In late March, I paid a visit to the Saviah Cellars winery, which is located about 10 minutes south of downtown Walla Walla. Having enjoyed a bottle of the Saviah 2005 Malbec, I was eager to taste the 2006 vintage in hopes of getting more. On the Sunday of my visit, I was greeted by a friendly young woman who offered eager pours but seemed a bit reserved when it came to going beyond the bottle with each wine. Fortunately, there were some detailed winemaker notes available with each of the four wines poured on this day, which included a...

Continue reading »

Posted by Thad W. at 01:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This Washington wine is a blend of Stillwater Creek fruit, comprising 57% merlot, 24% cabernet, 14% cab franc, 3% malbec, and 2% petit verdot. In the glass, the Saviah was a beautiful deep purple, delivering scents of black fruit, especially cherry. Silky tannins and a velvety finish confirmed this wine's varietal make up being mostly merlot. But the sweet, candied fruit and flavors of new oak were just not my style in this type of wine. We paired the Saviah Cellars 2005 Big Sky Cuvee Columbia Valley (14.1%) with grilled beef tenderloins, roasted broccoli that had been dressed in...

Continue reading »

Posted by Thad W. at 04:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What I Drank With Dinner (WIDWD) The Saviah Cellars 2005 Malbec is one of my new favorite wines from the Walla Walla Valley. From the first sip to the last glass, I was completely smitten, if not carried away, with this delicious wine. In fact, after learning it was crafted by Richard Funk, Saviah's founder and winemaker, it wasn't long before I started channeling George Clinton of Parliament: "Ow, we want the funk Give up the funk Ow, we need the funk We gotta have that funk" Okay, so my wife didn't think it was very funny either when...

Continue reading »

Posted by Thad W. at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)