Itä Carbonic Zinfandel
Walla Walla Valley > Columbia Valley > Washington, 2023
What’s this? A nouveau-style wine from Walla Walla Valley? You bet. Winemaker Kelsey Itämeri only sources grapes from sites on the eastern foothills of the Blue Mountains, as close to her family farm as possible - in this case Live-Certified Les Collines Vineyard at about 1200 ft. elevation, directly on the border with Oregon. A cheeky homage to the nouveau-style wines of Beaujolais, but with Walla Walla Zinfandel. The aromas offer pleasing notes of stem and bountiful red fruit. The palate is bone dry and plush feeling, beautifully framed by tart, racy acidity. It’s straight up enjoyment!
Walla Walla Valley > Columbia Valley > Washington, 2023
What’s this? A nouveau-style wine from Walla Walla Valley? You bet. Winemaker Kelsey Itämeri only sources grapes from sites on the eastern foothills of the Blue Mountains, as close to her family farm as possible - in this case Live-Certified Les Collines Vineyard at about 1200 ft. elevation, directly on the border with Oregon. A cheeky homage to the nouveau-style wines of Beaujolais, but with Walla Walla Zinfandel. The aromas offer pleasing notes of stem and bountiful red fruit. The palate is bone dry and plush feeling, beautifully framed by tart, racy acidity. It’s straight up enjoyment!
Walla Walla Valley > Columbia Valley > Washington, 2023
What’s this? A nouveau-style wine from Walla Walla Valley? You bet. Winemaker Kelsey Itämeri only sources grapes from sites on the eastern foothills of the Blue Mountains, as close to her family farm as possible - in this case Live-Certified Les Collines Vineyard at about 1200 ft. elevation, directly on the border with Oregon. A cheeky homage to the nouveau-style wines of Beaujolais, but with Walla Walla Zinfandel. The aromas offer pleasing notes of stem and bountiful red fruit. The palate is bone dry and plush feeling, beautifully framed by tart, racy acidity. It’s straight up enjoyment!
Grape: 100% Zinfandel from Les Collines vineyard
ABV: 9.5%
The Story: itä wines is dedicated to expressing the unique terroir of the Eastern foothills of the Walla Walla Valley, through the estate wines and working with fruit from neighboring vineyards. Winemaker Kelsey Albro Itämeri brings a restrained style that matches the moderation and finesse of these hillside grapes, and a focus on varietals and styles uniquely suited to this place we call home. Clusters of Zin were kept whole under a blanket of CO2 to kick off the process of carbonic maceration. After a week, the clusters were foot stomped and cross-pitched with grapes from a fermentation that was already underway in the cellar, then pressed off the skins the following day. Primary and secondary fermentation was completed in neutral French oak barrels. Bottled by hand without fining or filtration.
Personality: Showing a red color, deeper than a rosé, lighter than a red. The aromas exude raspberry, pomegranate, cherry and blood orange, with scents of cherry blossoms and spiced incense. On the palate, as well, the wine is unusual, with flavors that are neither light nor medium bodied, just in between, with orange and red fruits that are imbued with Les Collines silt and minerals. The back picks up raspberry and cherry liqueurs and recurring orange peel, enlivened by a bit of dissolved CO2 on the way to a light alcohol and soft tannin finish.
Harmony: Pour yourself another glass or two at the next summer BBQ, or hang on to this delight of a bottle for the Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner table. Either way, you cannot go wrong.