Nuthatch Cellars Claimed

Owned and managed by Tom Waliser, these two vineyards are known far and wide for producing world class fruit. Syrah from these sites tends to be incredibly intense, full bodied, and display blackberry, tar, graphite, and gamey notes. Year after year, wine from these vineyards is outstanding. It is not an overstatement to say the Walla Walla area in general, and these two vineyards specifically, produce some of the most outstanding Syrah in the world.

Owned and managed by Dick Beightol, Phinny Hill is located about 15 miles north of the Columbia River on an elevated bench, about 60 miles east of The Dalles, Oregon. We source our Carmenère fruit here. I estimate there are fewer than 15 acres of Carmenère planted in the Pacific Northwest, and we are fortunate to have secured this fruit. Originally planted in France’s Bordeaux region, it was pulled out during the phylloxera epidemic in the late1860’s and 1870’s, then transplanted to Chile.

It was recently genetically isolated from Merlot vineyards in Chile and transplanted to several vineyards in North America, including Phinny Hill. Spicy on the nose, with white pepper, gorgeous dark fruit, red licorice, and a finish you can discern a minute or two after tasting, we think it has a very bright future in the Pacific Northwest. Phinny Hill is a great site and Dick Beightol tends it with a master’s hand. Our first release of Carmenère will be in spring, 2010.