Just the run-of-the-mill 10yr stuff; good daily drinker. The 21yr malts stay in the tube until the BoSox actually win the World Series… again. 
A few interesting reads:
http://www.seattlemag.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=3E1DA341B2834604B64A1EB3BA74CCFB&tier=4&id=FEF773AE5DCB44B3ADB337C7380B9CAB&AudID=42BFF54AF0444B8F92E1C3E1A324650E
Paul Gregutt is the wine writer for the Seattle Times and has a great book called Washington Wines and Wineries. Worth checking out if you are interested in learning a lot about whats going on in the Washington wine world.
labrats: convince me.
We felt like there were a lot of “second labels” out there that werent “hand crafted” Its important to me to offer value in wine. With Waters wines I have the luxury of carte blanche winemaking whether its crop load, yield, barrel time etc…so with Substance we dedcided to make these wines in the same fashion but they would come from non name vineyards within the walla walla and columbia valley appellations, be made in open top fermenters with quality oak, but be cleared out of out cellar before the next vintage so we could offer some kick ass juice for a great price. They’re essentially made the same way we make out higher end wines, they just get released a bit quicker and we’re not dealing on the open bulk market so the wines wont have a drop off in quality as we grow…cause I make em myself, plus this brand is a total bonus for an art/wine freak like me cause I can make any wine I see fit without having ti “fit” it into the Waters Winery portfolio…perhaps a blaufrankish someday???
…After what, an 89 year draught you win the series and you’re still holding the 21 yr??? You oughtta try being a Mariner. Its only been 30 years and it feels like a hundred…especially this year
At least you have the Sonics to look to…oh, sorry. You are more than welcome to cheer on our Blazers, as we look north for all other sports.
Dude, that HURT…but at least you have Mr Sonic running the show down there. Who doesn’t love Nate?
Fsck it…I am in for one.
Wife will kill me, but I am sure its noting a few glasses of wine wont fix…
Hey, that bottle of 21yr Glengoyne is the remaining few ounces of booze that came back from Scotland in 2002, and I’ve had the pleasure of tasting it a twice in the past few years, so all is good in the world (glad I’m not a Cubs fan!)
The SciGeek in me is screaming YES, but the $900 snowblower, $850 Insurance premium, and $250 wine.woot last week is sucker-punching the SciGeek in the kisser.
well, then let’s hope they win it this year so your 21 year old malt doesnt turn into a 121 year old malt LOL
I like the ‘periodic’ concept of the website, but I should be able to spell things. You know, like CHoCoLaTe.
I need to bug my voice coach for the newly added verse. Yes, all the newer elements have been added; when a production of TomFoolery was put on last year, Mr. Lehrer helped them update the song.
Hey, Lee… we will get more out of your responses if we know what question or post you are responding to. If you respond to a specific post, click on “Reply” at the bottom of that post and a window will open up with that post in it.
Just type your response below that, hit “Post” and it will look like this.
Dont know the folks from Cathedral Ridge but wineries are breeding like rabbits out here…How the hell is it?!?
We try to stay on the austere side with all the wines so the Riesling is made in tank with very little RS and the Chardonnay is barrel fermented in tight grain french oak (50% new) but then pulled off to neutral oak at about 4 months so the oak doesnt dominate. The reds have roughly 30 to 40 percent new oak and primarily tight grain french so it doesnt impart the oak to heavily. All the fruit is sourced locally from the Walla Walla and Columbia Valley appellations with about half coming form our newley developed estate properties in Walla Walla and the other half coming from renowned vineyards such as Seven Hills, Sagemoore, Pepper Bridge and more and they too are made in more of a finesse style…I’d rather kill you softly than bonk you over the head, but thats just me.
So what tactics do you use to make Substance wines ready for release (and, presumably, to drink) in advance of the ‘main’ label? Said another way, what do you have to give up to get this wine out of the cellar quickly?
Thanks for the answer, Lee. The Cathedral Ridge is pretty good. Nice balance. It’s more a finesse wine than bold, and that suits me pretty well tonight.
I gather from a review that your Substance Merlot is drinking well now, and that the Cab could use some bottle age. Would you agree?
One more question: who are you? I looked at the Waters website but could not make a connection there.
I dont know that we really give anything up. I think any well made wine can always ue more time in bottle (not neccessarily in cellar) but within the style weve chosen to make these wines we’re not really fighting the normal concerns you might have with ripe, extracted and oak driven wines because we don’t have to find ways to integrate those things as much. They’re fresh, vibrant, fruit driven wines that show well early but will only get better with time. Dont get me wrong though, they’re not lean or light, they’re just not over the top in anyway, and of course, each wine has its own personality and agenda for when it might show best.
I’m guessing the review is a bit old, the cab is showing fantastic. I’m Jamie Brown. I make the wines for Waters Winery as well as 21 Grams and Substance with Greg Harrington from Gramercy Cellars. Greg and I met when he was a wine buyer in NY and he tasted a syrah I made when I was the winemaker at James Leigh Cellars in Walla Walla and we had an instant connection with our inclination to make wines of restraint, so we decided to attach ourselves at the hip and see what might happen…and we’re having a total blast.