Boudreaux Cellars’ Rob Newsom makes mighty fine wine. I’d say that description is an axiom. In fact, his daughter and assistant winemaker, Keely Newsom, uses the hashtag #mightyfinewine in all her social media mentions of Boudreaux Cellars. And when you taste the magnificent wine from this accomplished father-daughter winemaking team, you just might use that hashtag too. I do!
Read on to find out why we’ve already named 2013 Boudreaux Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon our Wine of the Year. Yes, we know it’s only September!
Rob, Keely and Boudreaux Cellars Wines
We first met Rob in 2010. We felt like we made a new friend almost instantly. Maybe my Canadian roots connected to his Cajun ones. Maybe his sense of humor and tales of Louisiana and Leavenworth charmed us like so many others.
He is both mellow and one of the most colorful characters in Washington’s wine industry. His talented daughter Keely also exudes warmth, humor and spunk.
Back in 2010, we also knew instantly that Rob is a winemaker extraordinaire. At the time, he was pouring his recently released 2006 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Over the years, we have tasted many of Rob’s classic wines, and the words that always come to mind are consistent with that first 2006 Reserve Cab that we tasted — luscious, elegant, big, powerful, complex, smooth, deep, layered, and quite simply, impressive.
A few months ago, we stopped by Boudreaux Cellars for the second time, where we visited with Rob, Keely and the winery’s friendly and helpful general manager, Audré Kelly. The winery is located four miles off the power grid in the Icicle River Canyon outside Leavenworth, with spectacular views of the Cascade Mountains. Of note, Boudreaux Cellars is the only bonded off-grid (self-powered) winery in the U.S.
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
We are such big fans of Boudreaux Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon that Keely climbed high to retrieve a bottle of the 2008 vintage for us from Rob’s private collection. And it is out-of-this-world delicious. We brought this ultra-luxe wine home and are saving it for a very special occasion.
And then we went from the library wine to the recent releases.
2013 Boudreaux Cellars Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
Boudreaux Cellars 2013 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is a masterpiece. This wine has the wow factor. Rob calls it “a freak-out in your glass.” We call it our Wine of the Year.
It is an elegant, smooth, structured and well-balanced beauty with a gorgeous nose, complex layers, and as I wrote on Instagram at the time, “crazy good.” As mentioned, we adored the 2006 and 2008 vintages of Rob’s Reserve Cab Sauv, so not surprisingly we also fell in love with the 2013.
Rob credits the “champions” at two of his favorite Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, Champoux and Loess. In his words, “The difference between good wine and great wine is the vineyard manager.” But it also shows what an experienced and talented winemaker can create with good fruit in Washington state. This wine was held for five or so years before release, so it is definitely drinking well now. But you can also cellar it for 10-15 years.
2013 Boudreaux Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
This classic, beautiful wine blends 92% Cabernet Sauvignon with other Bordeaux varieties. Full-bodied, rich and complex, this is a very smooth Cabernet.
In fact, it’s one of the best non-reserve Cab Sauvs that we’ve tasted this year. This is quite drinkable now, but it could benefit from decanting and/or cellaring.
2013 Boudreaux Cellars Merlot
A bottle of this big boy came home with us. What a pretty nose and an incredible finish. Time to start drinking Merlot again, people.
It reminds me of the 2010 vintage, which Rob described as a “showy, gorgeous body, like having a date with a super model, all amazing but more legs than most.”
2015 Boudreaux Cellars Pinot Noir
This is the second vintage of Pinot Noir from Boudreaux Cellars, but the first we’ve tasted. This medium-bodied Pinot showcases red fruit from Oregon and spices, and features a long, smooth finish.
You could pair it with salmon or turkey right now. But try to give it some time — and prepare to be wowed.
Summary
These are special-occasion wines, to savor, pair with excellent meals, and enjoy with like-minded friends. If you are anywhere remotely close to Leavenworth, we highly recommend a visit to one of two Boudreaux Cellars tasting rooms — in charming downtown Leavenworth or by appointment only at the rustic seclusion of the off-the-beaten track winery.
For more information about the story of Boudreaux Cellars, you can read our post about our 2016 visit.
Next time we head that way, we will definitely be making an appointment to taste their mighty fine wine!
Cheers,
Margot and Dave