The last day of my trip to Spokane Valley was one of the best days--we went to Townshend Cellar. Townshend, I did not realize produces over 10,000 cases per year and over 20 different wines! This winery is right in the middle of tourist destination, Greenbluff, which is home to several orchards, ranches and lavender fields. As I mentioned, there are about 20 different wines and I tried nearly all of them, however, a few stood out as unique and memorable wines to me.
Townshend Cellar makes a Lemberger! If you are wondering what this is, it's a grape variety out of Germany--it can range from light and fruit driven to robust with good tannin structure. The one Townshend makes--2007 Lemberger, is the latter with a deep hue of purple. It has a nose full of black cherries, sweet figs and cinnamon. You may notice an earthy smokiness on the palate and more of those figs you got in the nose--just writing about it makes me want a glass! The finish is truly beautiful, smooth and long with smokey pepper notes that linger on--a wine that would pair perfectly with a variety of cheeses and stand up to almost any cut of meat or if vegetarian, your favorite hearty pasta dish.
Not many wineries, in my opinion, can pull off an excellent Cab Franc. The varietal is a parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, which is made up of its' other parent, Sauvignon Blanc. Cab Franc typically is lighter in body than Cabernet Sauvignon and is peppery--sometimes it can produce notes that are vegetal, sometimes reminiscent of green peppers. I hate wine that tastes like green peppers so I avoid Cab Francs that have this herbaceous characteristic. Townshend Cellar, however, makes a lovely 2004 Cab Franc. By the vintage, you can tell this wine has had plenty of time to age well in the bottle. On the nose, there is subtle earthiness and black peppercorns that leave you longing to reach the palate. The palate is light in body with soft tannins, bright cherries and present oak and once you get to the finish, there is even more of those black peppercorns. This is definitely a wine that could stand up to semi-hard cheeses, salumi and even seafood.
My favorite wine at Townshend Cellar would have to be the Late Harvest Chenin Blanc. Chenin Blanc is a white grape variety out the the Loire Valley of France and is light in body with high acidity (which makes it able to set down longer than most light whites). I have mostly had Chenin Blanc as a dry white, but it is lovely as a Late Harvest wine as well. On the nose, bright citrus, creamy vanilla and subtle oak make this wine one you may spend much time smelling before you get to the palate. Creamy vanilla is present on the palate in addition to mandarin orange and mild pepper notes. More of the mandarin lingers on in the finish with distinct vanilla bean flavors--it's truly delicious and I made sure I didn't leave Townshend Cellar with out some of this goodness!
There were so many wines that I truly enjoyed including the 2007 Malbec, 2003 Merlot, 2002 Reserve, Late Harvest Viognier, 1999 Port and 2000 Port. If any of these wines appealed to you, follow any of the Townshend Cellar links and you can order from them or plan a trip to visit this outstanding winery!
Ciao!
Erin
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