Christie Kiley on April 21, 2014 0 Comments Quick Characteristics Winery: Saviah Cellars Location: Walla Walla, WA Vintage: 2011 ABV: 14.2% Production: 240 cases Aging: 14 months in French oak Released: April 01, 2014 Appellation: Yakima Valley Vineyard: Elephant Mountain Vineyard Sometimes walking down aisles of wine is often like walking down the aisle of the candy section in your grocery store. You’re craving something sweet, but you are not sure exactly what you want. With wine, maybe you’re craving something big and bold, something light and fruity, earthy or just something really special. If you know what you’re looking for, that helps out so much more, but at times, we are just looking for something just satisfying and if we’re lucky, inspiring. The other day, I found myself in sort of a similar predicament. What wine did I want? No dinner plans were in place, nor any specific dinner planned. I was just sort of hoping that whatever wine I found would give me the inspiration to sort out those details. After ample time perusing the shelves over and over—sometimes I spend way more time than I should making a decision—and I just picked one. I kept passing by it, as there was something that just gave me a feeling that I would like it. It was like that little puppy at the pet shop looking at me with those sweet eyes hoping that it will be chosen for their new home. Ok, so I exaggerate a bit. Varietals Blend Grenache: 40% Syrah: 30% Mourvedre: 30% The wine who found its new home was the Saviah Cellars 2001 Elephant Mountain Vineyard GSM. Off I went from the wine shop to the grocery store to grab the essential eats; pork tenderloin, fresh rosemary and thyme, whole grain mustard, some fingerling potatoes, and chard. The braised tenderloin stuffed with the grain mustard, rosemary and thyme mixed in with some toasted and ground coriander seeds served with brown butter fingerling potatoes and wilted chard and toasted pine nuts was just what I needed for this wine. The GSM is just the perfect blend to go with delicious and a well-thought out meal and even better with good company. The blend is 40% Grenache, 30% Syrah and 30% Mouvedre. I am happy to say that I was lucky to get one of the bottles out of the 240 cases produced, and I plan on going back to grab some more to have on hand the next time I need a little inspiration to conjure up some good food. If the pork tenderloin does not suit your fancy, perhaps give it a try with a variety of tapas; wild mushroom tapenade, stuffed olives, bruschetta with sundried tomatoes in olive oil with sautéed green onions, fresh herbs and parmesan. This wine is delicate enough for lighter fare, but if you delve in a bit more to see what this wine can do, even duck confit would work beautifully. This wine heralds out of Yakima Valley in Washington from the Elephant Mountain. The region is renowned for producing great reds; reds that favor the mountain air and higher elevations. The climate in the Yakima Valley is ideal for cultivating mature fruit with balance and character. The inland, drier climate makes for grapes that will adapt to their conditions, growing thicker skins to guard against the strong sun rays in higher altitude. The cool nights allow for the development of depth and perfumes creating a signature Yakima Valley wine with Yakima Valley Terroir. The mountain fruit gives way to flavors of spring berries, luscious plums and berry pies. The nose is also pleasantly spicy with earthier notes of tea leaves and dried wild mushrooms. I know you will find it just as delicious as I did. The profile on the palate brings pleasure at first sip and lingers with more berries, some tart cherry with a finish of ground peppercorns and a mouthwatering acidity with flavors of homemade spiced cranberry sauce. It is evident that every varietal in this blend is well represented and in perfect harmony accentuating one another. More Wine Reviews: 2010 Columbia Valley Red Blend “Graves” Cakebread Cellars Red Hills 2010 Zinfandel Las Perdices 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 Bramare Cabernet Sauvignon from Viña Cobos