Creekside Wine falls into my category of wineries I love to visit but sometimes forget to blog about. Knowledgeable wine folks in the tasting room always make for a great experience, so when we were able to stop in last spring, I was happy to see a familiar face
in Britnie Bazylewski (@PetiteOenophile on Twitter) working the tasting room. I had met Britnie through the Lieutenant Governor’s awards in 2014 and she certainly knows her stuff!
The Undercurrent series of wines were out for the Cuvée weekend tasting event, and we got to try several of the new releases (2012 Pinot Gris, 2013 Gewurztraminer, 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon).
They also pitted the 2011 Undercurrent Syrah/Viognier against the 2011 Broken Press Syrah, which was a fascinating study in similar but very different wines. The Undercurrent had originally been slated for the Broken Press program but when Creekside finds something special or different in their winemaking process, they will pull it out and bottle it separately, as was the case with this Syrah. The Undercurrent exhibited allspice, tons of pepper, and sweet spice with a tannic punch. The Broken Press was a bigger, more in your face wine with hotter spice and pepper on the finish. They both have fruit and tannic structure to age extremely well, which leads me into the rest of this post…
Recently we had the pleasure of opening a bottle of 2007 Merlot that we had been cellaring and waiting to open. Only I wish I hadn’t opened it. Actually, that’s not true…I just wished I had more of it! It was drinking really well now, but I wished I had another bottle to compare it in another 4-5 years. Here’s my short description of what was in my glass:
Delicious now, this could hold for another 5 years easily!
Creekside 2007 Merlot: This wine could make even Miles Raymond love Merlot. Earthy, chocolate, eucalyptus, dried fruit, plums, red fruit, leather coupled with supple tannins, balanced acidity. Evolving in the glass. As Calvin pointed out, the nose went towards pipe tobacco after some decent air time. So worth the wait!! 4 1/2 stars out of 5!
Creekside is definitely making some great, age-worthy reds. If you’ve never stopped into the winery, make sure you add them to your next trip!
Creekside Estate Winery
2170 Fourth Ave, Jordan
info@creeksidewine.com
1.877.262.9463