External search
Google (images)
Wine Advocate
Wine Spectator
Burghound
Wine-Searcher
Vintages
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
Show more
From this producer
Show all wines
All tasting notes
|
| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 90.1 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 33 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Brandon Sparks-Gillis on 1/24/2013: Drink up. The nose is beautiful with layers of rich fruit (dusty plum, boysenberry, sweet black cherry) mingling with iron and just a hint of truffle. The sweetness and brightness of the fruit is classic Washington, even at this age, and is nicely complemented by the subtle earth and wood. Still enjoyable tonight, but the fruit is starting to dim on the palate. (3229 views) | | | Tasted by MoreWinePlease on 3/10/2012 & rated 88 points: Drink up as I don't see this getting any better. A little VA. A few years ago I'd have given this a 93+ (3512 views) | | | Tasted by spectrumphoto on 12/19/2011 & rated 87 points: the prime has come and gone. Its showing bordeaux blend but its soft and well its time to move on. A great wine in its prime (3592 views) | | | Tasted by welchcellars on 9/15/2011 & rated 89 points: A nice wine but a bit to much alchohol on the palate. (3757 views) | | | Tasted by hsacks on 9/5/2011 & rated 89 points: A fully mature but still delicious version of the 10/14/09 bottle. (3668 views) | | | Tasted by redforlife on 3/6/2011 & rated 90 points: Very dark plum-colored in the glass. Nose of dark fruits and chocolate. Tannins have moderated nicely with a nice viscous mouth feel. Paired nicely with NY strip. (1889 views) | | | Tasted by Sauvyfan on 1/15/2011 & rated 90 points: Nose of blackberry, damp earth, doused campfire and alcohol heat. Had a youthful appearence of bright red. The Uriah had a superb mouthfeel, yet still very tannic. Black fruit, roasted red pepper and soy sauce on the palate. This effort began to open to more red fruits after an hour. Great acid on the finish expresses to me that the structure will outlast the fruit in the cellar. It definately got juicy and softer on the finish by glass three, (90 minute mark). Definitely recommend decanting. (1809 views) | | | Tasted by SEP on 12/11/2010 & rated 93 points: Was feeling that this wine might be reaching its EOL, but was surprised to find in drinking quite nicely, with perhaps antiher couple of years left in the cellar. Excellent red fruit (cherries) with anise on the finish. Very fine tannins on this medium bodied blend. (1771 views) | | | Tasted by hrvinson on 2/21/2010 & rated 93 points: The wine was a dark rich plum color. The aroma had a nice spice, hints of cedar, dark fruit and chocolate for the nose. The real treat was the taste, with the wine having huge tannins that filled your mouth and dry up quickly for a subtle finish. I will be looking for more of this vintage. (2154 views) | | | Tasted by Old Sparky on 12/30/2009 & rated 74 points: Disappointing... Not corked but something was wrong. Maybe just a bad bottle. Color was still nice, but no fruit, tart, acidic and funky. Definitely not what I remember this wine to be. Last 2000, but still have 01,02,03,04... so hopefully those will taste better. (2393 views) | | | Tasted by hsacks on 10/14/2009 & rated 91 points: Dark red color with clear rim. Aromas of black fruits, mocha, cedar and spice. Ripe, nicely structured fruit in the mouth very good depth and length. Characteristic lush and sauve mouthfeel. Still very fresh and youthful. (2119 views) | | | Tasted by vancouvermatt on 5/10/2009 & rated 93 points: Just fantastic. Lush, dark fruits, great finish. (2365 views) | | | Tasted by Scruff on 1/26/2009 & rated 95 points: Opened for 2+ hours prior. This is great. On the nose raspberries, spices, cedar and ash. Very lush mouth feel with dark red fruits that are seemlessly integrated with a hint of vanilla, pepper and herbs of the finish. Last of 6 bottles and drinking so well now. Wish I had more! (2501 views) | | | Tasted by beaver on 8/23/2008 & rated 95 points: ausume - don't know if it can get better (2454 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 4/25/2008 & rated 95 points: On April's birthday in Brooklyn. With April, May, Kay, Jen and I. This is one of the nicest wines we've had in a long time.
Drinking just perfectly, with lots of dark, black & red fruit, wood, chocolate and some spice. Could have fooled me for
a St. Emilion. Delicious! (2622 views) | | | Tasted by raadams on 4/5/2008 & rated 93 points: Medium-bodied with notes of cherry, dark fruits, and picking up some secondary notes of spice, leather, and caramel. Very lush. (3069 views) | | | Tasted by bajayngo on 2/2/2008: kind of a bummer cuz it was over the hill. Tart berries, it had lost the beautiful velvety mouthfeel I've come to know and love in Spring Valley. But there was some enjoyible smokyness and leather aspects. the finish was a big short and the fruit would come and good. If you have this pop now. As a friend said hopefully it's just going through a dumb phase! (2710 views) | | | Tasted by jfagan on 1/13/2008 & rated 86 points: Decanted 2 hours.
Initial nose is off-putting with charred wood and medicinal herbs. Some sweet fruit started showing through with time but this element went away. Tart red and black fruit on entry with the herbal character continuing in the flavors. This is drying up. Another bottle several months ago was similar. Drink up. (2780 views) | | | Tasted by rmodak on 12/28/2007 & rated 91 points: Cassis, olive, menthol with ripe vanilla and plum notes on the lush mouthfeel. This is at peak and a very good example of high quality Washington wine. There is a hint of herbaciousness which is pleasing and not overly green. (2804 views) | | | Tasted by GolferChris on 9/24/2006 & rated 93 points: Cardinal Sept Wine Tasting (Cardinal Liquors and Wine, Crystal Lake, IL): Delivers what WA wines do extremely well - Rich, elegant ripe fruit with great depth and complexity. Ripe, almost liqueur like black/red fruits, with chocolate, spice and cedar on the nose. Layered fruit flavors explode in the mouth, and are held together by round, polished tannins and a seemingly endless finish. Very hedonistic effort. A mere 1200 cases made. (4472 views) | | | Tasted by wvisser on 3/26/2006 & rated 89 points: This wine is still a long way from being ready. It has tons of tannin and acidity that still sticks out way too much. Also the oak on the nose need to integrate. Huge frui though and showing lots of potential. Wait 5+ years in my opinion. (3418 views) | | | Tasted by Easter Everywhere on 3/1/2006 & rated 78 points: Decent flavors, plenty of charred wood, out of balance, harsh & acidic (767 views) | | | Tasted by amred on 9/22/2005 & rated 92 points: 8/03: Was still young and a bit closed. Wonderful nose. Good cherry fruit, but a bit herbal...perhaps the cedar. Very well-made wine. (3706 views) | | | Tasted by R2-D2 on 6/27/2005 & rated 92 points: a luscious Mocha-dark chocolate-rasberry fused nose backed by fat fruit palate and tangy tannins. I can see this wine getting better with another year of age on it to settle down those tannins. (3777 views) | | | Tasted by caldwell on 6/1/2005: Maybe starting to come around the corner? This was a reasonably dense wine that was starting to develop secondary characteristics. I don't recall a wine that has changed this much. (2576 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, September/October 2002, IWC Issue #104
(Spring Valley Vineyard Uriah Red Table Wine Walla Walla Valley) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Spring Valley Vineyard Producer website
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/spring-valley-vineyards-tasting-and.html
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/10/walla-walla-ava-wine-experience.html
Country: US
Region: Washington
Appellation: Walla Walla Valley
Blend: Bordeaux-style Red Blend
Varietal: 48% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Merlot 14% Cabernet Franc 8% Malbec
Vineyard: 100% Spring Valley Vineyard Estate Bottled
Winemaker: Serge Laville
Aging/Cooperage: 19 months in 100% French oak, 47% new
Alcohol: 14.5%
PH: 3.97
TA: 0.51g/LRed Bordeaux BlendRed Bordeaux is generally made from a blend of grapes. Permitted grapes are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and rarely Carménère.Today Carménère is rarely used, with Château Clerc Milon, a fifth growth Bordeaux, being one of the few to still retain Carménère vines. As of July 2019, Bordeaux wineries authorized the use of four new red grapes to combat temperature increases in Bordeaux. These newly approved grapes are Marselan, Touriga Nacional, Castets, and Arinarnoa.
Wineries all over the world aspire to making wines in a Bordeaux style. In 1988, a group of American vintners formed The Meritage Association to identify wines made in this way. Although most Meritage wines come from California, there are members of the Meritage Association in 18 states and five other countries, including Argentina, Australia, Canada, Israel, and Mexico.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.Washington Washington Wine Commission | Credit to Washingtonwine.org for this article
Washington Wine
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.
Wineries
With 30,000+ acres planted, the state has ideal geography and conditions for growing premium vinifera wine grapes. Primarily grown on their own root stocks, the vines produce grapes of consistent quality, resulting in strong vintages year after year. While its focus is on Chardonnay, Riesling, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, the region also produces a wide range of other spectacular whites and reds.
Growers
Winemakers from all over the world have chosen to establish themselves in Washington, where they can create wines reflecting this region's unique characteristics. Their hand-crafted wines are receiving wide acclaim from critics regionally, nationally and internationally for their consistently high quality. Many of them have received scores of 90 and above from the major wine media. Overall this is a higher percentage than other leading wine regions.
Regions
As the state's fourth largest fruit crop, the Washington wine industry is an important contributor to the long-term preservation of Washington agriculture. The industry is committed to sustainable agricultural practices and conservation of water resources.
Washington State is a premium wine producing region located in the northwest corner of the United States. Although a relatively young wine industry, it is now the nation's second largest wine producer and is ranked among the world's top wine regions. Washington wines are found nationally in all 50 states and internationally in more than 40 countries.
Varieties
Washington produces more than 20 wine grape varieties - a ratio of 56 percent white to 44 percent red. As the industry matures and experiments, it finds many grape varieties that thrive throughout Washington's microclimates. There are more than 16,000 vineyard acres of red wine varieties statewide.
History & Vintages
Washington's wine future is limitless. As consumers discover the quality of Washington wines, demand continues to grow nationally and internationally. New acreage and wine varietals are being planted and new wineries are opening at a remarkable pace. Washington State is recognized as a premium viticultural region around the world.
State Facts
Washington's wine industry generates more than $3 billion to the state economy. It employs more than 14,000 people, directly and indirectly, with projections to add nearly 2,000 more jobs by 2006. In terms of tax revenues accrued to the state and federal government, wine grapes are among the highest tax generators of any agricultural crops. Furthermore, Washington wine tourism attracts nearly two million visitors annually contributing to the positive growth of local and regional economies.
Washington State - the perfect climate for wine = ideal growing conditions, quality wines, business innovation, lifestyle, and social responsibility. All are key elements of this world-class wine industry.
Vintages
"2008 and even more so 2010 and 2011 were cool, even cold vintages (think: 2002 in the Barossa) without the extreme ripeness, extract and higher alcohol that had become the norm in the state’s post 1995 world. 2008 was manageable but the duo of 2010/2011 nearly caused a “great depression” in Washington State." - Jon RimmermanColumbia Valley Columbia Cascade Winery Association
The Columbia Valley AVA lies mostly in Washington state, with a small section in Oregon. The Cascade Range forms its western boundary with the Palouse regions bordering the area to the east. To the north, the Okanogan National Forest forms a border with the AVA and Canada. It encompasses the valleys formed by the Columbia River and its tributaries, including the Walla Walla River, the Snake River, and the Yakima River. The Columbia valley stretches between the 46th parallel and 47th parallel which puts it in line with the well known French wine growing regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy. The northern latitude gives the areas two more hours of additional daylight during the summer growing season than wine regions of California receive. The volcanic and sandy loam soil of the valley offers good drainage and is poor in nutrients, ideal in forcing the vine to concentrate its resources into the grape clusters.Walla Walla ValleyThe name translates as easily as it rolls off the tongue: Walla Walla. Many Waters. To the earliest Native tribes, the many waters came from the nearby Blue Mountains and gathered to form the Walla Walla River on its way to join the Columbia to the west. The waters flowed first; however, into a fair-sized Valley carved in the mountain's foothills, and bordered in part by the terrain of what is known as the Columbia Plateau. Tribal members knew the Valley's generally milder climate could maintain their people in winter villages. There were lush wild grasses which could sustain horses and attract game from the winter snows of the nearby Blues, or from the giant high plateau that becomes desolate and dangerous during the cold season. The rolling terrain and numerous watersheds offered protection from nature and other hazards of the day. Here the water was plentiful and full of fish and seldom froze, even in the coldest years. The meadows were wonderful places to gather with other people to trade, compete and celebrate treaties. Compared to the region around them, the Walla Walla Valley was a safe refuge from the treacherous conditions which can often be found during the winter for hundreds of miles around. In this unique growing region, most of the earliest records of grapes and winemaking reference the Italians who had immigrated here in the mid to late 1800's and who brought with them their tradition of growing, making and drinking wine. Vines with these origins still exist in the Valley today. The first post-prohibition winery was Blue Mountain Vineyards. It was bonded in 1950 by the Pesciallo family where they produced Black Prince and other Italian varietal wines for a period of several years before succumbing to economics and climate. To the wine world of today, Walla Walla has become know for the quality and style of its red wines, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with Syrah gaining notoriety in recent years. In the1970's, the pioneers of today's wine community began to think similar thoughts: that the Walla Walla Valley, with its long history of fruit growing, moderate climate, wine-making heritage, and interesting terrain might just be a place to grow vines and make wine on a commercial scale. These pioneers of the region applied for and received approval of the Walla Walla Valley as a unique American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 1984. It was the third in Washington State and also includes a portion of land in Oregon. In the time leading to the recognition of the appellation, four wineries had been bonded starting with Leonetti Cellar, and shortly thereafter, Woodward Canyon. L'Ecole Nº 41 and Waterbrook soon followed. In addition to the smaller vineyards that were being planted, the Valley's first large-scale, commercial vineyard Seven Hills was established. By the time the BATF recognized the Walla Walla Valley AVA, the Valley was beginning to gain attention from within the wine industry, as well as attracting publicity from journalists and media outside the region. The foundation for today’s industry had been laid and the benchmark for quality had been set. In addition, fruit from the area was now being harvested and a baseline for understanding the local growing conditions was being constructed. Every few years another winery would join the fold and take up the challenge of producing the highest quality wine and the growing of outstanding fruit. Seven Hills Winery and Patrick M. Paul each got their start during this time. More vines were added, although acreage increases were small each year. The industry was small and everyone knew everyone else involved, while the welcome mat remained out for any newcomers. Growers and winemakers alike regularly shared time in the cellar or at the table and together learned more about wines and vines. By 1990 there were just six wineries and the Valley's grape acreage stood at perhaps 100 acres. The total collective production of wine was microscopic by any measure, but it was the quality that was being noticed by many inside and outside the trade. As the tiny trickle of wine produced in the Walla Walla AVA began to flow to the outside world, a "wine renaissance" was beginning to happen globally. The Pacific Northwest had staked a claim in this new wine world and as people learned about the region, they also began to hear about Walla Walla. This interest spread rapidly to those with Walla Walla connections. The early 1990s saw the planting of more vines and the establishment of another large-scale vineyard, Pepper Bridge. At the same time, a group of local investors, working closely with the Napa based Chalone Wine group, laid the foundation for Canoe Ridge Vineyard, the Valley's first winery supported in part by a major outside investor. As the industry has grown, many new wineries have gotten their start in the arms of an established winery. Waterbrook Winery's modern production facility started the trend, sharing space, equipment, and any help needed. Other wineries also adopted “extra guests,” a practice that has helped form close, personal relationships throughout the local industry. By the turn of the new century, the Walla Walla Valley wine industry had 22 wineries and 800 acres of grapes. In the year 2000 the AVA had been expanded back to the original boundaries proposed in the1984 application. The year 2000 also saw the formation of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance with 100% of the Valley's wineries and 98% of the Valley's planted acreage represented. Today, more than 60 Walla Walla Valley wineries and more than 1,200 acres of Walla Walla Valley grapes contribute to the ever growing, international acclaim garnered by the wines of this newly-emerging region of Washington State. |
|
