Champagne Wishes: Snoqualmie, 2008, Naked, Cabernet Sauvignon Washington State Columbia Valley Recommended by Whom You Know
At Snoqualmie, they have geared up for the start of harvest, and are celebrating the new releases from the Naked line of organically produced wines. Peachy Deegan and the Champagne Wishes panel just had to try them! These wines are made from certified organically grown grapes and produced in their certified organic winery in Prosser, WA. The Champagne Wishes Panel was so excited to try the Naked Cabernet Sauvignon next.
The beginning of harvest in Washington state always means a flurry of activity as grapes are harvested in the vineyard and brought to the winery for the initial winemaking steps - sorting, crushing, primary fermentation – that lead to finished wines. At Snoqualmie, they take some extra steps during harvest to ensure the quality of the sustainably farmed and organically produced wines. These steps include differential harvesting (the selection and hand picking of specific areas within our organic vineyard blocks), organic cleaning of all harvest and receiving equipment prior to each use, and ensuring that the fruit from the organic vineyard blocks is delivered to the cellar within a few hours of picking for maximum freshness.
In addition, winemaker Joy Andersen picks the fruit for Naked wines at a slightly higher acidity level than standard to aid in naturally preserving the flavors and fruit characteristics of the resulting wines. Picking at these levels also means the brix, or sugar levels, in the grapes are lower, leading to lower alcohol content in the finished wines.
These additional efforts at harvest ensure that the fruit for Naked wines is of consistent high quality, allowing Andersen to create wines that capture the natural essence of each varietal with minimal intervention during the winemaking process. This winemaking philosophy results in bright, fruit-forward, food-friendly wines that are also great for drinking on their own or as an aperitif.
Whom You Know's Champagne Wishes Panel continued with the 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon, and our panelists state:
This very dark opaque purple colored Snoqualmie, 2008, Naked, Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State opens with an attractive black currant. And a coffee laced blackberry bouquet with hints of chocolate and tobacco. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, nicely balanced, harmonious, and elegant. The flavor profile is a pleasant blend of black cherry and vanilla oak, hints of chocolate and tobacco with notes of menthol mixed in. The finish is quite dry and its substantial tannins show noteworthy persistence. This big Cab is a very good offering and I would pair it with beef bourguignon. It would pair particularly well with a NY strip steak. We found it to pair perfectly with our nice thick grilled ribeye. Think of this wine as the full-bodied "heavy cream" as Kevin Zraly would say, of the red wines.
Washington state has over 20,000 acres of vineyards and more than 100 wineries. I consider Snoqualmie Vinyards to be among the very best! The climatic conditions I have learned are a little cooler than in California, and the wine growing regions are protected from Washington's "famous rains" by the Cascade Mountains. There are three, major wine growing regions in Washington State. I am fortunate to have visited all three areas 1.) Columbia Valley, this is where Snoqualmie Vinyards are and this area is by far my favorite. 2.) Yakima, and 3.) Walla Walla.
And finally, when I speak about how this wine opens, here's what I've learned. After you pour the wine in your glass we all know to swirl, we do this to allow oxygen to get into the wine this releases the bouquet. It aerates the wine and gives you a better smell. Smell, this is the most important part of wine tasting. You can only perceive four tastes- sweet, sour bitter and salt. The average person has the ability to smell over 2,000 different scents. Wine has over 200 of its own. I then smell the wine at least three times. I find that the third smell will give me more information than the first smell did. Try this you'll see it works. I wanted to mention this because anytime I can get that "chocolate" and sometimes even "tobacco" aroma which is rare... I know I've struck paydirt! As you can see from my comments above Snoqualmie, 2008, Naked, Cabernet Sauvignon has it! ...Rare!... Enjoy!
I typically prefer the sweeter reds over the more dry ones. Not this wine. I drank this as slowly as I could to savor each sip. I tried it at room temperature, as well as chilled. It was much better served chilled. I paired it with several different dishes and found that it complemented each one nicely. My favorite pairing was with some pasta and marinara sauce, although, I love everything with pasta and marinara sauce. I've been invited to several fall themed parties and I plan on bringing a bottle of the Naked Cabernet Sauvignon with me. Now that the holiday season is upon us, I know I'll be invited to several holiday parties. I plan to have a bottle of the Naked Cabernet Sauvignon in hand to bring with me to those next! Many of my friends enjoy wine on occasion and I think this would be a perfect gift for them. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to try this wine. I tend to stay in my comfort zone and only drink the wine I know I like. I now have a new favorite to add to my list! I will even have to get a few extra bottles to stay in my wine cabinet. I've even recommended this wine to a few friends I know that drink Cabernet Sauvignon. My neighbor was one of them and she went out and got some--and loved it. I couldn't be more thrilled that I found a line of wine I love! The Snoqualmie Naked wines are wines that will always be around my house.
The Snoqualmie 2008 Naked Cabernet Sauvignon has a zesty personality. It just pops right at you. I am a strong lover of the red wines. This one is one of the best that I have tried. It is a bold Cabernet that has a lot of personality on the palate. This wine can hold its own when flying solo. However when matched with food it comes to life. You can taste the berry flavors and they just pop. One of my favorite things to do is match a good solid red wine with chocolate. What a treat! The wine's deep cherry color is just as beautiful as the taste. It has strong cherry notes which I love. I love the deep velvety smooth taste it has in my mouth. I like my red wines a bit chilled. This one is great room temperature and chilled. One thing I did notice was that cheeses seem to take away from the flavor of the wine. Not to repeat myself again, but I would match this wine on it's own or with a fabulous meal. I recommend taking this wine to house parties. Serve it at your own parties. Drink it and enjoy it.
