Woodward Canyon
Owner and winemaker Rick Small’s family has been farming the same land where Woodward Canyon’s vineyards now lie for three generations. Rick first planted vineyards here in the late 1970’s, and Woodward Canyon was the second winery to be established in the Walla Walla appellation in 1981, after Leonetti. With deep roots in the land, Rick Small is one of a handful of the Washington wine industry’s ‘elder statesmen’ that have devoted their lives to producing some of the world’s finest wines in Washington. Woodward Canyon wines express the passion and intensity of Rick Small’s devotion to his work - he personally oversees the crafting of each of his wines from vine to bottle. Painstaking effort is taken in each step of the winemaking process, from canopy and irrigation management in the vineyard to ageing oak in order to make his own barrels at the winery. Rick’s vision for his wine has always been quality over quantity, and his enduring reputation as one of Washington’s finest winemakers is testament to his success. Woodward Canyon wines are never fined nor filtered and are always expertly handcrafted. Rick Small’s intimate knowledge of the land and passion for quality can be tasted in every glass.
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| Website | www.woodwardcanyon.com/ |
|---|---|
| Address | 11920 W. Highway 12, Lowden, Washington, 99360 |
| Wine Maker | Rick Small |
| Country | America |
| Region | Washington |
| Appellation | Columbia Valley, Columbia Gorge, Washington State, Walla Walla Valley |
From this Winery
Our Washington State Chardonnay is light straw in color and brilliantly clear. Vibrant aromas of cider apple, beeswax, and pear marry perfectly with understated oak creating subtle spice and vanilla notes. Whole cluster pressing gives delineated fruit flavors. The texture and weight create a nice mouthfeel and leave ripe fruit flavors of lemon, peach, and pommes fruit. Acidity and fruit are balanced in proportion. This meticulously made wine is best served well chilled. Proper storage for premium white wines is to cellar them on their side at 55 to 60 degrees and chill to 45 to 48 degrees (depending on the varietal) just prior to serving to avoid the development of tartrate crystals.
The wine shows beautifully, with rich high toned fruit, balanced acidity and great proportion. Complex flavors of cherry, spice, coffee and earth are enticing. Notes of black cherry, spiced oak, leather and earth come forth in the aroma. This wine is generous and balanced enough to enjoy now, yet with the complexity and structure to age well for six years or more.
This beautiful and dark red-purple wine shows a complex nose of spiced black fruits, herbs, and lead pencil that integrate beautifully with the subtle attractive oak. In the mouth, the wine is rich and elegant, showing ripe fruit, nice balance, and proportion, with herbs, and tobacco. Integrated tannins enhance the texture; the finish is complex, generous, and long. While this wine can be enjoyed now it will benefit greatly from additional cellaring and, with proper storage, should develop for ten years or more. Pair this beauty with your favorite roasted meats and cheeses.
2018 was a warm and dry vintage where we saw beautiful ripening with lovely physiological maturity. Clone 4, clone 6, and clone 8 Cabernet Sauvignon, and clone 400 of Petit Verdot were thinned to ensure even ripening. The crop yields ranged from 1.5 tons to 2.4 tons per acre. Our efforts toward sustainable wine growing begun in 2004 have improved the grapes and wine from Woodward Canyon Estate Vineyard.
This release of the “Old Vines” Cabernet Sauvignon is dark purple and dense in the glass. Intermin-gling aromas of ripe blackberries and cassis develop with a rich concentration of ripe black fruits. The new French oak beautifully integrates the fruit, acid, and alcohol creating a nice weight, tex-ture, and overall mouthfeel. The smooth but firm tannins leave you with a rich, long finish. It ex-presses the purity of fully mature cabernet sauvignon fruit that can only be achieved from old vine fruit. This will pair nicely with fine cheeses and roasted meats.