I am SO glad I didn’t go out with Charles Smith last night. Even after what amount of partying I did experience, I am so tired and not ready to do anything today. I rolled out of bed at 6:30, got ready and made it down to breakfast in the lobby. Cheerios… I couldn’t take anymore than that.
We shipped off to meet Jim Holmes at the Ciel du Cheval vineyard in Red Mountain AVA. Jim has been growing grapes for other wineries for more than 30 years. You can tell he’s a farmer. He’s very into the soil and the vines. In fact, he taught us how to analyze the soil to tell what it’s made of. Even the MS’s on this trip thought that was pretty cool. Jim toured us around the vineyard as well, showing off all of his hard work. Super nice guy!
We were then off to Washington State University for a tasting seminar of wines from the Ciel du Cheval vineyard. Some groups were at different vineyards in the morning, but I was very pleased to have been able to see the vines before jumping into these wines. In attendance with a few wines each were the winemakers from Seven Hills, DeLille and Andrew Will. They each poured the wines they make from Ciel du Cheval. It was amazing to see the through-line of what that specific vineyard has to offer. In fact, by the end of the tasting, many of us were able to identify the Ciel du Cheval vineyard blind amongst a couple of other Red Mountain vineyards.
Lunch was served after the tasting at WSU. Thankfully, it was a lighter meal than we have been served up to this point. My stomach was ready for a little break from the cheese and charcuterie. We had a little extra time so we hung out on the lawn. It was like being back in college again.
Charlie Hoppes of Fidelitas picked up our little mini-group for the afternoon. We rode in his Excursion out to the winery and tasted through the line-up of his current releases. He made a name for himself while making wines at Columbia Crest. This is a slightly smaller endeavor, producing about 7500 cases a year. But, to keep himself busy, he also makes the wines for about 6 or 7 other wineries. The highlights from his line-up were the Semillon, Merlot and Ciel du Cheval Cabernet. He also poured us a vertical of his Optu from 2005 to 2007.
We then rode out to the Red Mountain Vineyard, where he sources fruit from to check out the vines. After a quick stop, we then rode to where they make the wine. Charlie allowed us to taste four different Merlots that are in the middle of fermentation. This was so cool! It comes out looking like carbonated wine mixed with a spoonful of melted ice cream. And it’s still fermenting out the alcohol, so it’s still sweet and warm. The texture is like unfiltered sake mixed with wine. But the flavors and tannin still show through. These are going to be some really good wines. We witnessed a quick punch down on a wine and then we were off to the hotel for a little downtime.
We were bussed out to Canyon Ranch for a tasting of the Red Mountain and Yakima regional tasting featuring some pretty awesome wineries: Andrew Will, Owen Roe, Cote Bonneville, Col Solare and many more. Most of us plowed through the wines and then dug into the thirty pound wheel of Parmesan on the picnic table. There were some very good wines on the tables, but we were all fairly tired of heavy reds by that time and very few of us took any detailed notes. I, myself, was only able to star a couple of wines to revisit at another time for serious consideration.
The dinner bell was rung and we sat for dinner under the tent. The meal was BBQ! And it was good… Barbecued chicken and ribs, Brussels sprouts with bacon, some crazy mashed potato concoction with cheeses… It was badass! The wines were less than stellar, but BBQ wines should really never stand out. In my world, anyway. As soon as we were permitted, my fellow tablemates and I procured as many beers as we could and shot the shit for a long while. Actually, four of my dining pals were Master Sommeliers. Before we knew it, the conversation ran from Eddie Izaard to the plagues, from diarrhea to Celine Dion, and Sean Connery… While it may sound weird, it was awesome! And then the Bacchi ball…
The bus ride home was no exception to the fun either. We broke out the disco and Disco Ball app on the phone. Singing all the way home with a Scuttlebutt Tripel in hand. It’s awesome when you don’t have to be responsible for getting home! AND when you can drink in the vehicle on the way! Who says the party has to stop when you leave the venue?!!!!
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