2009 Seven
Price: $12.00 per bottle
$144 per case (12 bottles)
Case prices include free shipping!
87pt & Best Buy – March 2011 Wine Enthusiast
New Release
Tasting Notes:
Airlie’s 7 is like a gathering of great friends. Bring them together, let their best qualities shine and celebrate the mix. This wine evolved by blending seven delicious Willamette Valley white varietals; showing off their vibrancy, appreciating their approachability and experiencing their complexity. A touch of sweetness with great structure creates this standout gem. A food-friendly wine or a stand alone sipper, 7 will have you call all your friends and letting the good times roll.
The seven varietals are Müller Thurgau, Riesling, Pinot gris, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Pinot blanc and Auxerrois.
Winemaker Notes:
Sometimes you see a great idea and you just want to try your hand at it. White blends have been catching on here in the Willamette Valley, I think partly because people have planted small test plots of various grapes and then there isn’t enough fruit to produce a single varietal wine or the varietal hasn’t been approved by the Tax & Trade Bureau (TTB.) Side note: The TTB was formally the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (BATF) until Firearms was moved to Homeland Security. The other reason is that blends give the winemaker a chance to try and create an ideal wine. Not enough sweetness? Add a touch of Müller. Need some acid? Try a little Riesling. How about some more body? Barrel fermented Chardonnay should help there. And so goes the process of creating Seven. Rather than blending the juices I ferment the seven wines separately and then blend the finished wines. I think doing it that way allows each of the varietals to show and gives me a lot more control when it comes to fine tuning the finished wine. After tasting through the wines I create a blend that I think follows the previous vintage in the sugar/acid balance but still allows the current vintage characteristics to show. This can take me several attempts. When I get close I show the wine to Mary and Barry and we taste, discuss and brainstorm. Then it’s back to the lab. Blending followed by group tasting repeats until we agree on a wine. Finally I blend the individual wines in the winery, always slightly nerve racking as it can’t be undone, and the wine goes to bottle for your enjoyment, hopefully the perfect balance of sugar, acid, complexity and flavors.