A Visit to Northstar Winery
The memories of my experience at Northstar began even before I set foot in the vineyard. Driving through a scenic tour of Walla-Walla Valley, which is a sub AVA of Columbia Valley, I was greeted with breathtaking views of Washington’s famous wine country.
The winery is tucked away inside of their own vineyard. As I sat on their patio enjoying lunch with their Merlot, all I could think of was to look out to the future harvest; maybe those little beauties will be in my glass the next time I am here!
Walking into the winery, which had a comforting, almost cozy décor, we were escorted out to the south-facing 14 acre vineyard. Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Syrah and Petit Verdot all growing here, with the first vines planted in 2002. At an approximately 14,000 case production per year, David “Merf” Merfeld, head winemaker since 2005, certainly has let his passion shine. As he aims for a “perfect balance of varietal purity, fruit intensity and ripe, harmonious tannins.”
In addition to their estate, fruit is selected from the state’s top 2% of vineyard blocks, Merf and his team guide it through a gentle sorting and whole-berry fermentation. State-of-the-art winery equipment, cutting edge tannin research, and old-fashioned instinct all aid Merf in creating the final blends of Northstar’s highly acclaimed Merlots from both the Walla Walla Valley and Columbia Valley designations.
Northstar is a holding of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, the largest and oldest wine producer in Washington state. The mission of Northstar has always been to create world class Merlot that holds true to the unique expression of Washington state fruits. Being at the same latitude as the Bordeaux region of France, Northstar actually has a longer growing season, warm days and cool nights which bring a wonderfully full body to these delicately balanced Merlots.
With only 6-8 inches of rainfall per year, these vines work tirelessly through the whole 190-220 day growing season, resulting in a mouthwateringly soft texture, and with up to 18 months aging, beautifully integrated tannins.
The winery’s website goes into depth with each wine and discusses the goals of blending. Cabernet Sauvignon is added to ‘soften Washington Merlot with bright cherry and raspberry fruit flavors;’ Petit Verdot ‘adds color and structure;’ Cabernet Franc ‘brings softness and an olive herbal tone.’
Next we found ourselves in the tank room. The mammoth stainless steel tanks that line the wall, and excessively loud rock 'n' roll music that was blaring through the room, gave a sense of intimidation.
Walking on through to the barrel room, the scale of production was brought into focus. Barrel upon barrel of patiently aging wine in 55-60% new French oak and the smell of the barrel room inspired such an aroma I distinctly remember my mouth watering instantaneously. What a wonderful scent, red wine maturing, it’s like that moment the smell of the brownies in the oven becomes irresistible.
Our tour of Northstar was still far from over. After making our way through the vineyards and winery we moved on to the unique and exciting Northstar Blending Experience. Starting with a brief presentation, our tour guide Jan, guided us through a tasting of four distinct Merlots from four different regions of Washington, along with a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Petit Verdot, all straight from the barrel.
This was one of the most memorable parts of my trip to the Pacific Northwest. To simply follow my own instincts using beakers, graduated cylinders and other winemaking equipment, I masterfully created my own Washington State award-winning wine. Ok, so no real awards, but my one-of-a kind bottle of Northstar wine will always be one of my favorites!
Christine Byler, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits wine consultant - Altamonte Springs
You can shop for Northstar wine at abcfws.com!
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