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Northstar
- Wine Spectator - October 7, 2011
Fans of Merlot can find plenty of exciting versions in this selection. JM Cellars produced a good example of the state’s signature style with its supple and refined Red Mountain Merlot. Another producer to look for is Northstar, which focuses mainly on Merlot and is part of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates.
Northstar
- Phoenix Bites - September 25, 2011
One of the most consistent year-after-year are the Northstar offerings. They are not 100% Merlot, but have a small amount of Cabernet and sometimes Petit Verdot, to go right along with a rib roast with just enough mellowness not to overpower the meat. The smooth long finish is an extra flavor bonus that is perfect with the deep flavors brought out in slow cooked beef. You can find Northstar Merlot at AJs in the $30-$40 price range. The 2007 vintage year is currently available with the 2008 on request because it is slated for distribution later in the year. These serve well ever so slightly chilled after 20 minutes in the fridge (about 65 degrees).
Northstar 2007 Merlot Columbia Valley
- Pink Memo - September 20, 2011
The 2007 Columbia Valley Merlot contains grapes from 14 separate vineyards and 18 different blocks. The juice then goes into the barrel for malolactic fermentation, then aged 18 months in 60% new French oak. The resulting wine is filled with black cherry, blackberry and black plum flavors with layers of spice and vanilla on the finish. This is a food wine, pairing well with grilled lamb and beef, with structure and balanced tannins, giving it the ability to age well for 10 – 20 years.
Northstar Merlot Camp
- Mariani's Virtual Gourmet Newsletter - September 18, 2011
They age well, too. In what was one of the best opening-night tastings of a wine-immersion experience I’ve had in a long time, Northstar winemaker David “Merf” Merfeld (above) and his wife, Lynne Anderson, hosted our group at their home for a fantastic dinner prepared by local star chef and accomplished organic farmer Greg Schnorr. Over the course of the evening, we tasted a vertical of Northstar’s Columbia Valley Merlots from 2007-1998, as well as a magnum of 1994. These bottles demonstrated just how elegantly the wines here can age, and how nuanced they become without losing the sense of exuberance that characterized them in their youth. (Its tasting room is shown in the photo below.) The primary red fruit of the 2007 still dominated, though the entirety of the wine still remained balanced. The 2006, on the other hand, was already far more complex, with smoke and warm clay aromas, a lush mouthfeel, and flavors of dulce de leche, cinnamon, and cherry. The 2005 showed more chocolate and kirsch, as well as a hint of birch bark, and the 2004 boasted a seam of eucalyptus and bright red fruit, both the result of a freeze and cooler weather that hit the region that year. 2003 found its footing on the opposite side of that coin with sappy cherry compote flavors--a sharp contrast to the spicier raspberries and drivingly youthful tannins of the 2002: This is one for the cellar. 2001 practically hovered above the glass with its licorice perfume and exuberantly expressive cherry fruit, and the 2000, all warm-souled cedar, lush fruit, and a touch of marzipan, remained remarkably persistent at 11 years old. The 1999 nodded in the direction of Right Bank Bordeaux with its dark cherries, fine-grained tannins, sage, green cigar tobacco, and spicy cedar. Amazingly, even at 13 years of age, the 1998 showed popping-fresh raspberries and other red berry fruit, in addition to beguiling secondary notes of leather and tobacco. And, finally that night, there was the magnum of 1994, a classic mature Merlot with perfect acidity and minerality for freshness, as well as deeply complex toasted vanilla, creamy tobacco, spice, and leather. ...The wines of this part of Washington, and the Merlots in particular, are exactly what both the grape variety itself and the American wine-consuming public need. It’s rare to find such approachability, complexity, agability, and exuberance from a single corner of the wine firmament. Combine that with the all-for-one-goal attitude that seems to permeate the region, and you have all the ingredients for continued success. And, I’d guess, a renaissance of American Merlot--starting right here, in Walla Walla, Columbia Valley, and their neighboring AVAs in Washington State.
Northstar
- Mariani's Virtual Gourmet Newsletter - September 18, 2011
Northstar is also working on a proprietary bottling called, right now at least, the “Big Dipper.” 2009 will be the first vintage, and its goal is to express, in premium-cuvée form, the full potential of Merlot here to be both enjoyable young as well as to age. I tasted a barrel sample, and the early results are astounding: high-toned red fruit on the nose, as well as perfumed spice that will continue to be absorbed from the barrels, and a palate of sweet, balanced black fruit, grilled herbs, tobacco, scorched earth, and a hint of tar. It promises to be a two-decade wine that will be approachable long before then. Even a month after tasting it, I can still conjure up its character.