Full Pull Upland

Hello friends. Life can usually be whittled down to the simple interaction of time and place. Too often, it’s the right time, wrong place—or the right place, wrong time. But sometimes, in the dreamiest of scenarios, we can find ourselves in the right place at the right time. Today’s offer is all about that sweet spot.

The time: March 2010 to October 2011.

The place: Upland Vineyard, Outlook, Washington, Snipes Mountain AVA.

2010 Upland Estates Malbec

*Note: This wine was released at a $30 price point.

The eighteen months between the beginning of growing season in 2010 and the end in 2011 proved more challenging than many Washington winemakers had ever experienced. These cool vintages were immediately overlooked, especially when compared with the following succession of increasingly hot years. However, these were not lost vintages—they just needed some time. Sean Sullivan (as he tends to do) said it best: “If I had to make a generalization, the operative word for the 2010 vintage would be ‘patience.’ Many of these wines are barely out of their shell when first opened and need one or even two days to fully get going. For consumers – and even reviewers – who are used to popping and pouring wines, this can create some challenges. Tasting a wine several days after it has been open is a luxury few can afford. Will some 2010 vintage wines be judged overly harshly for this reason? It seems quite possible. This would be a shame though as the best wines from the 2010 vintage are truly remarkable. They have intensity and freshness and look to be some of the longest lived wines the state has produced in the last decade.”

Upland Estates, the winery that accompanies the wunderkind vineyard by the same name, took full advantage of these cool years. While many vineyards struggled through the cold, Upland thrived. This vineyard, with plantings that go back over 100 years, contains slopes facing all four directions that elevate 750 to 1300 feet above sea level. At that height, Upland sees nearly year-round favorable weather conditions and air drainage. Its steep south slope, where the Malbec was planted in 2001, provides phenomenal daytime ripening and plenty of wind to move air in and out. The vineyard’s elevation and slope angle create a wide diurnal shift, bringing in plenty of cool nights to balance the hot days and amp up acidity. Long warm ripening days and the elevation to bring pure, unadulterated acidity—this is exactly what Malbec needs to flourish in Washington state.

This bottle has a listed alcohol of 13.6% and opens with dark fruit (ripe Moyer plums and black cherry), green flower stems, pepper spice, and a touch of cocoa. The palate is all beautiful Malbec fruit, pure purple and delicious, elevated with bright acidity. Supple, fresh, balanced—even after almost eight years. It’s brilliant example of what thoughtful Washington Malbec can achieve, especially with a little bit of age. Jeb Dunnuck’s review (below) closes the drinking window at 2017, but this wine is ageing glacially, entering its best years now with a bright future ahead.

The Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck): [Text Withheld]

2011 Upland Estates Grenache

*Note: This wine was also released at a $30 price point.

2011, like 2010, was a vintage to separate Washington’s best from the pack. And Snipes Mountain helped—specifically, the Grenache planted at Upland Vineyard. Wine Enthusiast reviewed three  2011 Grenaches from Upland ( Kerloo, Latta, and Maison Bleue). The scores: 92, 93, 94. The prices: $40, $45, $46.

It isn’t just luck or winemaking skills—though those help—it’s the uniqueness of this vineyard that makes it apt for growing some of the best Grenache in Washington. Grenache loves growing in old riverbed soil. Think about Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a favorite home to most of the Rhône varietals that we know and love. The soil there is made up of mostly rocks (known as galets) that have been smoothed over by years of the Rhône river. Well over 70% of the grapes grown in Châteauneuf are Grenache—these grapes love the warm rocks. Here in Washington, many of our river and lake bed soils are at lower elevations, which makes growing stubborn Grenache grapes a little harder because of cooler temperatures. Grenache can already be finicky to grow, even in the warm, rocky environments that it likes, and can be even more difficult in areas susceptible to freeze.

Upland Vineyard stands apart because of Snipes Mountain’s anticline formation. In layman’s terms, anticlines and synclines are folds in the grounds that go up and down (usually together) and are created by compressional stress. Synclines sink into the ground while anticlines project upward, bringing soil that you would normally find at lower elevations up to higher ones. What that means for grape growing is that Upland Vineyard has perfectly-suited-for-Grenache soils at elevations that prevent freeze and let these grapes mature perfectly. The result is astounding—and provides a unique but identifiable qualities in its grapes. For me, it shows as a deep intensity, thoughtful structure, and floral aromatics of purple blossoms.

This Grenache was 100% sourced from Upland’s planting in 2000 and aged 18 months (nine months in once-used French oak, nine months in 50% new French oak puncheons). Clocking in at 13.9% listed alcohol, it immediately exudes raspberry and violet from the glass. Followed by allspice, anise, and earth, the nose is still delightfully complex. The palate is led by bright acid structure and downright beguiling flavor profiles of fruit, florals, and earth, slowly winding its way to a finish textured with fully integrated tannins. It’s entering its prime drinking window right now, but will stay delicious for some time.

We have pre-purchased every last bottle of both of these wines in Washington—which means reorders may not be possible if they sell out on first offer (and which explains our deep discounting). With that in mind, please limit order requests to 6 bottles of Malbec and 3 bottles of Grenache, and we’ll do our best to fulfill all requests (actual allocations could be a bit smaller). We’ll allocate these on Wednesday morning, and then both wines will be ready for immediate pickup or shipping during the next temperature-appropriate shipping window.

Full Pull Old and New

Hello friends. Back when Force Majeure launched (actually, the winery was called Grand Reve back then, pre-trademark lawsuit), the idea was to produce the Collaboration Series of wines while waiting for the estate vineyard (planted crazily high and crazily steep towards the top of Red Mountain) to come online. The Collaboration Series combined different Washington winemakers with plots of beautiful old Ciel du Cheval Vineyard fruit, and they quickly established a rabid following, from both consumers and critics.

Well, the estate site is now fully online, and 2013 is the final vintage for the Collaboration Series. From this point forward, it’s all estate all the time. Today is a milestone for Force Majeure: the release of the final Collaboration Series wine. To celebrate, we’re offering that finale (a Rhone blend courtesy of James Mantone from Syncline), along with two new releases from the Force Majeure Estate Vineyard:

2013 Force Majeure Collaboration Series VI

Series VI is James Mantone’s Mourvedre-dominant (60%) Rhone blend, rounded out with 30% Grenache and 10% Syrah, all from Ciel du Cheval. It was fermented in concrete and then aged in large puncheons, all to keep as much fruit character as possible. Listed alc is 14.4%. It begins with a wonderfully exotic nose (thank you Mourvedre): dark spices, peppered plums, and a deeply savory note of dark demi-glace. The palate is equally characterful: intense, spicy, and openly delicious. This is one hell of a finale for one fo the most exciting series of wines to ever grace Washington.

2015 Force Majeure Estate Parvata

Like CSVI, Parvata puts Mourvedre in the lead role, here at 46% of the blend. The remainder is 34% Syrah and 20% Grenache. It’s rich and supple (15.0% listed alc), deep and intense, again with loads of exotic Mourvedre notes. Texturally this is a marvel, offering densely packed layers of fruits and savories, all supported by tannins combed to a fine sheen.

Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck): [Text Withheld]

2015 Force Majeure Estate Syrah 

Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck): [Text Withheld]

Let me go back to summer 2010, when I first wrote about this project. Here’s what I said then: The long-term [plan] involves one of the most heart-pounding vineyards in the state and a vineyard manager who walks the line between passion and obession. Ryan Johnson, who also manages Ciel du Cheval, Quilceda Galitzine, DeLille Grand Ciel, and Cadance Cara Mia Vineyards (that is one hell of a portfolio), partnered with Paul McBride to purchase and plant a vineyard near the apex of Red Mountain. Inspired by the vertical vineyards of Cote Rotie, Ryan planted a true mountainside vineyard on Red Mountain. Running from 960 to 1230 feet (Red Mountain tops out at about 1400 ft), this site required yeoman’s work with a pickaxe and backfilling with rocks just to get the end posts into the ground. It is a stunning site to see in person, and a painful place to go to work: windy, steep, ankle-breaking territory where one block has been designated as “El Terror” by the vineyard workers (the site also includes “El Guapo” and “El Hueso”).

Paul and Ryan have to be gratified by seeing their vision come to fruition so fully. And Todd Alexander, who left a plum gig at cultish Cali producer Bryant Family Vineyard, must feel justified in his decision to head north. This particular partnership of special vineyard site and special winemaker has yielded, perhaps unsurprisingly, a very special wine.

Syrah from the top of the vineyard was cofermented with 1% Viognier (also from the estate), and a portion of that fermentation took place in concrete. The wine was aged in a mix of French oak barrels and larger puncheons, mostly used. It clocks in at 15.1% listed alc and pours into the glass inky black-purple. The nose combines pure huckleberry fruit, loads of ferrous minerality, and earthy notes of ground coffee. Texturally gorgeous, this saturates the entire palate and holds on for dear life, full of that continuing mix of fruit and mineral. Somehow this offers power and presence and extract on a gravity-defying frame that feels weightless. It is quite the feat. In a very short period of time, this has become a singular Washington Syrah.

Full Pull Vast Network of Wine Spies

Hello friends. Our Vast Network of Wine Spies (VNoWS™) strikes again! On the second day of the new year, I received the following via dead-drop (okay, it was a text message) from one of our finest spies (codename: Translucent Egret).

Morning buddy and happy new year. I’m trying to help a friend with moving some wines. Ensemble Cellars has thrown in the towel and they make cross vintage wines. I have a few bottles at [REDACTED] that are Cab-based, and they are looking to get rid of them at [REDACTED] dollars a bottle. Are you interested in tasting? I think the wines are strong and up your alley.

I tasted the pair of wines on January 10, really liked one of the two, and made an offer to purchase the entire remaining lot on January 11. The offer was accepted on January 12, and the wine was shipped over the mountains to our warehouse on January 23. And today it’s ready to offer, but not at its $50 release price, and certainly not at the $56 lowest-wine-searcher price

NV Ensemble Cellars Release Nine

So yeah, this is essentially a going-out-of-business sale; hence the half-price discount. Never the happiest reason for a good deal, but I am glad that a) we’re well positioned to allow our list members to be the beneficiaries of these unfortunate situations; and b) that we can help an owner generate some cash flow and clean out the entire remaining inventory of a wine.

In this case, the entire remaining inventory seemed just right for an FP offer. I wouldn’t be shocked if we end up with a small stash available for reorders after this initial blast; nor would I be surprised if we sell through the entire parcel. It’s borderline.

Ensemble was always a quirky winery. We never offered the wines while they were in business, but I did enjoy them. It was actually Sean Sullivan who introduced me to the winery, way (waaaaay) back when. He even wrote it up in a May 2009 blog titled “1 Room, 2 Bloggers, 3 Wines”. The wines often used to earn Sean’s highest (**) rating on Washington Wine Report; justifiably so. But yeah, quirky, and I say that mostly with regards to the business model, which was: release exactly one wine each year, and that wine was always a blend of three vintages.

Selling NV wine (non-vintage, which really means multi-vintage) is pretty tough unless you’re in Champagne or Porto, and I suspect that’s what eventually did the winery in. But the wines were great, and always intellectually compelling. This wine is a great example. The three vintages involved in release #9 are 2010 (cold), 2011 (Antarctic cold), and 2012 (epic), in 32%/45%/23% proportions. Blending such disparate vintages *should* allow a savvy winemaker to create a balanced, compelling finished wine, and that’s exactly what Ensemble’s winemaker Craig Nelsen did here.

So that’s the vintage blend. The varietal blend is 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Cab Franc, 9% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. And check out the vineyards involved here. They include DuBrul, Red Mountain Vineyard, and Blue Mountain Vineyard for the Cabernet portion; Weinbau for the Franc; Dubrul and RMV for the Merlot, and Frasier for the PV. Those are indeed $50-wine vineyards, and this wine drinks like it.

The first note in my notebook for this one: “smells expensive,” which is admittedly a little gauche. (Actually, writing the word “gauche” also seems a little gauche. Moving on.) It offers a classy Cab aromatic profile: crème de cassis and violet and rhubarb swaddled in attractive barrel tones (all French oak, 75% new) of smoke and high-cacao chocolate. The palate seems to have all the impact and intensity of the ’12 vintage, married to the energy and verve of the cooler years; the best possible textural outcome when blending these wildly different vintages (overall listed alc is 14.4%). There’s real complexity here, with notes of fruit and earth, barrel and savory. Pinpoint structure, too; the aforementioned bright acidity from 2010 and 2011; and wonderful integrating polished tannins. The extra age here (this is 6, 7, and 8 years past vintage) seems to have sanded down any initially rough edges, and this is in a lovely drinking window right now; entering its peak, I suspect.

Full Pull Mr. Pink

Hello friends. The phenomenon that is northwest rosé rolls on. Last year’s milestone: the first time we offered a Washington rosé in February; today’s milestone: the first time we have jumped in on a Washington rosé pre-sell:

2017 Underground Wine Project Mr. Pink Rose

Yep, Mr. Pink has moved to a pre-sell model; the model more often seen for expensive cult reds. Basically, we agreed to pre-purchase a significant quantity of the wine, and in exchange, we received a) the ability to actually offer the wine before it sells out; and b) the ability to hit the same 11.99 TPU price point we’ve hit for this wine’s first two vintages. So this wine is in the warehouse and ready for immediate pickup or shipping, but what we have is what we’re going to get, so don’t figure on much reorder potential here.

I’ve said it before; I’ll say it again: with the way the northwest rosé market is going, the only people who will be drinking the best Washington rosés in our glorious midsummer are those with the forethought to have ordered in the grips of gloomy early spring.

And Mr. Pink has, in a very short period of time, moved to a place where it has to be considered one of Washington’s strongest rosés, especially when you factor in the modest price point. The pair of winemakers involved – Trey Busch of Sleight of Hand, Mark McNeilly of Mark Ryan – have a track record of producing excellent QPR wines; Trey with his Renegade label; Mark with Board Track Racer. Their rosé collaboration has quickly captured the imaginations of Washington rosé lovers, both for the Tarantino-inspired name and the nervy juice inside the bottle.

As in past years, Mr. Pink is a Sangiovese-driven rosé. Sangio is a terrific choice for a pink mostly because of its naturally high acidity, and sure enough, this is bright and nervy as can be. It pours into the glass pale pink and opens with a nose combining fruit (cherry, cantaloupe), green notes (melon rind), and subtleties of Aperol bitters. The alcohol is moderate (12.5% listed), and the palate is mouthwatering from the minute it hits: a refreshing mid-summer glugger through and through. Because of all that bright acidity, Mr. Pink presents a versatile food-pairing option. If you’re a wine-at-brunch kind of person (raises hand), pour this next to your next corned beef hash or cheese omelet. Or watch it elevate a simple mid-week thyme-butter roast chicken into something special. On that note, if for some reason you don’t chug all your bottles this summer, Mr. Pink makes a lovely Thanksgiving option. I can attest to that from personal experience.

Full Pull Gnarl Finale

Hello friends. Our short three-year run of Chenin Blanc under our house winery has reached its finale:

2016 Block Wines Chenin Blanc Gnarl Block Rothrock Vineyard

Yes, sad but true: 2016 marks the final vintage for Gnarl Block Chenin, and it’s a short vintage at that; down 37% compared to the 2015. Not sure if this one will last out the summer. We’ll save the details of why we chose to not pursue fruit in 2017 (nor beyond) for in-person conversations, and focus instead today on the fact that we ended with a terrific vintage for white wines (certainly the best of the three-year run from 2014-2016), and Morgan Lee made what is, for me, our strongest vintage of this wine to date.

But a little background first. The goals with Block Wines (Full Pull’s from-grape-all-the-way-to-bottle house winery) are two-fold. First, to offer truly terroir-expressive wines: single varieties, from single blocks within single vineyards. And second, to lock in vineyard-variety combinations that – over many years of offering Washington wine – I know our list members love.

Long-term list members might remember our old “Save The Chenin” series from back in 2009 and 2010. It began with a conversation with Doug Rowell of McKinley Springs Vineyard, who mentioned to me back then that they had to rip out a lot of their old-vine Chenin, because it was simply not a grape that was in fashion, and hence did not command high enough prices to keep it in the ground. What I took from that conversation was: the way to save good, old-vine Chenin is to drink more good, old-vine Chenin. (What can I say? We tried.)

Rothrock is a vineyard in the Yakima Valley, northeast of Prosser, that you’ve likely never heard of. But it’s old. How old? Well, the current owner doesn’t know, so I don’t know either, but the estimates are that it was planted sometime between 1974 and 1978. So, about 40-year-old vines: ancient by Washington standards. Here is a picture from our 2016 vineyard trip that hopefully conveys the ridiculous girth of these plants. There’s nothing quite like old-vine material.

International Wine Report (Owen Bargreen): [Text Withheld]

What I love about the ’16 is that it’s the lowest alc (11.2%, compared to 12.6% and 13.1% in ’14 and ’15) and the highest acid (TA 0.70 compared to 0.56 and 0.48 in ’14 and ’15) of the three. Those are the trappings of a white-wine vintage to be sure, and the end result is a brisk, dry (0.9% RS) beauty. [TN]. Owen says sushi. I say all the raabs and asp and peas, not to mention April-run fresh halibut.

Full Pull Gramercy Ghosts

Hello friends. Being a long-term supporter of Greg Harrington’s Gramercy Cellars has its perks. For starters, we get to drink the wine made by Greg and Brandon Moss, which are exceptional vintage after vintage. Second, we get access to the Gramercy ghosts. These are the wines that don’t appear often at retail; they are saved for club members, glass poured by sommelier friends, or made in such small quantities that they disappear as soon as released.

2014 Gramercy Lower East Syrah 

*Note: The main thrust of today’s offer is the Lower East Syrah, but at the end, you’ll find two of the aforementioned ghosts**

Before we get too far into it, some quick reminders on the Lower East project. You won’t generally find them in Gramercy’s tasting room. You will rarely find them sold outside the Pac-NW. Lower East is a gift, from Greg Harrington to his local supporters. Most of it goes to restaurants, a reflection of Greg’s sommelier history (direct from Gramercy’s tech sheet: “The Lower East wines from Gramercy Cellars are created specifically for our friends in the restaurant industry.”) Only a handful of retail channels also get access to these bottles.

Down from it’s winery release price of $28, this offer marks one of the only times I can remember getting to access Gramercy’s impeccable house style for $20. It isn’t just lip service either; Greg and Brandon treat this wine with the same care and attention as the rest of their portfolio, from vineyards to elevage.

The 2014 does a great job representing Washington Syrah in a holistic way. The vineyard list is long, but represents some of the best vineyards in the state, from Yakima to Walla Walla. The backbone is Olsen vineyard in Yakima, which provides freshness and acidity. There’s a healthy does of that signature funk and meatiness from the rocks of SJR (Delmas’ estate vineyard) and Stoney Vine (vineyard to our own Block Wines Ankleroller). Upland vineyard provides a touch of floral underbrush and Les Collines shows off its signature savory perfume. Efesté’s Oldfield, Betz’s Old Stones, Minick, and Gramercy’s Estate round out the mix. These are the vineyards that have built Washington Syrah in so many ways—all coming together to express Washington’s capability with the variety.

100% Syrah clocking in at 13.4% alcohol, this wine was raised in French oak (10% new) for 16 months. The nose boggles for a 20-dollar wine—intricate with bramble berries, forest undergrowth, green herbs, briny olives, black pepper, and a touch of wood. The palate is juicy and bursting with character. Bright acid and fine silky tannins lead this wine to a long finish, delicious yet subtle. Rhone-inspired Washington wine at its best.

Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck): [Text Withheld]

Now, onto the other end of the Gramercy spectrum. I’ll keep these short and sweet because quantity is limited and there will be no chance of reorder.

2015 Gramercy John Lewis Syrah

When we’re lucky enough to get our hands on this wine, it’s usually only enough to sell through the retail rack of our tasting room. This wine just doesn’t exist at retail. Named for Pam Harrington’s father, John Lewis Plummer, and his generosity that allowed them to start Gramercy, the John Lewis Syrah has always felt like a special offering from the Gramercy Team.

The 2015 vintage is sourced entirely from Les Collines Vineyard, 90% from Block 46 and 10% from neighboring Block 36. It was 100% whole cluster fermented in a Nomblot concrete tank for about 21 days with native yeasts and then aged for 15 months in a mixture of concrete and wood (big and small, new and old). It’s unfined and unfiltered.

From the winery: While writing this note, I sat and smelled the 2015 John Lewis Syrah over the course of 6 hours and again 24 hours later. I will say that this is one of the most exciting John Lewis wines made at the winery to date. Very floral with tart red fruit and green herb. Sour rainier cherry, raspberry, cranberry, cured meat, black pepper, herbs de Provence, red flowers. Intense mineral on the palate with firm tannins.

2014 Gramercy Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon $109.99 (TPU $99.99)

As rarely seen as the John Lewis Syrah, the Reserve Cab is a great example of the world class Bordeaux Gramercy has added to their lineup over the years. This is vintage three of the reserve program for Cab. It comes from Bacchus and Octave Estate (part of the breathtaking Sevein project) and was aged for 22 months in 60% new French oak. The listed alcohol is 13.2%.

From the winery: Red flowers, with a combination of red and black fruit.  Gravel and tobacco. Distinct lead pencil. Fresh and lively with firm tannins. Gravel, pencil, and mineral on the palate.  With distinct red fruit sweetness, a perfect balance of Old World finesse, liveliness, and earth with New World fruit and power.

Wine Advocate (Jeb Dunnuck): [Text Withheld]