April 14, 2022 - Long Shadows Winery
/Long Shadows event with Gilles Nicault
Wines
Long Shadows featured tastings:
2020 Cymbal Sauvignon Blanc: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
2018 Saggi: Sangiovese/Cabernet Blend
2018 Pedestal: Merlot Blend
2014 Pirouette: Bordeaux Blend
2018 Pirouette: Bordeaux Blend
Social wines:
2020 Nine Hats Pinot Gris – Columbia Valley
2019 Nine Hats Cabernet Sauvignon – Columbia Valley
Information & Tasting Notes
Long Shadows Wines
2020 Cymbal Sauvignon Blanc: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Made from three distinct vineyards combined to give this wine its wonderful vibrancy and complex flavor profile. Gamache Vineyard (planted in 1985) is located on a gently sloping hillside in close proximity to the Columbia River. The site benefits from the cooling effect of the river to give the wine fresh acidity. Boushey Vineyard also contributes liveliness and lemongrass character. Bacchus Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc (planted in 1972) is a warmer site, producing a riper style wine that provides a distinct passion fruit character to the finished blend.
Tasting Note: Wonderfully vibrant and aromatic, with notes of lemongrass, passion fruit and a hint of honeysuckle. Flavors of mango, fresh herbs and white peach, come together seamlessly across a textured palate and lengthy finish.
2018 Saggi: Sangiovese/Cabernet Blend
Inspired by the great wines of Tuscany and father-son winemaking team Ambrogio and Giovanni Folonari, winemaker Gilles Nicault crafts Saggi in the style of its original winemakers. Saggi is a blend of two distinct Washington State Sangiovese vineyards, both planted in 1998 on sites with well-draining soils, important to managing Sangiovese’s vine vigor and controlling berry size. Candy Mountain Sangiovese is a warm vineyard that delivers grapes with ripe, black currant aromas and flavors. Boushey Vineyard Sangiovese, grown in the Yakima Valley, is a cooler site that brings brightness and balanced acidity to the blend. Cabernet Sauvignon from Stone Tree Vineyard on the Wahluke Slope adds a silky texture to the wine. Syrah adds a darker hue and another layer of complexity.
Tasting Note: A brilliant garnet-red, the 2018 Saggi is elaborately fragrant, brimming with red cherries, ripe strawberries and notes of nutmeg. Vibrant and well-integrated with balanced natural acidity, this is a textured wine with great richness and flavors that linger across a generous finish.
2018 Pedestal: Merlot Blend
Michel Rolland, Pomerol vintner and consultant to many of the world's top wineries, provided the vision for this limited production Merlot. Like previous vintages, the 2018 Pedestal Merlot was predominately grown on the Wahluke Slope, a warm area of the Columbia Valley that produces Merlot with layers of fresh, dark fruit and beautiful aromatics. A small amount of Merlot from Dionysus Vineyard helped build layers and complexity. Red Mountain’s Tapteil Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon added backbone. Malbec from Sonnet Vineyard contributed concentration and pretty violet aromatics.
Tasting Note: A concentrated and layered wine offering dark fruit aromas with a hint of tobacco. The mouthfeel is opulent, with luscious wild blackberry and chocolate-covered black cherry woven around an appealing note of spicy clove. Beautifully complex, the flavors and weight of the wine combine to leave a rich, satisfying finish.
2014 Pirouette: Bordeaux Blend.
Philippe Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker, used small lots from Washington State's finest vineyards to craft this enticing red blend. This Cabernet Sauvignon dominant wine, sourced primarily from Red Mountain, displays structure, richness and a focused mouthfeel that has come to characterize Red Mountain Cabernet. Dionysus Vineyard’s Petit Verdot adds layers of complex aromas and flavors. Weinbau Vineyard (Wahluke Slope) Merlot adds bright, red and black fruit intensity.
Tasting Note: The 2014 Pirouette is a multi-layered wine with aromas and flavors of dark fruits and hints of sweet oak, licorice and cocoa that gain complexity across the palate. Richly textured, with refined tannins and a beautiful mouthfeel that provide a lengthy finish. (58% Cabernet Sauvignon; 18% Petit Verdot; 17% Merlot; 7% Cabernet Franc).
2018 Pirouette: Bordeaux Blend
Philippe Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker, used small lots from Washington State's finest vineyards to craft this enticing red blend. Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from a collection of Red Mountain’s best vineyards gives Pirouette the structure and textured richness that has come to characterize this acclaimed growing region. Stone Tree Vineyard Merlot, grown on a rocky, south-facing hillside on the Wahluke Slope and managed for low yields, brings concentrated fruit flavors to the wine, notably black cherry. Finally, Dionysus Vineyard’s Petit Verdot enhances the Pirouette’s color and builds layers of intense aromas and flavors in the finished wine.
Tasting Note: The 2018 Pirouette is an expressive wine that opens slowly to reveal oak spice and a kaleidoscope of red and black fruit aromas and flavors that become more vivid as the wine develops in the glass. Textured and richly concentrated on the palate, the wine’s voluptuous mouthfeel and refined tannins stretch across a long, satisfying finish. (68% Cabernet Sauvignon; 22% Merlot; 10% Petit Verdot).
Social Wines
2020 Nine Hats Pinot Gris – Columbia Valley.
Medium bodied Pinot Gris ofers vibrant aromas and flavors of white peach, orange blossom, honeysuckle and ripe citrus that lead to a pleasantly crisp finish. Sourced from Headquarters Vineyard in the Yakima Valley.
2019 Nine Hats Cabernet Sauvignon – Columbia Valley.
Vibrant aromatics of black cherry, espresso beans and bittersweet chocolate introduce this richly structured Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a multi-layered wine with expressive flavors of black and red berries complemented by notes of savory spice. Several vineyard sites throughout the Columbia Valley, mostly on the Wahluke Slope, are the source of the fruit.
Suggested Food Pairings
Suggested recipes from Cook + Cork by Harry Mills and Chris Horn.
2020 Long Shadows Cymbal Sauvignon Blanc: 100% Sauvignon Blanc
Hamachi-scallop crudo with green apple vinaigrette, goat cheese, sushi, ceviche, shrimp and fruity salsas
Oven-Roasted Asparagus with Blistered Shallots and Sunny-Side Farm Egg
2018 Long Shadows Saggi: Sangiovese/Cabernet Blend
Grilled King Salmon with Wild Mushroom Ragout
Mushroom risotto with truffles, garlic, gruyere and parmesan, meat and cheese with a tomato-based (Italian dishes) sauce, sausage.
2018 Long Shadows Pedestal: Merlot Blend
Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Onions, Herbs, and Yellow Potatoes,
Beef Filet, Veal or Dark Meat Chicken with earthy root veggies, stuffed Poblano Peppers
Meat and herb, mushroom, stuffing is a great accompaniment
2014 Long Shadows Pirouette: Bordeaux Blend
Braised Short Ribs with Gorgonzola Polenta
New York and Rib Eye Steaks served with a gremolata of minty lemon parsley, morel mushrooms with tarragon and chervil
2018 Pirouette: Bordeaux Blend
Almost Classic Beef Stroganoff, venison and game meats with dark bitter greens with bacon or pancetta
2020 Nine Hats Pinot Gris – Columbia Valley
This Pinot Gris is fruity and lovely and pairs well with small bites or tapas of salty-smoked fish (trout or salmon), and/or soft cheese like triple cream, shrimp with a touch of fruity pineapple salsa or something fruity, mini crab cakes or fish cakes.
2019 Nine Hats Cabernet Sauvignon – Columbia Valley
This wine is fruity and dark at the same time so anything like seared teriyaki tenderloin or seared steak bites, scorched shishito peppers, stuffed mushrooms with herbs, pine nuts and sun-dried tomato-type stuffing.
