We tasted 2014 Tempranillo by Tildio Winery on our trip to the Lake Chelan wine region. This wine comes from one of the most experienced winemakers of this growing region – Katy Perry. Before moving here and starting her winery, she worked for some of the top wineries in California and Washington.
Tildio’s Tempranillo made from the estate fruit, which is a rare find in this growing wine region and. They were pioneers in planting it first in Lake Chelan although some warned that it may not ripen here.
Katy made a bold move and voila.
The key to their successful interpretation of Tempranillo is harvesting super-ripe fruit, skin contact throughout the fermentation, and adding small quantities of high-quality Mouvèdre. After fermentation, the wine aged in French oak for 22 months.
While the winemaker draws its inspiration from wines of the Rioja region of Spain, Lake Chelan Tempranillo is different, and we appreciate it for its uniqueness.
Tasting Notes
2014 Tildio’s Tempranillo has a beautiful ruby color. It starts with earthy and smokey aromas, and then the fruits of cherry and plum join the bouquet.
On the palate, it’s full-bodied and rounded, has substantial but incorporated tannin and good acidity. It shows its fruity nature with ripe plum, black cherry. Some spiciness and touch of smoke add complexity to this rare wine.
We were pleasantly surprised to find such an impressive Tempranillo in the region that got serious about wine only twenty years ago. It’s great to see how experienced and young winemakers alike put Lake Chelan on the world wine map. In such a short period they were able to produce high-quality wines and achieved the status of AVA for Lake Chelan. They proved that they can make distinct wines that are true to their terroir.
Cheers to all the courageous winemakers daring to explore new frontiers and delight us with unique wines.