Sagebreaker wines are named after George Smith, who broke sagebrush from the ground in the Horse Heaven Hills a century ago. Today, his descendants – the Andrews family – carry that legacy forward at Andrews Family Vineyards, with groundbreaking Sagebreaker and Trothe wines. As winemaker of the impressive team, Ray McKee crafted these three noteworthy Sagebreaker wines. These wines show the same structure and finesse as Trothe’s luxury lineup, but feature more integrated oak. In a recent chat, Ray told us that he lovingly makes Sagebreaker like Trothe. However, he described Sagebreaker as “wines of yumminess meant to be enjoyed by anyone and everyone with food anytime. Sagebreaker helps people light up their mouths and progress on their wine journey.” Read on for details.
Category Archives: Marsanne
Folded Hills Wine
Folded Hills produces outstanding Rhône-style wine from their certified organic estate vineyards. The team has also adopted biodynamic principles “to promote wine quality and set an example for environmental stewardship.” But this San Ynez Valley winery is much more than that. Folded Hills is a love story between Andrew Anheuser Bush and his lovely wife Kim, their family, especially their children, their land, their animals, and their “incredible” team. Folded Hills is also about a love for hospitality and creating a remarkable experience for everyone who visits. We recently talked about all of this with co-owner Kim Busch and her general manager, Kylie Enholm. In addition, we were delighted to taste eight wines, including a sparkling Rosé, a stunning Syrah, and more. Read on for details.
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Hard Row
A visit to Lake Chelan AVA in north-central Washington isn’t complete without a stop at Hard Row to Hoe Vineyards. Our recent trip was no exception. We spent a couple of wonderful hours with owner/founding winemaker Judy Phelps and tasted their current, standout releases. This time, we didn’t see Judy’s husband, co-owner and vineyard manager, Don Phelps, or her managing partner/head winemaker son, Julian Shaver, who were both understandably immersed in Harvest. However, we met hard-working, genial assistant winemaker Clint Hepper, and friendly and knowledgeable hostess, Jasmine Shattuck.
Swirl Around BC 2024
In September, we had the pleasure of attending Swirl Around BC 2024 Wine Expo, an event in Vancouver held by Wines of British Columbia to celebrate BC wine. Forty-five wineries participated, and the two of us managed to share small pours from 15 of them. BC wine is indeed worth celebrating. In addition, several winemakers told us the good news that they are working with Washington state vineyards in the Horse Heaven Hills and Wahluke Slope AVAs to source their fruit, following an unprecedented BC crop shortage due to the area’s deep freeze earlier this year. Continue reading