2005 DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Red
Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Region: Red Mountain, Washington
Food pairing: Venison tenderloin, Shiitake mushrooms, green beans, and Beurre Noisette
Chosen by: Ivonne Nill, Wine Associate, Wayne
Grape variety: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot
Region: Red Mountain, Washington
Food pairing: Venison tenderloin, Shiitake mushrooms, green beans, and Beurre Noisette
Chosen by: Ivonne Nill, Wine Associate, Wayne
Everything I tasted was well crafted, and had that fine balance between power and elegance. What a delicious experience!"DeLille Cellars is a small family owned winery in Woodinville, Washington, founded in 1992. Here the focus is on Bordeaux blends and Rhone-styled wines. Mr. Lill used to call the farm where the beautiful winery now resides his "warm and happy place." This is how Chaleur ("warmth" in French) Estate wines got their name. Chris Upchurch, winemaker and founding partner, believes in blending both grape varieties and different vineyard sites. Although Chaleur Estate is essentially a warm-climate Red Mountain wine, Upchurch finds balance by blending in cooler climate Merlot from Boushey Vineyard to soften the ripe but tannic Cabernet Sauvignon. Cabernet Franc adds aromatic complexity, while Petit Verdot, Upchurch says, elevates it all. The 2005 Chaleur Estate Red has classic Cabernet aromas of cassis, along with spice-tinged black cherries, plums, and star-anise. This is a wine of immense power, yet it floats on the palate with silky smooth tannins, layers of complexity, grace, and a blackberry-laden, mile-long finish. Feel free to indulge now if you must, but this treasure will reward the patience with 5-10 years of careful cellaring.
More info: http://www.garyswine.com/fine_wine/washington/61212.html
Languedoc with high scores. Mas du Soleilla was one such winery; a successful, shining example of just how good the red wines of the Languedoc could be. And at just over $20, you simply don't find many other Syrahs anywhere in the world that can compete with their Petit Mars bottling. A cheerleader for the Languedoc for many many moons, Phil loves how these big, rich wines go so well with his favorite barbecued meats like lamb and Porterhouse steak, as well as aged sheepsmilk cheese like Abbaye de Belloc.
to the sun as it set behind the mountains each evening, giving thanks for the "fruits of nature." In our stores, Ocaso means good affordable Argentine Malbec. And as Kathy Brindle discovered one night when she took a bottle home, it's all about versatility. "What really impressed me about the Ocaso Malbec was how food-friendly it was," Kathy says. "It stood up to a gorgonzola-topped grilled filet mignon, but it didn't overpower a side dish of angel hair pasta and summer veggies. And I could imagine how the ripe blackberry fruit flavors and long smooth finish would also make it a great match for BBQ chicken." It seems that the challenge may be in finding a number of dishes that don't pair well with this soft and pleasant red wine. Of course, it should be no surprise. It hails from the good-food-lovin' country of Argentina. And there is a goddess involved. That never hurts. 
Not that we've conducted serious analytical research on the topic, but lately as we've perused our aisles, we've noticed that our shelves have been graced with quite the plethora of impressive bottlings from talented women winemakers. Now we won't enter into the debate over whether women really do have superior taste-buds and olefactory sensors (although there is some evidence to support the theory of "female supertasters"), and we won't get into the glass-ceiling politics behind women on this career path as opposed to that.
If you're familiar with Merry Edwards and her notoriously short-supplied wines, I'll give you a minute to finish jumping up and down. If you're not, begin jumping now. I'll give you a minute.
Though we covered the whole "green thing" last month, it would be difficult to talk about Spottswoode winery and the ladies who run it without talking about their nature-loving ways. If there's one humble phrase you hear a lot when speaking with the Novak women of Spottswoode, it's "stewards of the land." This family counts themselves truly lucky to take care of this special piece of property, if only for a few generations, and as such they see it as their duty to take good care of their little corner of the earth. They've been farming their vineyards organically since 1985, earning their California Certified Organic Farmers certification in 1990.
If you think Karen Culler's good with Syrah (and she is), then wait until you try her Cabernet. The fruit is sourced from Ladera's two estate vineyards, the Lone Canyon Vineyard in the western foothills of the Mount Veeder, and one in the higher elevations of Howell Mountain, where Ladera's winery is located. The former vineyard receives sun-drenched days (being closer to the valley floor) and a shorter, more dynamic ripening season, while the latter, situated above the fog line, benefits from cooler (but still sunny) days and warmer nights, allowing for longer hang-time.
Though there's certainly no shortage of women winemakers, particularly in California, we decided to go out on a limb and highlight two different wines from the same winemaker for this month's Cellar Club. While many winemakers have their "go-to varietal", the one they make really well, and then perhaps dabble in another grape or two, Karen Culler does an absolutely phenomenal job with both Syrah (produced under her own Culler label) and the Cabernets that she produces for Ladera.
This find is the collaboration of not one but two visionary women in wine. Winemaker Ana Martin paid her dues learning to make great wines in the Ribera del Duero and her home appellation of Txakoli de Bizkaia during the 1980's -90's. But in 1998, while interning at a local cooperative, Ana met Maria Pinacho, whose family owns a vineyard in the Cigales appellation, just west of the Ribera del Duero.
Michele Edwards was a pre-med student backpacking across Europe when she got the first hints that wine might play a role in her future, but it wasn"t until after she graduated with a degree in anthropology that she took a job in a tasting room...which led to her first foray into the cellar. Today, this young, energetic winemaker feels lucky to have ended up where she did. "Being the winemaker at Cliff Lede Vineyards is a dream job on so many levels." she says.
While so many wineries have jumped on the organic bandwagon in recent years, the family-owned Lolonis vineyards have been certified organically grown in the Redwood Valley for many years. Organic farming practices began for the Lolonis family in the 1950's, when they decided to use ladybugs, beneficial predators of pests that eat grape vines and leaves, instead of spraying pesticides in the vineyards..
Some of the best farming on Earth is conducted by families. Perhaps there's more investment in the quality of your crop when you've spent hours bickering and laughing with your siblings over the best pruning style. 
Off the western coast of Italy lies the island of Sardinia, where grape varietals indigenous to the island and unique winemaking practices have been (thankfully) preserved. And at the southern end of this island lies the Argiolas estate winery, where oenologist Giacomo Tachis crafts what Robert Parker called "a reference point" for Sardinian wines. "Simply put," Parker said, "I was blown away by the quality of the value-priced wines I tasted from Argiolas and I can't recommend them enough, particularly for readers who haven't yet discovered the uniqueness of the island's wines."
