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Wines from the DuBrul Vineyard have gotten some great write-ups lately and we wanted to share a few of them with you. First, from the Wine Spectator. California Wine Experience in New York Oct 16-18, 2008 Rising Stars Tasting. A tasting from some of the hottest new wineries on the West Coast—five from California, three from Washington and two from Oregon. Onstage, James Laube, senior editor, Wine Spectator and Harvey Steiman, editor at large, Wine Spectator, lead the tasting with the winemakers and/or owners. The wines are: 1. Linne Calodo Problem Child Paso Robles 2006 (95 points) 2. Londer Pinot Noir Anderson Valley Londer Estate Grown 2005 (92 points) 3. Relic Syrah Mendocino County Alder Springs Vineyard 2006 (NR) 4. Saxum Syrah Paso Robles Booker Vineyard 2005 (95 points) 5. Seven Stones Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2005 (94 points) 6. Gorman Evil Twin 2005 (95 points) 7. ZanZibar Sandra Horse Heaven Hills 2005 (93 points) 8. Côte Bonneville Yakima Valley 2005 (92-94 points) 9. Penner Ash Pinot Noir Willamette Valley Shea Vineyard 2006 (93 points) 10. Roco Pinot Noir Chehalem Mountains Private Stash 2006 (94 points) CÔTE BONNEVILLE Carriage House DuBrul Vineyard Yakima Valley 2004 94 This is dense, juicy and savory, with a meaty edge to the plump cherry and boysenberry flavors glowing at the core, persisting elegantly on the long, focused finish. Cellaring should add even more depth. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2009 through 2016. 650 cases made. --HS (June 15, 2008) CÔTE BONNEVILLE DuBrul Vineyard Yakima Valley 2003 93 Ripe and supple, with a lively jolt of acidity running along the edge, supporting the dark berry and cherry fruit, with spicy, smoky, savory notes enlivening the long finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2013. 817 cases made. --HS (June 15, 2008) CÔTE BONNEVILLE DuBrul Vineyard Yakima Valley 2002 91 Firm in texture, with distinctively etched cherry and rhubarb flavors, picking up a touch of earthy red pepper character as the finish lingers. This has impeccable balance. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Drink now through 2015. 496 cases made. --HS (Web Only) CÔTE BONNEVILLE Chardonnay Yakima Valley 2004 90 Soft, round and generous with its orange and spice-accented pear and honey flavors, which linger effortlessly on the silky finish. Drink now through 2011. 90 cases made. --HS (June 30, 2008)
Wines have also been reviewed in the Wine Advocate. Wine Advocate # 177 (Jun 2008) 2005
Côte
Bonneville Côte Bonneville Estate
Review by Jay Miller The 2005 Côte Bonneville will be released in April, 2009. It has everything that the 2004 has and more. It is a more structured effort and will benefit from 6-8 years of cellaring. If you don’t know about this winery, it’s time to get it in gear. Dr. Hugh and Kathy Shiels planted the DuBrul Vineyard a number of years ago and are now making wine under the Cote Bonneville label from their estate fruit. 2006 Côte
Bonneville Chardonnay
Review by Jay Miller The 2006 Chardonnay offers smoky, toasty, tropical notes with a hint of baked apple in the background. Creamy-textured, ripe, and well-balanced, it has succulent flavors and a long, pure finish. Drink it over the next 4 years. 2005
Côte
Bonneville Carriage House
Review by Jay Miller The 2005 Carriage House is 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Merlot, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Aromas of pain grille, earth notes, spice box, black cherry, and blackberry are enticing. This leads to a silky textured wine with broad palate coverage. The wine has layers of fruit, savory flavors, while retaining its elegant personality. Give it 2-3 years of cellaring and drink it through 2020. 2004 Côte
Bonneville Cote
Bonneville Estate
Review by Jay Miller . The 2004 Côte Bonneville Estate is 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Merlot. Spicy, juicy, and layered, bordering on opulent, it is a hedonistic turn-on. Give it 4-6 years in the cellar and drink it through 2030.
The Judgment of Washington In regaling the fine features afforded those producing wines in Washington State, Alan Kropf, sommelier from the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills says in the recent Vintrust SOMMelier Selections publication: “…most of the vineyards are actually located in Eastern Washington which enjoys hot summers with two more hours of sunlight that even Napa Valley receives. It also has low rainfall due to the rain shadow cast by the Cascade Mountains, and is located on latitude similar to Bordeaux and Burgundy. All this in combination with a rich agricultural history, makes Washington the perfect place for a wine industry to develop and flourish. As I made my way east over the mountains toward the Yakima Valley, Lush greenery gave way to sagebrush, orchards and wheat fields. Here, the wines of Côte Bonneville really showcase what Washington is capable of. Huge, intense Cabernet Sauvignon blends, as well as a lean, complex Chardonnay from the DuBrul Vineyard, stand up to the best California has to offer, while a huge, fruity Syrah rounds out their current portfolio.” 2004 Côte Bonneville Chardonnay “DuBrul Vineyard” Yakima Valley 97 A Chardonnay that takes a cue from the Grand Crus of Burgundy. It was barrel fermented then aged on the lees for 17 months in French oak (50% new), the wine was then bottled, unfined and unfiltered. 90 cases produced. 2002 Côte Bonneville Proprietary Red “DuBrul Vineyard” Yakima Valley 97 Planted in 1992, the steep, rocky south-facing slopes of the DuBrul Vineyard has a variety of soils: ash from the Cascade volcanoes, rugged basalt promontory and rocks that were frozen in chunks of glacial ice. This marvelous wine will continue to improve.
The wine has also won awards. Seattle Wine Awards 2008 Grand Award of Excellence - GOLD 2004 Côte Bonneville Carriage House Estate Bottled Dubrul Vineyards Red Bordeaux Style Blends
Stan Clarke died suddenly the morning of November 29, 2007. A family man with deep faith, he was a treasure of the Washington wine industry. While Stan served in every capacity, from vineyard to winemaker, winery founder, writer and judge, his biggest contribution will be his legacy as an educator. An avid learner, he was a sublime teacher. His students were drawn by his kindness, enthusiasm, depth of knowledge, and remarkable ability to transmit the lessons of each new day. A high energy man without ego, he could usually be found wearing shorts, the Grateful Dead playing in the background, one click away from the Mariners’ broadcast. To us, to our DuBrul Vineyard and Côte Bonneville, he was very special. For 12 years he walked us through the vineyard rows, always pruning, trimming, handling the vines. He shared his encyclopedic knowledge of decades of Washington vintages related to this particular season. He transformed evolving concepts of canopy management into workable practices for the ladies of our crew. From the beginning, he taught sustainable winegrowing. His efforts culminated in our DuBrul Vineyard being selected 2007 Vineyard of the Year by SEATTLE magazine. Every day he brought a light heart, ready to play. For seven years in our cellar, no task was beneath him. He taught us to independently follow his principles, to fly solo if you will. When evaluating wines, he had an unerring palate with a world-wide base. His subtle leadership could bring everyone back to center, focused on the goal, with common sense resolutions. Now we take a deep breath. The beautiful wines of 2007 are in barrel. Stan has already drawn up the vineyard adjustments for 2008. Our daughter Kerry has walked the rows with him, has tasted through evaluations and benchmarking with Stan, has experienced his way. She is not yet ready, only in her first of two years at U.C. Davis, but Stan has given her a solid foundation from which to grow. We are deeply grateful for our time with Stan. May he rest in peace. Hugh and Kathy Shiels 12/2/2007
Wines from the DuBrul Vineyard have gotten some great write-ups lately and we wanted to share a few of them with you. Seattle Magazine, August, 2007 - 2006 Woodward Canyon Dry Riesling, Columbia Valley "Sourced from DuBrul vineyard,... The amazing minerality is a majestic counterbalance to the grape's natural red apple and green peach fruit-forward, highly floral characteristics." Wine Spectator, May 15, 2007 - 2003 Owen Roe DuBrul Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon - 94 pts "Year after year, the wines from DuBrul Vineyard in Yakima Valley stand out for their purity of fruit, power and racy acidity to balance." Seattle Wine Awards, Seattle Magazine, April 2007 - DuBrul Vineyard - 2007 Vineyard of the Year "The site has produced intensely flavored wine that is powerful yet approachable. The Shiels six varietals-Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay and Riesling-are sought after by top wineries such as Owen Roe, Woodward Canyon and Wineglass Cellars." Seattle Business Monthly, March 2007 - 2004 Owen Roe Cabernet Sauvignon DuBrul Vineyard - Wine of the Month "I simply had to write about the latest sure-to-cause-a-stir Owen Roe red wine. Behemoth ripe black fruit, silky tannins more akin to Merlot, lifted natural acids, cigar-box cedar, dusty earth and a long, warm finish create a cellar-worthy star that will please any Cabernet collector." Seattle Business Monthly, February, 2007 - A New Chardonnay Emerges "A wonderful combination of ripe yellow apple fruit, soft mouth feel and heady body, with naturally balancing crisp acidity and slight minerality-all framed with a restrained dollop of toasty vanilla from 50 percent new oak fermentation and aging. This first effort from Bonneville is already one of the state's very best." New York Times, December 13, 2006 - 2003 Owen Roe DuBrul Vineyard Merlot - Excellent rating "The No. 1 source right now for good American merlot is Washington State." "The 2003 Owen Roe from DuBrul Vineyard in the Yakima Valley... was rich and ripe, but the forceful fruit was balanced by floral and herbal flavors that gave it depth. Owen Roe wines seem to stand out whenever we taste Washington wines." "Rich aromas of ripe fruit; well balanced, with cherry, floral and herbal flavors." New York Times, January 27, 2004 - 1999 Owen Roe DuBrul Vineyard Merlot - Three stars "Real purity to it, said Amanda Hesser, who found plum flavors and a long finish. Gordon admired its richness and Asimov called it intense, complex and evolving."
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