Selected Kestrel Wines

     Red wine is Kestrel's primary focus with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah the principal varietals. Cabernet Franc and Malbec are grown and produced mainly as blending wines just as they are in Bordeaux.  Wines are crafted to suit wine lovers with palates for dark, rich reds and fruit driven, food-friendly white wines. These elegant, distinctive wines include four tiers - Winemaker Select Wines, Falcon Series Wines, Signature Edition Wines & Collector Series Wines.

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at
509-786-2675 or e-mail us at winery@kestrelwines.com.
 

2006 Winemaker Select Mourvèdre
Blend: 76% Mourvèdre | 19% Syrah | 5% Grenache
Wine Advocate - 90 points

Washington State and especially the Yakima Valley seem to be ideally suited for growing Rhone varietals, due to the long summer days that boast in excess of 16 hours of sunshine per day.  The Mourvèdre was actually co-fermented with five percent Grenache and nineteen percent Syrah. This was done in order to enrich the character and complexity of the wine. My instincts tell me that this is very important, and I try to do my blending in the fermenter whenever possible. After draining and pressing the wine was aged in small Hungarian, French, and American barrels for 16 months prior to bottling.

Winemaker’s Notes:  The wine is a blend of mostly Mourvèdre, but it was co-fermented with Grenache and Syrah to coax out every nuance possible. The color is deep red with black undertones. In the aroma and on the palate you will find an abundance of ripe red fruit flavors, and floral elements such as; red currant, rose-petals, cherry, dried herbs, tea and spice. I hope that the delicate aromas and texture of this full bodied wine will surprise even the most discerning wine drinker. This delightful wine will pair superbly with food, it is balanced, complex and the finish lingers.  Alcohol: 14.1%

Vineyard Source: 81% Olsen Vineyards and 19% Kestrel View Estate Vineyard

2006 WS Co-ferment Estate Syrah
Blend: 93% Kestrel View Estate Syrah | 7% Kestrel View Estate Viognier
Wine Advocate - 92 points

One hundred percent of the Viognier and Syrah in the 2006 Co-Ferment Syrah came from our own Kestrel View Estate Vineyard. Although much of our Estate was planted in 1972, making the vines some of the oldest in the state, the Viognier and Syrah were planted more recently, in 1999, when we realized the potential for Rhône varietals here in the Yakima Valley. The Yakima Valley seems to be ideally suited for growing both varieties, due to long summer days that boast in excess of 16 hours of sunshine per day and extended autumns providing warm days and cool nights.

The Winemaking:  As the Syrah was picked we included seven percent, Viognier, by weight, to the Syrah.  All the fruit from our Kestrel View Estate Vineyard was carefully handpicked and sorted, removing all defective fruit, leaves, or stems. It was then destemmed and crushed into a fermenter where it was pumped over twice daily to extract color and flavor from both varieties.  By adding Viognier to Syrah we were able to create a Syrah with a floral-spice element that is actually darker in color than the Syrah would have been on its own, a phenomenon known as co-pigmentation.

The Wine:  This wine represents only the finest barrels of Co-ferment Syrah that we made in 2006.  The color is inky purple. In the aroma you will find the distinct contribution from the Viognier’s floral element in hints of violet, lavender, vanilla, spice, and dried herbs. Under the floral perfume, dark and ripe flavors such as blackberry, black cherry, white pepper, tobacco, eucalyptus, and dried blueberry are perfectly balanced by toasted oak and mocha. This is an elegant, full bodied, wine with a lingering finish. It can stand up to the heartiest of fare, or simply be enjoyed on its own.  Alcohol: 13.6%

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at 509-786-2675 or e-mail us at winery@kestrelwines.com.

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
Blend: 97% Cabernet Sauvignon | 2% Malbec | 1% Mourvèdre

Cabernet Sauvignon is said to be the king of wines. The fruit was hand picked and sorted to remove any leaves that may have found there way into the bins. The quality was excellent, each vineyard is managed with love and brilliance, qualities we wish to instill in our wines. The tiny berries were removed from their stems and put into tanks. Once in tank they were pumped over twice daily for approximately seven days, or until the optimum color and flavor had been extracted, then pressed off to barrels. The wine then spent twenty-two months aging in small French, Hungarian and American oak before being bottled.

Vineyard Source:  32% McKinley Springs, 29% Kestrel View Estate, 21% Elephant Mountain, and 18% Olsen Estate.  Each of these vineyards contributes its own unique terroir to our Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Wine:  The color is very deep purple-ruby, becoming black at its center. The aroma is filled with dark fruit such as black cherries and black currants, dark spice, dried herbs, toasted coconut, vanilla, jam, and Black Forest Chukar cherries. This expansive and generous wine is full bodied, dense, and elegant, with firm tannins and a lingering finish.  Alcohol: 13.9% 

2008 Viognier
Blend: 54% Kestrel View Estate Vineyard Viognier
            42% Outlook Vineyard Viognier
              4% Kestrel View Estate Vineyard Old Vine Chardonnay
Wine Advocate - 88 points

The fruit was hand picked and sorted. The quality was excellent. The tiny golden berries were translucent, allowing you to see the tiny seed inside each fruit. The whole clusters were pressed, whereby the juice was chilled and then settled for several days prior to being racked to a different tank where two-thirds was fermented at 53 degrees until nearly dry. The remaining one-third was racked to neutral barrels where it was fermented and aged until it was bottled.  By fermenting in stainless at very cool temperatures we were able to preserve the natural fruit characteristics of the Viognier grape, and by fermenting in oak we were able to improve the structure and balance.

The Wine:  The color is almost clear; there is just a hint of yellow to it. The aromas are clean and fresh with overtones of citrus, honeysuckle, lemongrass, gooseberry, star fruit, jasmine, and caramelized sugar. The flavors echo the aromas. The body is rich and perfectly balanced, with the combination of bright fruit and crisp acidity. I would recommend serving this wine with simply prepared foods such sautéed seafood or chicken, seasoned with fresh fragrant herbs, like tarragon or basil. It is also the perfect sipping wine for a warm lazy afternoon.  Alcohol: 13.1%

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at 509-786-2675 or e-mail us at winery@kestrelwines.com.

2006 Signature Edition Boushey Merlot
100% Boushey Merlot

One-hundred percent of the fruit used to produce this wine came from the hard scrabble Yakima Valley appellation vineyard owned by Dick and Luanne Boushey.  The fruit was hand picked and sorted. Only the fully ripened clusters were crushed into a small open top fermenter where punch downs were done twice daily until the perfect level of extraction was achieved. The fermentation vessel was then drained and the pumice gently pressed.  The wine was delivered immediately to barrels, where it underwent secondary malo-lactic fermentation. The wine was aged for twenty-two months in 40% new French oak barrels. It was then bottle aged for one year prior to release.

The Winemaker’s Notes:  Absolutely without question an elegant and lovely wine. The color is dark ruby. The aromas and flavors are a gorgeous combination of raspberry and marionberry fruits together with graham cracker and vanilla notes. The wine is very full – bodied possessing layer upon layer of fruit, fine grained tannins and subtle dried herbs. This wine is packed with grace, beauty and old world charm. Alcohol: 13.9%

2006 Signature Edition Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon
Blend: 85% Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon | 10% Malbec
            2.5% Two-Ton Cabernet Sauvignon | 2.5% Boushey Merlot

Ninety-seven and one-half percent of the fruit came from our own Kestrel View Estate Vineyard. The Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon from our Estate Vineyard was planted in 1972, making the vines some of the oldest in Washington State. The Yakima Valley seems to be ideally suited for growing of many varieties. This is due to long summer days that boast in excess of 16 hours of sunshine per day. Follow this with our extended autumns, warm days, and cool nights and you have perfect conditions for producing the highest quality Cab, with ripe fruit flavors and good acidities.

The Winemaking:  All the grapes were hand harvested and carefully sorted, removing any defective fruit, leaves, or stems. It was then destemmed and crushed into open top fermenters, where it was punched down twice daily to extract the maximum color and flavor. After the initial fermentation it was pressed to small French Oak barrels where it matured for 22 months. Prior to bottling the eight finest barrels were selected from the Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon lot and blended with small quantities of Malbec, Boushey Merlot and Two-Ton Cabernet Sauvignon to increase the complexity even further.

The Winemaker’s Notes:  The color is a rich purple-plum. In the aroma you will be greeted by waves of ripe black cherry, red currant, raspberry, pomegranate, chocolate, plum and earth (the signature mineral characteristic of Kestrel Vineyards terroir). These flavors will repeat on your palate, lingering to the long and elegant finish. As you explore the depth and breadth of this velvety wine, you will taste the love that goes into every bottle.  Alcohol: 14.3%

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at 509-786-2675 or e-mail us at winery@kestrelwines.com.

2008 Pure Platinum - 5th Edition
52% Gewürztraminer | 48% Viognier

This is Kestrel's fifth release of Platinum. This white table wine is a blend of Viognier and Gewürztraminer.  The Viognier for the Platinum was grown and harvested mostly from Kestrel's own Kestrel View Estate Vineyard with a few tons from Outlook Vineyard.  The Gewürztraminer was grown and harvested entirely from Outlook Vineyard.  The grapes were harvested late in the season, only after they had reached full maturity. Final sugar of both varieties neared 24 Brix.  The Viognier and Gewürztraminer were harvested simultaneously and blended as fruit in the press. The juice underwent a cool, slow fermentation using with Côte de Blanc yeast. The combination of these factors helped to preserve the fine fruit and floral qualities of both varieties. The fermentation was stopped at 1.3% residual sugar. The resulting wine is a marriage of spice and floral elements.

The Wine:  This wine possesses the brilliant spice of the Gewürztraminer grape and the floral perfume of the Viognier. In the nose you will find hints of honeysuckle, passion flower and orange blossoms. The mouth explodes with sweet citrus and stone fruits such as tangerines, apricots and peaches. The long lingering finish is sweet clover honey. Alcohol: 12.6% Residual Sugar: 1.5 %.

Lady In Red - 7th Edition
50% Merlot | 30% Cabernet Sauvignon | 20% Syrah

This seventh release of Lady in Red is non-vintage as were the first six releases.  It is a blend of wines crafted predominately from the 2006 vintage. It does have about 20% of wine used to produce previous Lady in Red editions blended in to create consistency and continuity from one edition to the next.  The fruit used to produce Lady in Red #7 was grown at several outstanding locations around the Yakima Valley and Columbia Valley, including our own Kestrel View Estate Vineyard.  The fruit which composes Lady in Red #7 was carefully picked at it height of maturity, then de-stemmed and crushed leaving 15% whole berries. It was fermented at 85° F, in small batches, for 7 to 10 days, then gently pressed so as not to extract any harsh tannins. Forty percent was then aged in small oak barrels until bottling.

The Wine:  This wine possesses a deep ruby-red color, centering to near black. In the aroma you will find blueberry, cherry, red currant, and elderberry fruit flavors. These are balanced by tea, tobacco, cedar, earth, sweet red pepper, black pepper, and vanilla which expose themselves in the glass. The wine ripples with bright intense red fruit flavors, and finishes with lingering cherry, dried herbs, and tobacco notes.  Alcohol 13.8%  Residual Sugar 0.2%

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at 509-786-2675 or e-mail us at winery@kestrelwines.com.

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