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Vibrant Winners

Hi Wine friends~

It's hard to believe it's been two weeks since the Grand Awards Tasting for the premier wine tasting event in our state, the Seattle Wine Awards. A panel of fifteen wine professionals including Phillip Dunn and Kevin Weeks from Canlis, David LeClaire, member of Master Court of Sommeliers and founder of the two largest wine clubs in the Northwest, Seattle Uncorked and Portland Uncorked, Amy Mumma from Washington Wine Ratings, Gerry Warren from the Seattle Wine Society, and several other sommeliers from local restaurants joined to single blind taste wines from hundreds of wineries in WA State. The timing of the awards usually means that I'm eagerly awaiting the list of fantastic whites to enjoy July 5th. This year the wacky weather calls for a bounce between hopeful optimism of pinot gris and white rhone styles to the always comforting, but definitely more somber weather friends, red bordeaux style and cabernets. As I reviewed the list of winners in both the white and red categories, one name kept popping up with wines that no matter what the gods were throwing at us outside, we could enjoy: Alexandria Nicole Cellars. Winner of three double gold awards and three gold awards, their label received lots of attention in the red and white categories. A little history on Alexandria Nicole Cellars:

When Jarrod and Ali Boyle christened their 367 acres of land in the Horse Heaven Hills of Washington, the choice of its name came easily. Providence played a strong role in the birth of Alexandria Nicole Cellars and its estate vineyard. Paying tribute to that force - so central to their dream come true - was a natural in the naming of Destiny Ridge Vineyard.

Jarrod was born in Prosser and learned the secrets of successful vineyard management as assistant viticulturalist under the tutelage of Dr. Wade Wolfe when both worked for Hogue Cellars. It was here that wine grape growing and winemaking became Jarrod's passion.

While working for Hogue, Jarrod was in charge of inspecting grapes and making grower recommendations to help grape varietals achieve their desired characteristics. One day, a routine inspection of a vineyard on Horse Heaven Hills turned into a paradigm shift in Jarrod's career and his life. It was that day he noticed a nearby piece of barren land, sloping gently to the south, overlooking the Columbia River. From that moment forward, visions of vineyard blocks danced in Jarrod's head.

Soon after, a casual conversation with an old friend led Jarrod to telling the story of his Horse Heaven Hills land discovery and his vision of planting a vineyard there. Jarrod's friend Rob Mercer (a member of a well-known local farming family) was almost as excited as Jarrod. The level of shared excitement escalated when Rob realized the land of Jarrod's dream was owned by his father... Bud Mercer. Before long, the Mercer family joined with the Boyle family and the dream of a vineyard on the hillside... and Destiny Ridge Vineyard was born. The first vines were planted in the fall of 1998.

Originally, the plan for the vineyard was to use its fruit to produce small case lots for other wineries. When the vines came into full production, however, the fruit produced was of such amazing quality, Jarrod's thoughts turned to a winery that would produce his own wines from grapes grown on Destiny Ridge Vineyard. With control over viticultural choices in his vineyard, Jarrod could monitor fruit quality from bud to bottle!

The state-of-the-art Alexandria Nicole Cellars winery (named for Ali Boyle, Jarrod's wife) was constructed in September of 2004.It was designed to suite the production of small-lot handcrafted wines. Alexandria Nicole Cellars has tasting rooms at the Destiny Ridge Vineyard, in Prosser with Enomatic Tasting Systems in the Wine Club Room, and now in the Hollywood Hill Schoolhouse in Woodinville.

Whether your mood, your meal, or the weather calls for a dry, light to medium-bodied white or a full-bodied red with medium tannins, all with a long, smooth finish, Alexandria Nicole has you covered with a gold medal winner or two. Check out the notes and rave reviews below then decide how many ANC red and whites you want along with a blue sky this July 4th.

Scores and Notes

Seattle Wine Awards GOLD 2009 Pinot Gris
Very light, almost watery, greenish yellow. Gorgeous floral nose with magnolia blossom aromas. More floral, citrus, and white peach on the palate. Light-bodied and lively with a long, slightly bitter, finish.
90 points Wine Enthusiast

Seattle Wine Awards DOUBLE GOLD 2009 Marsanne Horse Heaven Hills (Only Available through Wine Club)
Light, greenish yellow. Pleasant nose with floral, peach blossom, peach, and apple aromas. Apples come through on the palate. Medium-bodied and crisp with a long, smooth finish.
91 pts. Rhone Reporter Magazine, NW Wine Press Excellent

Seattle Wine Awards GOLD 2009 Shepherds Mark
unique and flavorful white wine is a Rhone Blend consisting of Rousanne, Marsanne, and Viognier. It emits layers of pineapple, fig, lemon zest, and floral notes of lavender with hints of caramel and baked apple that invite you to a crisp, viscous mouth-feel that lingers to refreshingly finish.

Seattle Wine Awards GOLD 2009 Rousanne Red Mountain
98% Roussanne, 2% Marsanne. Pale, straw yellow. Aromatic with apples and floral notes on the nose; loads of apples and a bit of minerality on the palate. Medium-bodied and lively with a long, smooth finish.
92 pts. Rhone Reporter Magazine
93 pts. Wine and Spirits Magazine
Seattle Wine Awards DOUBLE GOLD 2007 Quarry Butte Horse Heaven Hills

An elegantly expressive five varietal blend that packs a punch for the value, capturing the unique terroir of Destiny Ridge. Loaded with aromatics of vanilla, dried herbs and, ripe with berry flavors, rich tannins, hints cedar and oak.
91 pts. 2009 World Value Wine Challenge and Top 10 Red Wine $20 and Under
Wine Press NW Outstanding
Bob Woehler's recommended list Wine Press NW Magazine's tasting editor

Seattle Wine Awards DOUBLE GOLD 2007 Alderdale Cabernet, Sauvignon Horse Heaven Hills
This voluptuous Cabernet combines nuances of bing, fruit, cassis, herbes de Provence to create an alluringly warm mouth feel lingering milk chocolate and toffee notes. This seductive wine is bold yet beautifully balanced.
Silver Medal Tri-Cities Wine Festival
Win Press NW Excellent

Ordering Wine

If you'd like to purchase any of these wines or any we've offered in the past, just reply to this email with your order. If it's your first time ordering I will contact you for your payment information. Vibrant Vines uses Paypal and all information is protected and not stored on site. You can also go to our web site www.vibrantvinewine.com and check out the BUY NOW page. Once again, please pass this newsletter on to any wine friends who might appreciate it and encourage them to sign up.

JULY's NEWSLETTER: IT"S YOUR TURN TO PICK!!

CUSTOMERS' RECOMMENDATIONS: Please email us with the Northwest wine or wines you're drinking and loving right now. On July 18th, we'll pick three entries from a blind drawing of your submissions. Those wines will be featured in the next newsletter and the customers who submitted the names will receive a $10 discount on their next wine order.

Oh, and if you'd like to see a list of all the Seattle Wine Award winners, check out this link:

http://www.seattlewineawards.com/winners.html

Cheers, and Happy Fourth of July!