Monday, October 7, 2013

Saviah Cellars 2006 Une Vallée, Walla Walla Valley


I picked this Walla Walla bottle up from Denny’s Craft Beer & Wine Cave on Heatherdowns. Denny Milligan recently purchased the business, so I thought I’d stop in and say hello.
For years the Beer & Wine Cave has stocked a great selection of wines, including a wide variety from Washington State. I was pleased to see Denny’s discount table, which had numerous top wines significantly marked down.
The Une Vallée Red is a blend of 64% Cabernet Sauvignon (Pepper Bridge Vineyard), 34% Merlot (Seven Hills Vineyard) and 6% Cabernet Franc (McClellan Estate Vineyard). This is a very limited production wine with only 384 cases made. The wine is aged 17 months in oak barrels.
While being an estate wine is certainly a positive,Washington has a multitude of amazing vineyards, allowing winemakers to select the best fruit from a variety of top-tier growers focused on supplying leading wineries. That’s the case here.
This is a great Washington blend with a medium to light body. It’s a Cabernet-driven Bordeaux blend with deep cherry flavors, some baking spice and a supple, smooth finish. A flash of vanilla makes this an enjoyable sipper.
Une was released back in 2008 and was priced above $30. I knew a wine like this could age for at least 10 years, so I didn’t hesitate to purchase it at a discount of more than $10. It was a great score on a wine that earned 93 points in Wine Spectator.
Washington State is a leader in delivering value in expressive, quality wines. Domestically, it may be your best buy. You may want to visit Denny before he reads this and changes his pricing!
Rating: 3.5 of 5  Value: 4 of 5
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