2018 Echolands Red Blend ‘Seven Hills Vineyard’ Walla Walla Valley

WSI93+ Our style is a bit more restrained than other Seven Hills Vineyards wine in general. Though Cabenet Franc is only a small portion of the overall blend, the floral character of the grape is evident. More prominent are the expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot – plum, black cherry, blueberry, tea and cedar. 
Our blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 18% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot is built upon individually fermented and aged lots from the Seven Hills Vineyard. We used about one-third new oak, and only French oak, from a short list of coopers for whom we find an affinity for our style.  The wine spent about 18 months in barrel.

Doug Frost leads this new winery. He is an established wine author, and a Master Sommelier and Master of Wine, one of the few in the US to hold both titles.
But he is mostly committed to creating wines of harmony and balance in a sustainable and bio-diverse setting. To that effect he has assembled a great team in Walla Walla Washington.

The winemaker is Taylor Oswald, a Whitman College graduate (Anthropology) with a degree in Wine Microbiology (Washington State) and years of experience working at Mark Ryan, Gramercy Cellars, Rotie Cellars and Waters Winery.

Seven Hills Vineyard is one of the Pacific Northwest’s oldest and most respected vineyards – the location of the wine on the Oregon side of the Walla Walla Valley offers some summer warmth and solar power, but the site can be quite windy at times. That wind lessens the problems with mildew and humidity pressures, but can cause issues with flowering, hampering even ripening and balanced fruit. So vineyard diligence is crucial.