Eastern Washington State Wine Tripping – Treveri and Owen Roe

Treveri Cellars in Wapato was a recommended stop after Yakima and the winery is very pretty. It is about 15 minutes down the road from Yakima. The tasting room was comfortably set up, the view was really nice and they also served food. This would be a beautiful room for an event. The kids really liked the flatbread and Mr. M and I enjoyed the Mediterranean Platter. I decided to go through their entire tasting list. They point out that many of their wines have been served at US State Department dinners. My favorite thing was the sparkling dipped bottles they show at the cash register. They have a woman who brings certain bottle home a few times a week and covers them in a sparkle coat. They were adorable.  I am a HUGE fan of Champagne. There are a few sparkling wines that I also enjoy. I love Weimer Blanc de Blanc from the Finger Lakes and will serve the Lamarca Prosecco at times. I have to say I did not fully appreciate these sparkling wines, though I have read reviews where others have loved the sparkling wines. There was a red sparkling wine being poured and that was so different I decided to buy and bring that one home. It is 100% Syrah, so it was much drier than expected. Pretty neat!

Treveri Cellars Sparkling Syrah BrutBlend: 100% SyrahAVA: Yakima ValleyVintage: Non-VintageTotal Acid: 7.5g/LpH: 3.38Dosage: 12g/LEn Tirage: 24 months

PRICE: $20.00  Tasting fee waived with purchase of a bottle.Kid friendly. Didn’t see any dogs at this one.

Owen Roe: Owen Roe is the next vineyard up from Treveri and sits just above them on the hill. Driving up, the terroir is so dry, the hills are yellow and the view is dramatic with the yellow against the green. The vineyards are the Dubrul vineyards.  We were greeted by Susan in the parking lot, and she gave us a snapshot of the vineyard. She explained what they grow on each side of the hill. Cabernet was planted right by where we parked and Pinot Noir was next to it, down the hill towards Treveri. Back behind the Cab, over the hill, was the Mouvedre and the vines were single head trimmed. This vineyard is most similar to Rhone terroir.

They do give a vineyard tour but we didn’t make an appointment. Instead, we were given a wonderful and informative tasting. Susan described the terroir of each of their four Columbia Valley vineyards, and we also discussed the soil samples of each vineyard.

Owen Roe grows all of their own grapes. As many of the smaller wineries out here do. They then sell a great deal of their fruit to other wine makers. Susan described the terroir of each of their four Columbia Valley vineyards, and we also discussed the soil samples of each vineyard.  Fruit from their Red Willow Vineyards was in such high demand in 2012 the wine is collectable. 2013 was also a good year.

When the market fell out in 2001, Owen Roe allowed their growers to make their own wine with Owen Roe’s facilities so they would have some income. Because of this, their growers are very loyal to them and give them the highest quality fruit. The growers continue this relationship with Owen Roe and make their own brand of wine called Sharecropper. The Sharecropper program is still going and you can buy Sharecropper brand directly from the winery.

2012 was a great year in the Columbia Valley. Red Willow fruit was up for auction it was so high in demand and the wine itself is collectable. 2013 also a good year. Soil samples from Owen Roe Wapato tasting room of their four main vineyards in Columbia Valley.Pictures of Cabernet hillTasting room in wine production building. I LOVED their fence driving up, made of old vines.Kid and dog friendly. Syrah was outstanding and a value for $44. Pinot Noir was yummy. Cab from Duval was good and chalky and the finish was very long. So yummy. Other wines were good, mostly complex and structured, and Sharecroppers definitely worth the price. Tasting was waived if you buy a bottle.