DeLille Cellars: 20th Anniversary

by Shona Milne on November 20, 2013

DeLille Cellars Celebrates 20 Years of Leadership in Washington State Winemaking

Renowned Winemaker Chris Upchurch Continues Innovating his  Acclaimed Bordeaux and Rhone Style Wines

Woodinville, WA, November 7, 2013: DeLille Cellars celebrates 20 years of discovery and innovation with the release of two unique 20th anniversary large format bottlings: 2011 Chaleur Estate Rouge three liter and 2011 D2 three liter, and the launch of its 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags. Since its establishment in 1992, DeLille Cellars has sought to create a new Bordeaux blend using Washington State vineyards. The Chaleur Estate Rouge and D2 were the winery’s first two wines, pioneered by renowned winemaker and co-founder, Chris Upchurch. These wines, in the three liter format, will be bottled and available in limited quantities in November 2013; they will be available exclusively at the DeLille Cellars Carriage House Tasting Room in Woodinville. The price is $500/ 3.0L bottle for the Chaleur Estate Rouge and $300/ 3.0L bottle for the D2. Additionally, the winery is releasing its first vintage of 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags, a new blend from four of the finest vineyards in Red Mountain. The release of these wines is part of a celebration for one of Washington State’s iconic wines.

“Our mission at DeLille in 1992 was, and continues to be, to create special wines from the uniquely expressive terroir and dramatic weather conditions of the Pacific Northwest,” stated Upchurch. “Our research took us to Red Mountain, where we immediately found concentrated, intensely flavored Cabernet Sauvignon. These wines had great structure and were the perfect foundation of our Chaleur Estate. Layers of warm Merlot fruit and aromatics from the Cabernet Franc were a natural addition, creating a seamless wine where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts – a wine where focus and elegance harmoniously co-exist. After 20 vintages, the notion of building such a wine, with Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon in the lead, remains the signature of our Chaleur Estate.”

“Similarly for our D2,” Upchurch continues, “the northern latitude of the Pacific Northwest provides us with dramatic day to night temperature swings and long, dry Indian Summers, a range in climate that adds structure, backbone and a savory nature to the Merlot grape. As wonderful as our Merlot can be, we can gain more complexity and elegance by honoring the long standing Bordeaux tradition of adding Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot to the blend.”

Upchurch states, “I’m really pleased to announce the launch of the latest addition to the DeLille portfolio, a new blend and our first new wine in almost10 years, the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags. We have always been amazed at the rich quality of our great Red Mountain vineyards. It should be no surprise of the magic these wines bring when skillfully blended in the appropriate proportions. We have always featured the blends of the different Bordeaux varieties, so we really love bringing in a wine that features the blend of different vineyards, specifically Klipsun, Grand Ciel, Ciel du Cheval and my very own Upchurch Vineyard.”

Special Events and Tastings at DeLille Cellars
As part of its celebration of 20 years, DeLille Cellars will host special events and tastings at its Carriage House and Chateau.

Carriage House Tasting Room – November 7th & 8th Fall Release Celebration
The Carriage House tasting room will offer tastings of the new vintages, all of which will be available for purchase. Entrance to the Fall Release Celebration and Tasting are complimentary.

Chateau – November 9th and 10th Fall Release Celebration and Four Flags Launch
Weekend release events will be held at the Chateau.  Selections of current vintages along with the featured new releases are planned: 2011 D2, 2011 Aix, 2011 Signature Syrah will all be served as well as the first vintage of Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags. Live music and appetizers will accompany the wines from the DeLille portfolio. Admission is $20/per person, $15/per person for wine club members. A ticket entitles each guest to a 2 ounce pour of each of the 4 release wines + 1 “revisit” ticket. The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Four Flags will be on sale for $65/bottle. Select Library and large format wines will also be available for sale. A raffle drawing will be held for a chance to win a private barrel tasting for 5 guests each day.

Call Tel: 425-489-0544 option #1 or email Russell@delillecellars.com for reservations
DeLille Cellars Chateau
14208 Woodinville Redmond Road NE
Redmond, WA 98052

Winemaker Chris Upchurch at the Carriage House Tasting Room in December
On Saturday, December 7 and Saturday, December 14, from 2:00 – 4:00 pm, DeLille’s renowned winemaker Chris Upchurch will be on hand in the Carriage House Tasting Room, to share a glass of his latest releases and to answer any questions.

December’s 8 nights of Chanukah and 12 days of Christmas Celebration Offers:
For each day of both Chanukah and Christmas, DeLille Cellars will feature an offer of the day on Facebook.
In addition, for the month of December, each case of wine purchased entitles the buyer to choose an envelope from DeLille’s Giving Tree. The envelope contains a special gift from DeLille’s holiday partners.  Gifts include dinner for two at a number of wonderful local restaurants and an overnight stay at the Willows Lodge in Woodinville.

DeLille Carriage House Tasting Room
14421 Woodinville-Redmond Rd NE
Woodinville, WA 98072
Tel: 425-489-0544 option #1
Sunday – Thursday 12:00 – 4:30
Friday 12:00 – 7:00
Saturday 11:00 – 4:30

About DeLille Cellars
DeLille Cellars is a boutique artisan winery located in Woodinville, Washington. Under celebrated winemaker Chris Upchurch, DeLille Cellars was the first winery in Washington State to focus on creating Bordeaux style wine blends. From the beginning, the winery has looked towards the prestigious Red Mountain AVA as the foundation of its wines, using grapes from its own vineyards in combination with fruit from other top sites in the Yakima Valley.  DeLille produces six Bordeaux-styled wines: Grand Ciel, Chaleur Estate Rouge, D2, Harrison Hill, Four Flags and Chaleur Estate Blanc. The winery also produces the Doyenne wines which include classic northern Rhone Syrah – awarded as one of the great 15 Syrahs of the world; the Grand Ciel Syrah from their own Estate vineyard, a Roussanne; Métier, as Southern Rhone-style red wine; Aix, a Provence-style red wine and a Bandol-style Rosé. Robert Parker Jr. of the Wine Advocate rated DeLille Cellars and Doyenne as two of the top 12 Washington producers, bestowing the title of the “Lafite Rothschild” of Washington State. DeLille Cellars has a traditional “chai” chateau winery located on the 10 acre Lill Family Estate which overlooks the Woodinville valley floor below as well as its Carriage House tasting room. DeLille Cellars is a Bacchus Capital portfolio company.
For more information, visit www.delillecellars.com

About Bacchus Capital Management
Bacchus Capital Management is an investment firm providing strategic capital and making equity investments in United States wineries and wine businesses.

Bacchus portfolio companies include: Andretti Winery, a well-known Napa winery founded by Mario Andretti; DeLille Cellars, the renowned Washington state winery  co-founded by acclaimed winemaker Chris Upchurch; Madrigal Family Winery, a recognized Napa Valley winery located on Highway 29; Maritime Wine Trading Collective, a leading boutique wine import, production, and distribution company; Panther Creek Cellars, a historic Oregon winery founded by Ken Wright; Sbragia Family Vineyards, the Dry Creek Valley winery founded by world-class winemaker Ed Sbragia; Wine by Joe / Dobbes Family Estate, one of the largest wine producers in Oregon. Bacchus previously had successful financings with Cameron Hughes Wine, one of America’s fastest growing wine businesses and Qupé, a leading Central Coast winery.

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