Hello Everyone,
It is hard to believe that it is already the last month of 2018. It seems like just yesterday that we were picking the grapes for the first Devium wine, the 2015 French Creek Red Blend and now we have four vintages under our belt. So much has changed since that first vintage, and with all of the excitement that I feel for the 2018 vintage, I wanted to send a newsletter out to update everyone on everything that we have going on here at Devium. In this email, I want to cover; Harvest 2018, 2017 Celilo BdB, 2019 release schedule, and give a last call for the little bit of wine that I have left to sell.
Harvest 2018:
I have not been this excited about the overall quality of a vintage since 2012. 2013-2017 have all been good to great years, but I believe that 2018 has the potential to really be something special. The wines are focused and precise, with fantastic natural acidity and beautiful extraction. I think the best 2018 wines will be immediately approachable, but should also age beautifully due to their great balance. This is all great news, and especially for Devium, because I have really expanded my production both in volume and in wines produced. The line-up of wines that we are looking at for Devium from 2018 is:
2018 Solaksen Vineyard White Pinot Noir – this is a tiny production wine that I made in partnership with my friend Matías Kúsulas. This White Pinot is elegant and fresh clocking in at around 12% alchohol. Our plan is to bottle in February 2019 and I will release it in April.
2018 French Creek Mourvèdre “Sans Soufre” – After skipping the “Sans Soufre” in the 2017 vintage, I will be bringing it back in 2018. Sourced once again from the “Corkscrew” block at French Creek, these barrels are so full of personality and exuberance, it would be impossible not to bottle them separately.
2018 French Creek Red Wine – The original and flagship Devium wine. As this site matures, we just keep trying to raise the bar every year. A little higher Syrah percentage for the 2018 vintage lends the wine a bit of extra heft and muscle. A great follow up to the three prior vintages.
2018 Celilo Vineyard Blanc de Blanc – Fermented in a combination of old oak, and my new Clay amphora https://www.clayver.it/en/, the base wine is dry and the potential is fantastic. I will start the 2nd fermentation and go to bottle with this wine in the spring of 2019.
2018 WeatherEye Red Wine – Where do we even start with this one? Everything that I do here at Devium is unique within the Washington wine scene, but this takes it to another level. The blend on this wine is 45% Graciano, 30% Mourvèdre, 15% Grenache and 10% Syrah. All cofermented, all whole cluster from the most exciting new vineyard in Washington State. My level of excitement for this site and this particular wine is difficult to put into words. Just check out the photos of the vineyard:
2017 Celilo Blanc de Blanc:
The excitement that has been building over the first Devium Sparkling release just seems to grow and grow, and I am asked about this wine at least once a week. Trust me, I am as excited to release this as any of you, but I have to ask for patience. Sparkling wine at the level that I am trying to achieve takes time, lots of it. Most high quality Champagne spends anywhere from 3 to 6 years “en tirage” before being disgorged and released. Since I am using Champagne as my inspiration for this wine, I will be following suit. Right now we are 6 months into tirage, I anticipate releasing this wine in the spring of 2021.
2019 Release Schedule:
This is my tentative schedule for 2019, some wines seem to make up their own minds about things like bottling and releasing, so this is subject to change.
Spring 2019: 2017 French Creek Red Wine & 2018 Solaksen White Pinot Noir
Fall 2019: 2018 French Creek Mourvèdre “Sans Soufre”
Last call for the 2016 vintage:
I do not have much left of either of these wines, but I want to give everyone a last shot at the lovely 2016 vintage from Devium. The “Sans Soufre” is completely sold out, but I do have a small amount left of the 2016 French Creek Red Wine and the 2016 Elevation Marsanne. You can place the order to be picked up at the Sleight of Hand Tasting Room in Seattle or in Walla Walla, or we can ship to you.
These wines can be ordered here: http://sofhcellars.orderport.net/wines/Devium
Thank you all for all of your continued interest and support. If you have any questions at all, or if you are visiting Walla Walla anytime soon and want to say hello, you can contact me at keith@deviumwine.com.
Thank you so much and Happy Holidays!
Cheers,
Keith