Hello Everyone,

Please save the date, February 18th, for the email offering of the 2017 Devium French Creek Red Wine and the 2018 Solaksen Vineyard White Pinot Noir. Both of these wines are getting ready to be bottled and this is a very exciting new release for Devium, not only introducing a new wine, but also for the extremely high quality of the 2017 French Creek Red.

As always, the grapes for the 2017 vintage of the French Creek Red were all picked together and co-fermented utilizing 100% whole cluster (foot crushed), spontaneous yeast, and no adjustments of any kind. Once primary and secondary fermentation were completed, I aged the wine in concrete for 3 months before moving it to neutral French oak, 300L & 500L barrels. Once in barrel, the wine was left to rest peacefully with no interruptions except for occasional topping. The finished wine is 81% Mourvèdre, 18% Syrah and 1% Grenache Blanc and comes in at 12.7% alcohol, with lovely fresh acidity and a really exciting energy. The aromatics are all animal and earth, but the palate shows a lovely turn of floral red fruit and a very enticing evergreen/herb component that lingers through the finish. I am thrilled with this wine and I believe you will be too.

The 2018 Solaksen Vineyard White Pinot Noir is a wine that I made in partnership with Matías Kúsulas, who also makes wine here in Walla Walla and is the Viticulturist at Solaksen Vineyard. Solaksen Vineyard is located in the middle of nowhere in central Washington in the soon to be approved "Royal Slope" AVA. We picked the grapes extremely early, whole cluster pressed them, then allowed the wine to ferment spontaneously in neutral French oak. After primary fermentation, the wine was racked to one neutral 500L puncheon, we will be bottling this wine in early February. I will skip the tasting note for this wine and just quote my friend, chef Andrae Bopp, when he tasted this from barrel: "I just found my lawnmower wine for the summer". This wine is low alcohol, crazy fresh and crazy delicious. Unfortunately, it is also crazy limited at only 25 cases. Previous Devium buyers will have the first opportunity at this wine and I am afraid it won't last long.

I would also like to let you all know that I am now offering tastings by appointment of the Devium wines at Sleight of Hand Cellars in Walla Walla, 1959 JB George RD. I have been hesitant to really take appointments in the past because I just didn't have enough wine, but now that I am making a bit more, I would love to pour for you. Every appointment will include sampling the new 2017 French Creek Red Wine as well as some offerings from either the library or from barrel. To schedule a tasting appointment, please contact me at keith@deviumwine.com.

I do have a small amount of the 2016 Marsanne and a tiny amount of the 2016 French Creek Red still available for purchase, you can find those wines here: SHOP DEVIUM.

Thank you all so much for your continued support and interest and I hope you are having a happy and healthy start to 2019.

Cheers,

Keith