked black fruits, candied violets, peppery garrigue, and scorched earth-like aromas and flavors. Playing in the medium to full-bodied end of the spectrum, it’s flawlessly balanced and has terrific tannins, a stacked mid-palate, and a great finish. It certainly shows the more front end-loaded, fleshy, mildly concentrated style of the 2018 vintage, yet the balance is top-notch, and it’s just a thrill to drink today. It should evolve nicely for 10-15 years."
- Jeb Dunnuck (October 2020),96 pts
Nicolas-Jay 'l'Ensemble' Pinot Noir Willamette Valley is made from 100 percent Pinot Noir.
Winemaker Tasting Notes | A bright, magenta color with pinkish red edges shows intensity, youthfulness and concentration. Aroma sequences immediately leap from the glass with freshness and vigor. There are red berries, freshly cut straw, rhubarb and elegantly perfumed red flowers. A blood orange zest intermixes with Herbes de Provence, cranberries and tight-grained French barrique. The structure of the wine is medium + at first, but as the wine unfolds in the mid-palate it begins to tighten and constrict. Acid levels are earnest in this wine, but there is a broad density that seems to take a combative stance to its brightness as the finish expands into chalky minerality, tangerine spice and an underlayment of crushed river rock. It's silky, pretty and elegant, but with a grit and willpower that suggests an exquisite vintage made by an experience and sensitive winemaking approach.
Vintage | The beautiful 2021 vintage began with a warm dry winter followed by a wet and cool late Spring. Despite rain during bloom, yields were high and the vines soaked up the nourishing moisture early in the season. June also brought a heat dome with temperatures breaking 115 degrees in the Willamette Valley. Luckily, this unprecedented heat came at a time before the grapes were susceptible to damage and the growing season continued warm but without issue. A cooler August was a sigh of relief as we neared harvest. Grape ripening slowed down and the very healthy and abundant fruit began showing signs of ripeness in early September. We began picking on September 4th with 2 separate chardonnay vineyards and finished on September 27th with our latest and highest elevation chardonnay site – Spirit Hill. Harvest was beautiful and dry with only one small rain event toward the end, ideal for a successful vintage. The fruit was pristine and yields comfortable, leading to moderate alcohol levels and bright acidity. Our first vintage made entirely here at the Nicolas-Jay estate, the wines are showing purity of fruit, beautiful texture and tension and are sure to continue to evolve for years in bottle.
Review:
A jeweled ruby hue, the 2021 Pinot Noir L'Ensemble needs a little time to open in the glass before revealing aromas of fresh pine, ripe cherry liqueur, and toasted spice. Supple and medium to full-bodied, with ripe tannins, it delivers elegant freshness and wonderful purity through its long, mouthwatering, seamless finish. Drink 2025-2037.
-Jeb Dunnuck 95 Points