Tasting Notes 
Delicious, ripe fruit aromas and flavors make this wine an appealing quaff. Floral and citrus highlights in the nose and juicy stone fruit on the palate linger across a fresh, concentrated finish.  

Vintage 
The 2008 growing season was cooler than usual, delaying verasion by as much as 2-3 weeks but time spent thinning crops and dropping uneven clusters over the summer kept the vines in balance and allowed the grapes to ripen beautifully. Harvest conditions in September and October were picture-perfect, marked by the Columbia Valley’s typical warm fall days and cool nights. The resulting wines boast striking flavors and juicy acidity. 

Vineyard
Novelty Hill’s family-owned vineyard, Stillwater Creek, is a warm site known for its steep slopes and large pieces of fractured basalt found throughout the soils - an anomaly in the Columbia Valley.  More than one visitor here has commented on the soil's similarity to the Rhone, perhaps one reason why Rhone varieties like Roussanne thrive here.

Winemaking
• Hand-picked and fermented in small lots
• Barrel fermented in nuetral French oak

Case Production - 296 cases

Blend - 97% Roussanne; 3% Viognier

Alcohol - 13.5%

pH - 3.42

Total Acidity - 0.54 g/100 ml


Mike Januik, Winemaker