Friday, October 16, 2009

Crying Over the Last Drop: Seven Hills Cabernet Sauvignon - Klipsun Vineyard

Have you ever had a bottle of wine that you almost cried over when you squeezed the very last drop into your glass? (and nooo - - I didn’t put the bottle to my lips) Well, Seven Hills Winery Cabernet Sauvignon - 2006, from the Klipsun Vineyard at Red Mountain, made my “Crying Over the Last Drop" wine list.

Opening a bottle of wine can be like opening a scrapbook filled of memories. As I read the Seven Hills label and noticed the fruit was sourced from the Klipsun Vineyard, it brought back a memory from a couple of years ago. I was sitting on top of the Klipsun Vineyard in a gazebo visiting with Klipsun owner, Patricia Gelles; Gilles Nicault, managing winemaker for Long Shadows Vintners; and Steven Bjerklie, wine writer for Mid-Columbian Magazine.

The sun was warm and the brisk wind raged about the vineyard. The view of the Yakima Valley from the steep slope was peaceful and the cheetgrass that turns a red wine color, giving the landscape of Red Mountain its name, was faded by the warm sun.

Understanding this bottle of wine would cellar very well, I still couldn’t wait to pull the cork. The deep red color filled my glass leaving a spicy nose and sweet smells of dried plums, cranberries and vanilla. If I had sipped this wine in a blind tasting, I would have sworn it was Walla Walla fruit because of the rich earthy smell. It was well balanced and the concentrated dark berry flavors of raspberries and blackberries reminded me of Marie Callender’s “Razzleberry” pie (note: this is a good thing). There were a few tannins hanging around, but for my tannin-loving palate, just enough to let you know they were present. Again, it was very well balanced and had all of the components in a Cabernet Sauvignon that makes me swoon.

If I were giving out ratings, (which I don’t because - - hellooooo, I live in this town and have to face y’all at the grocery store) with “5" being the highest of the swoon worthy, I would definitely give Walla Walla's Seven Hills Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, Klipsun Vineyard - 2006 - -

5 Swoons

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