Lagana Cellars Washington Mixed White (6)

Lagana Cellars Washington Mixed White 6-Pack
$74.99 $142.00 47% off List Price
2014 Roussanne, Sagemoor Vineyard, Columbia Valley
2014 Sauvignon Blanc, Sagemoor Vineyard, Columbia Valley
2014 Riesling, Sagemoor Vineyards, Columbia Valley

iiiiinteresting…

I’d love to get a description of the style of each of the three.

[grape]

Grape Debater here! I received the 2014 Riesling Wednesday, and it went to the refrigerator until I had ample opportunity to open and enjoy. Being that there are only ten states on the list for this woot, I guess I should consider myself lucky.

Screw caps on these bottles, which are perfectly excellent for whites, plus I generally finish a bottle in one sitting. My notes from last night are as follows:

Pale straw in the glass, virtually no legs to speak of. Notes of honeysuckle, with a little citrus and a hint of apple in the aroma.

Rather “full” on the palate, not particularly dry at all but not remotely cloying. Flavors of honey, melon, a touch of the citrus and apple, and a slight mineraliness.

As it warms up, there’s an acidic bite, and it veers perilously close to taking on a sourness. But then, why are you drinking Riesling at room temperature?

At this price point, it’s a perfect everyday drinker. It’s not a complicated wine that will age well, so it’s great for those autumn evenings when one just wants a white wine to share while binge-watching Netflix with a bowl of popcorn.

A hearty thanks to Woot for the opportunity to Debate these Grapes!

[grape]

I am honored to have received the golden ticket, However, I don’t know how to add the Grape Debater banner. So sorry.

My Notes:
Received wine, it was the 2014 Roussanne. Saw it was a white, stuck it in the fridge (big mistake BTW). Had to go out, didn’t return until after 1:30 am, needed to sleep a few hours before work (5am), so I waited until the next evening.

Took bottle out of the fridge early evening, opened while still cold. Noted Screw top. At first pour, long in the leg, it’s got some body to it. The color is a bit deeper than a Sav Blanc, almost yellow (deeper than straw), but very clear. Almost has a syrupy look to it. I’ve never had Roussanne before, so I can only compare to other whites. Enh……Strong scent of alcohol on the nose, same on the palette. Not sure what’s up with that. It overpowers anything it might have in there. Me thinks it needs to be room temperature, so I’ll play with it a while. For dinner, the wife made some tasty sliders, with fresh Mozzarella and our garden tomatoes on the side, sprinkled with a little Cavedoni Botte Piccola Italian Balsamic. None of this seemed to wake up this wine, even after getting to room temp. Had a nice McClure’s garlic and dill pickle spear, and voilà ……the Roussanne sparked to life. Still a little strong on the alcohol side, but there was flavor, hints of melon and apricot, maybe peach, and some oak definitely some oak. Doesn’t seem this touched much SS. I’m going to cap the bottle and let it sit on the counter until dinner tomorrow. Maybe that will tame the ethanol.

Well……Day two. Trying the wine solo at first. It has opened up a little bit. Still the alcohol on the nose and palette, but slightly less than last night. It moves in the glass like it’s thickish. The color is still a pleasant “clear yellow syrup”. I’m Gonna micro sip this, and let it open up in the glass over the next hour or so, to see where that takes it. I’m thinking this is one of those whites that could spend some time in the bottle before its ready for prime time.

After about 45-50 minutes, the nose is earthy to oaky and the alcohol is subsiding. As a stand alone, the flavors are starting to emerge. There’s melon, peach, apricot, citrus (maybe grapefruit). It’s just a bit earthy and there are mild tannins, and still a little bit of alcohol, though now I can a sense little SS in the mix. The finish is medium long. It tastes like a sweet wine without being sweet….kind of acidic It does have some great legs and moves almost as if it is just slightly syrupy. It may just be high in sugar, as it has the physical characteristics, but doesn’t taste sweet.

Now for the food. I’ve tried steak, no; Mexican, no; Spicy, a little better; Thai, sorry, not enough time; Cheese, not really; Fruit, no; Jalapeños, competes; Humus, ok; Another try with the McClure’s pickle, again. Wow, sweet wine. All the fruit is there, and so is the sweet. I couldn’t find anything else in the house that made this wine shine like the pickle. Today it’s much more noticeable. Very sweet, almost like a desert wine. Peach, cantaloupe, sweetbakery, a little citrus, some oak and some earth, with twinge of alcohlol on the finish. I guess I’ll need to get more pickles.

After two hours, this is a good sipping wine, now that it’s opened up, but I’m sure it will mature a bit down the road, say at least a year. How long it will hold up after that, I don’t know, maybe 3-5 years. I wonder if the winemaker could chime in and let us know. I’m not into sweet wines at all, but have acquaintances that are. If this is cellar-able on the long term, and the woot price is right, I’d be in for a few bottles. Otherwise I’d guess retail $20 ish (750ml bottle).

OH, make sure you drink at room temperature(see paragraph 2), and let it breathe a bunch.

I see its a mixed half case. Need some whites for the company. These look good, and I’m fond of Sav Blanc.

In for one, at least for now. Gotta jump over to the wife’s account, 'cause she has an Amazon account, and I don’t.

…And then it’s time for bed.

Winemaker Jason here with Lagana Cellars. Midnight my time, but glad you guys have some comments going already!
My style for winemaking is basically short and sweet: crisp, clean whites from proven vineyards. That simple.
First I want to speak to the Roussanne. One comment I see noted the sweetness and also the oak profile. Fruity yes, but with absolutely not a gram of sugar, the wine does therefore have a bit higher alcohol, especially for a white. Reds just begin to play in this range but whites are not generally over 14%. This bad boy, 13.9, right on the edge but not a lie. It really is that percentage. Another reason it’s a bit high in alcohol is my desire to not add TOO much water at the press. Don’t want to dilute flavor too much. As for the oak, the Roussanne was in a stainless tank for its entire time aging with Radoux ProNektar tank staves, about 23% new equivalent to barrels. It was literally never in a barrel. That’s how Jason rolls.
The Sauvignon Blanc is basically a New Zealand meets Washington state ripeness. Still exudes that green bell pepper, slight jalapeño skin, and grassiness but with more tropical fruit going too. Mid-range alcohol for a white, again not a lot of water added for the booze fest Washington can sometimes produce. I pick it late in the season: aka it’s literally the first thing in the winery at the end of August.
And finally Riesling, the wine that I personally think is too sweet but damn does it taste good. I am definitely a dry Riesling kind of dude, love me some Alsace. This one, when it gets close to finishing, I taste daily until I like it. At that point, I chill the wine down to stop the fermentation. This wine, to me, is like an early Mosel. Slight petrol on the nose, but giving that characteristic nose for German Riesling. If I didn’t know it was mine, I would guess German. Lime and apple, slight nectarine with about 1.5% residual sugar and plenty of natural acidity.
I will check in from time to time over this Woot!, and my biggest pick of the year is today! I must be crazy, and indeed I am!

Kudos to your frankness we get a lot of new wineries to woot that send in their PR person and we get lots of fluff. Tempted to pick these up as I’ve generally liked Washington whites.

Have not had these. Sagemoor is a vineyard of excellent pedigree; one of the very early plantings in Washington state. Most of the Sagemoor wines I’ve had have been reds.

Ha ha, I’m a one man show, baby! I sometimes wish I had a PR person to help market the wines, but in the end, winemaking and running the whole show is fulfilling as well as helps sell wine too!

For how young of a winery I am, I am absolutely blessed to get this fruit. They have a lot of reds, but some prize white grapes too! I received all of their Roussanne (an acre) for two years and it has been beautiful and won many awards. I’ve had the Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc for four vintages now!

Split down the middle maybe?

With Lou Facelli now retired, could you perhaps get your hands on the grapes he was receiving (and not just the Sagemoor)? We need someone to continue his fine traditions. Just last night I popped the cork on a bottle of his 2010 Sagemoor Barbera. Still have a case and a half remaining that I bought in his close-out sale.

Thanks for jumping on board! Appreciate the notes. What’s the case production for each? Also, I’m a also a Sucka for zippy acidity in my whites. Hate heavy or flabby whites (wines that is :grin:). Thoughts?

Already got a split going, thank you though.

Do they have any other Rhone white varieties planted? Do you make any others?

Tell lost that your production is 100 cases total and he’ll be in for sure!

Lost, I’ll take one or both bottles of the Roussanne if you go in.

Thank you very much for both taking the time to discuss your wines, and also for joining us on woot!

[grape]

I received the golden ticket for the Sauvignon Blanc. I’m on a road trip and typing on my phone, so apologies if this is a little short.

Chilled the bottle upon receiving and recruited a couple of folks who are bigger fans of white wines than I am to enjoy it with me.

First poured and a little too cold, the taste was grassy and very clean. I tend not to drink a lot of whites because I dislike the aftertaste most have and I was very happy that even as it warmed that never developed. As it warmed the taste remained crisp but more subtle notes of citrus and honeydew came through.

I enjoyed this wine and would happily offer this to guests. It was nicely balanced for drinking on it’s own but would pair with just about anything: sweet enough to go with a spicy dish but wouldn’t overpower something more subtly flavored.

Case production for each of these wines is right about 300. Bit more on the Sauv Blanc, about 315, but the Riesling and Roussanne are about 275-300. The Roussanne is the only one currently released to the public, so that one has less remaining. And I am also an acid guy! Love me some wines with solid acidity.

I do make Barbera from a Walla Walla vineyard but for a different label. It has received good scores/reviews including a Best in Class for the 2012 vintage at San Fran Chronicle!!