Experience Cabernet from Forgeron Cellars

from Julia Esser

For Marie Eve of Forgeron Cellars, it begins in the soil. When she was a young girl, she was always playing in the dirt. It’s no wonder then, as she grew older, she developed an interest in chemistry, studying it in college and her initial interest in soil, combined with her new knowledge of chemistry  translated to a love of wine-making. Marie Eve chooses her grapes from the finest vines across Washington State, visiting each grower and hand selecting the clusters that will be used to create her wines. It is no accident when a particular vineyard or AVA is chosen for a Forgeron wine. Marie Eve utilizes each region’s individual terroir to influence each wine’s unique characteristics. While soil is only a part of what contributes to the terroir of a specific vineyard, its influence may be the most essential.

This summer, Forgeron Cellars offered an “Experience Cabernet” event to the public, focused on offering wine enthusiasts and members of their wine club Societe a chance to compare three wines across a single variety all made from Washington grapes in different parts of the state. The goal was to allow participants to experience first-hand what the terroir of a region contributes to a vintage, as well as learn more about characteristics of Cabernet Sauvignon world-wide and the history of Cabernet in Washington State.

Summer is an important time in any growing season. Having grown up on a farm, I’m most reminded of my upbringing when the heat bears down on the Pacific Northwest, bringing sun to Seattle and gold to the fields East of the Cascades. My own farmer father is constantly reminding me about the impact soil can have on crops and, aversely, the impact a grower can have on the soil, which immediately drew me to Marie Eve’s story. The bottom line is – soil matters.  

These are three fantastic Cabernets, created by an inspiring woman, each chosen because of the unique terroir of the region or vintage and an excellent chance to see what this grape can do across the state of Washington.

2012 Columbia Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Sourced from three different AVA’s (Columbia Valley, Walla Walla Valley and Red Mountain), each area was selected to contribute specific characteristics; Walla Walla’s warm growing region and loess soil likely adding earthy spices and Red Mountain contributing a tannic structure and robust desert red hue. The aromatics on this wine are spice forward with roasted herbs on the upper lip and dark fruit deeper in the glass. It tastes young and full-bodied on the palate with hints of pepper, plum, chocolate and coarse tannins. It has a lasting finish with just a ghost of tart which leaves you eagerly awaiting the next sip. With just over one year in the barrel and priced at $35 this is a great wine to keep on hand for social events.

2011 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Grapes from the Lacoye and Hightower vineyards in the Red Mountain AVA contribute power and spice, with quite a bit of austerity. While normally the warmest AVA in the state of Washington, this particular vintage in Red Mountain was much cooler, and Marie Eve picked it specifically to highlight what a site could do in difficult growing conditions. On the nose, this wine is intensely sweet with bright aromas of strawberries and vanilla, making its dark cherry palate with chalky tannin and silky moderate finish a true delight. This is a full-bodied, smoky wine and priced at $45 is an excellent treat for guests or personal use in pairing with bold cheeses.

2012 ANVIL Walla Walla Cabernet Sauvignon

For Marie Eve and Forgeron, ANVIL wines are the top tier label and much more rare than similar wine varieties. This particular ANVIL is sourced from the Walla Walla Valley (Pepper Bridge and Minnick Hills vineyards) which both provide a slow, full-ripening allowing for good aging. Aged for almost two and a half years in 100% new oak barrels, there is an immediate earth aroma on the nose as well as deep plum. The palate is full of smooth, rich plum, oak and warm cigar smoke that lingers long on the finish like a haze in the air.

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Friday Find, August 23rd

Each Friday we highlight a wine from the Northwest that we think is a real "find". By find we might mean that it's a steal, as all of these wines we'll feature weekly are at or under $20. We might also mean, "Hey, you really need to go find this", and it might be a wine that we feel not enough people know about. In any case, with the weekend pending, we're hoping to help you "find" a wine to kickoff the weekend right. We'll tell you a little bit about the wine and try to help you track it down here in the Northwest.

Everything old is new again, except when it's not. I don't see us going back to like typewriters and pagers so much, but when it comes to craftsmanship folks seem to have rediscovered a value for handmade artistry. One of the foremost crafts that's making a comeback is blacksmithing, though in the form of the farrier. (Farriers are somewhere between a blacksmith, podiatrist, cobbler and pedicure specialists for horses.)   Here's a great feature on NPR from a few months ago about the comeback of the art. 

There are only between 5 and 10,000 blacksmiths in America today, rather than a town or village fixture they have become a high end craft specialist. Focusing on custom made furniture, railings, light fixtures, etc. Today's blacksmiths are artisans, and entrepreneurs even though some of them have retained those really burly mustaches. Today's blacksmiths can also make a killing on a well made piece of furniture with prices ranging from $5-10,000 in some cases. There is however a premium on handcrafted, guaranteed, individual work. It's not the kind of thing that comes fast, or easily and so one should expect to pay a price for a well made piece.

Similarly with wine, one should expect to pay for attention and care. Whether that's the fruit that's sourced from well tended vineyards, a craft-made, small lot production of wine is about attention and care. From the vineyard management practices to the hands on approach of a winemaker. There are examples of soundly made massive quantities of wine. Many of them however, are made to a certain formula. Real wine is not about formula, but rather expressing itself in the most proper sense, it's terroir. To retain that signature terroir and produce wines at a value aimed price-point will land you right on the Anthem's Friday Find.

Marie-Eve Gilla is probably one of the  nicest winemakers in Washington. Her signature wines, Forgeron Cellars, (French for blacksmith by the way) are reliable expressions of some of Washington's greatest vineyards. Stonetree, Boushey, and Les Collines. For Forgeron, the Blacksmith line is a real opportunity to offer wines at an under $20 pricepoint that while blended, are going to give you a real sense of Washington in sum. The 2011 Red Blend is just such an example, and it's drinking excellent for $16 and some times far less on sale. The wine is a blend of Merlot, Petit Sirah, Zinfadel, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cab Franc. Quite the kitchen sink. It's also from some of those aforementioned vineyards, Boushey, Stonetree, Alder Ridge, Hightower Estate on Red Mountain, etc. 

The result is a great, young, easy drinking food wine. With this summer weather we're having throw it in the fridge for 15 minutes and pair it up with a freshly grilled burger. A mix of bright and ripe fruit and vanilla oak aromas lead you to a palate of raspberry, cherry and hints of cranberry. So lively and young and ready to be drunk right now. You can find the Blacksmith wines at Bin 41 in West Seattle and Wine World in Seattle. 

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A Decade Forging Excellence: Marie-Eve Gilla & Forgeron Cellars

The world of Washington wine certainly fits the "it takes all kinds" cliche with its brash personalities, humble legends, overnight success stories and wanna-be "rock-stars." Among the most consistent, experienced and talented of this group is one of the nicest people in Washington wine, Marie-Eve Gilla. As Walla Walla's Forgeron Cellars prepares to celebrate their 10th crush when the 2011 fruit is harvested, I got a chance to visit with Marie-Eve on her thoughts about what makes Washington a special place for wine, and how women winemakers have made their mark on Washington wine.

In her 10th crush at Forgeron Cellars, and with experience at Covey Run, Hogue, and Gordon Brothers, Marie-Eve has spent nearly 20 years learning about the Washington wine industry from the inside. From barrel washer to winemaker at Covey Run to one of the owners and head winemaker at Forgeron, Marie-Eve has watched this state's wine industry evolve. "Washington's young at 30 years (she's from France, remember) and so it doesn't face a lot of constraints. Free enterprise and experimentation are the ethos." This enterprising wine culture is complimented by a perfect set of conditions. Marie-Eve describes Eastern Washington as a winemaker's paradise, with dry, hot summers that get the fruit ripe and keep the pests and disease away.

Marie-Eve notes that there are seemingly endless possibilities when it comes to wine that can be grown in Eastern Washington. While Forgeron planned its beginnings around traditional, and somewhat safe Bordeaux varietals, the variance and high quality that Washington climate allows provided Marie-Eve with creative opportunity to experiment. It took the leverage of her Burgundian background and a bit of pleading to have Chardonnay added to the Forgeron portfolio. Ironically if you created a shortlist of quality Washington Chardonnay, Forgeron Cellars would be high up on that list (top five, in my opinion). "I think white wines do not see the attention and love they deserve in Eastern Washington." A trip to the Rhone in 2004 and an appreciation for Roussanne had her wondering if she could make it back in Washington. "I came back and decided to give it a shot and voila! I made Roussanne for many years, as well as Marsanne." Forgeron Cellars now makes a unique Southern Rhone style white blend called Ambiance, with Roussanne, Grenache Blanc and Viognier.

As Marie-Eve watched the success of varietals across the state, she was on hand at Gordon Brothers in 1996 when Syrah was considered a daring varietal and she has continued to pursue the varietal with success at Forgeron Cellars. It was in that first crush in 2001 that Marie-Eve also decided to make Zinfandel...from Washington. Expert advice from a California wine making friend though was especially helpful: "add the yeast and pray." That Zinfandel has become a Washington favorite with a loyal following.

With all her experience in the evolution of Washington wine, Marie-Eve is excited about what's still to be learned. "Washington is still in its infancy...still defining its style. There are plantings on North and Eastern oriented slopes, and limited air draining sites." Marie-Eve is confident though that history will determine who got it right, saying, "It's not simply enough to plant a vineyard and assert it's superiority." Some truths have become evident for her and the style of fruit she's interested in. She's found Horse Heaven Hills and Wahluke Slope provide a great setting for Zinfandel and Cabernet, lending a consistency from vintage to vintage regarding heat and the necessary ripeness. In the Yakima Valley she finds a beautiful set of conditions for white varietals as well as for Merlot and Syrah since the latter two require a little more hang time that won't cook the fruit. Finally, she's found that the uniquely bold characteristics the Walla Walla Valley imparts to Cabernet and Syrah have also proven part of her formula for success. In addition to sites, growers have also risen to the top and she relies consistently on the skill of the likes of Dick Boushey, Ted Wildman (Stonetree Vineyard) as well as the Sagemoor group and the Olsen Family Vineyards.

As one of the matriarchs of the women making wine in Washington, Marie-Eve believes that she and her counterparts have a few things in common. As the scene has become more competitive as more and more women have become successful, there is a definite tendency to be supportive of one another and stick together. As for generalities regarding what kind of wine she feels women tend to make? "As a general statement, I think women look more for balance when drinking wine and this applies to women as winemakers making their wines, down to earth, solid wines, easy to enjoy and able to age. These wines might not show as well in a large grouping of wines where palate fatigue sometimes lead tasters to select bigger, bolder wines and that is probably why women do not always seem to fare as well as men in wine publications."

The Forgeron Cellars Upcoming and New Releases:

The 2006 Zinfandel (last year's release) was a real favorite of mine among all of the wines I tasted in 2010. The 2007 rendition is a lot more dark and brooding right now and big. Darkest of fruit elements including plums and raisins and some herbal notes on a long lasting finish. Lots of complexity but it doesn't hit the spice and clove notes of last year's release. (Not yet released.)

The 2009 Chardonnay demonstrates the consistency and the quality of this varietal in the hands of Marie-Eve. An example of balancing the acidity and the full bodied elements of a Burgundian style. Aromatics take off right away with apricots and peaches, the bright fruit elements continue through the palate with tropical fruits and zesty acidity balanced by a full roundness on the wine. ($25)

The 2008 Les Collines Syrah is a stunner. This wine is a beautiful example of what one of the state's best vineyards can do. A thinking man or woman's Syrah with aromatics of smoke and earth, the palate is graced by a meatiness and herbaceaous quality that I find in many of the better Walla Walla Syrahs. Blackberries linger on a finish that can be measured in minutes not seconds. This wine is really dynamite and highly recommended. ($46)
These wines were provided as samples.

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