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For years, Greg Koenig has been viewed as perhaps Idaho’s most gifted winemaker. He solidified that opinion by crafting the best in show at last month’s Idaho Wine Competition, taking home the top prize with a stunning dessert wine.
The recently bought a small selection of the state’s wines to New York City for the first time, and I was impressed. I’ll be paying more attention to this oh-so-promising region going forward, and drinking more of their wines too.
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2012 Ste Chapelle Petit Verdot, Hell’s Canyon, Idaho Most of the time, wineries use Petit Verdot as a blending grape. It’s rarely bottled on its own because it’s simply too powerful. And wineries rarely add more than 8% into a blend. Not this time. Ste Chapelle made a bold statement to package this as a single variety, and they knocked it out of the park. If you swirl the glass, you’ll get a good whiff of pencil shavings, leather and spice. Drink it, and you’ll be fully enamored with black fruits and molasses. The midpalate is soft and pretty leading to a medium-long crescendo of blackberry jam. 197 case production. Simply divine!
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2013 Sawtooth Winery Trout Trilogy Carmenere, Snake River Valley, Idaho This Carmenere is a homage to the local time-honored tradition of fly fishing and to the nearby rivers that surround the winemaking region of Snake River Valley. It’s an interesting Carmenere with captivating wild berry flavors, leading to a medium long, minty, toasted oak finish. This would make a good paring with grilled or roasted pork and beef. 190 case production.
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2015 Indian Creek White Riesling, Snake River Valley, Idaho Since 1987, Bill and Mui Stowe have been working hard to craft wonderful libations from the heart of Idaho’s Snake River Valley. Dubbed the godfather of Idaho wine industry, Bill Stowe has influenced some of the state’s most significant vintners and grape growers and continues to demonstrate what Idaho can produce in the AVA.
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