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, 99360 |
| Wine Maker | Rick Small |
| Country | America |
| Region | Washington |
| Appellation | Columbia Valley, Columbia Gorge, Washington, Walla Walla Valley |
Wines from this Winery
This new bottling of Nelms Road Cabernet Sauvignon, albeit less due to the smaller crop, reflects the 2017 vintage well. The younger vines from select vineyards continue to produce better grapes allowing us to produce better wine nearly every year. Add to that some truly phenomenal press wine from some of the oldest and most celebrated vineyards in Washington State, and we can produce exceptional cabernet sauvignon at a very impressive price.
The near perfect growing conditions of 2017 gave enticing aromas of currents, black olive, spices, tobacco, and graphite. The wine is dark red in color. In the mouth the wine offers savory black fruits, mature tannins, beautiful texture and a long generous finish.
This red wine would be fantastic with pizza, pasta dishes, roasted meats and aged cheese.
Beautifully vibrant flavors of ripe pear, caramel apple, and star fruit marry perfectly with notes of crème brûlée, mineral and hazelnut. Whole cluster pressing gives delineated fruit flavors. Finally, the oak is understated and is in wonderful proportion with the alcohol, fruit and acidity. Physiologically mature fruit shows in the mouth; the finish is complex, generous, and long. This wine will benefit substantially with a year in bottle and should continue to improve for another several years with proper cellaring.
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 enticing and deeply colored red wine shows a complex nose of baking spice, black olive and graham integrated beautifully with aromas of ripe black fruits.
In the mouth the wine is rich and elegant, showing subtle notes of herb and black berry. Integrated tannins enhance the texture and give proportion; 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.
This “Old Vines” Cabernet Sauvignon is elegant and complex yet shows the sophistication, balance and structure that come from decades of working with the same fabulous vineyards. It expresses the purity and typicity of fully mature cabernet sauvignon that can only be achieved from old vine fruit. The color is dark purple with elevated aromas of earth, spice, black fruits and leather. Flavors of black cassis/black fruit blend beautifully with the exotic spice of new oak. The texture is soft but firm with integrated tannins offering a rich, lingering finish. This is clearly a wine from a warmer vintage. With proper storage this wine should easily age for ten years or more.