1997 Delille Cellars D2

DeLille Cellars was founded in 1992 in Woodinville, Washington, by the Lill family, Jay Soloff and Chris Upchurch, who is the winemaker. The family and the founding partners still own and operate the estate, considered one of the best in Washington. The estate makes Bordeaux-style red and white wines under several labels, which are DeLille Cellars, Doyenne and Grand Ciel. The flagship wines include DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate, which is typically 64% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, 9% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. The Grand Ciel wines are small-production, luxury cuvees that come from the famous Ciel du Cheval Vineyard in the Red Mountain appellation of Eastern Washington. The first Grand Ciel vintage was 2004. Wine Advocate gave the 2005 Grand Ciel 95 pts and called it “opulent.” The Doyenne wines are Rhone-style Syrahs, Roussannes and blends.

Washington State, with 59,000 vineyard acres, is the second largest producer of wine in the United States. Wine was made in the state as early as the mid-19th century, but Prohibition and, later, restrictive state laws killed the wine making business in the 20th century until the 1960s, when laws changed and large and small producers started making wines. An influential horticulturalist and agriculture professor name Walter J. Clore studied various grape clones in the 1960s to find the best ones for Washington, and by the 1970s Yakima Valley, Walla Walla and Columbia Valley had all become important grape growing areas. The best vineyards in the state are east of the Cascade Mountain range, where hot dry summers and cold winters are conducive to successful viticulture. Numerous grape varieties are grown, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc at the head of the list.