Posted by: Kenan Hester, CSW (@VinoKeno)

It seems hard to believe that it has already been a year since I was driving through the Cascade Mountains on my way to Red Mountain in Washington’s Columbia Valley for harvest. Since then, I’ve had the joy of introducing you to some of the fantastic wines that come from this special place, but rest assured: I’m not done yet! About 6 months ago, I was having a conversation with one of the Managers for a small distributor here in town.  He was picking my brain for ideas on new wines to bring in, and I told him, “without a doubt, you have to get your hands on some good wines from Red Mountain!” When he called me a few months later to give me the news that he had picked up an awesome producer from this tiny AVA, I was naturally very excited. Allow me to introduce you to Terra Blanca!

I had heard about Terra Blanca while working the harvest, but didn’t get a chance to visit last year. I tasted the wines for the first time here in Houston with Keith Pilgrim, the winemaker and owner. Keith is a former geologist who developed a love for the good juice early in his career.  His Terra Blanca Estate sits on 300 acres of the southwest corner of Red Mountain, with 80 acres planted to vine. Keith married his two passions (geology and wine) together when he completed Washington’s first underground wine storage caves on property at their estate. The caves naturally maintain a 58 degree temperature and 95% humidity, perfect conditions for aging wine in barrels. Due to the higher humidity, the alcohols evaporate more rapidly from the barrel, so Keith is able to pick his fruit at higher ripeness and sugar levels and still maintain low alcohol levels in the wines. Red Mountain sees very warm days and very cool nights, so the fruit reaches optimum ripeness, while still maintaining brilliant natural acidity.  The resulting style is a well-structured wine that is balanced and elegant with rich, opulent fruit, all in a low alcohol package.

Please join us this coming Saturday from 2-4 PM for a tasting of the Terra Blanca wines. We will be pouring the Chardonnay & Syrah from their Arch Terrace line as well as the Merlot, Cabernet, and Bordeaux blend from the Signature Series line. Last, but not least, we’ll wrap things up with Terra Blanca’s premium blend called Onyx (a tribute to all 5 grapes of Bordeaux). You won’t want to miss these. We look forward to seeing you this weekend!