Boise Coop Wine Shop

Weekend Tasting: Focus on Idaho

• May 7, 2009

This weekend we are featuring two different wineries from our own Snake River AVA. First upon Friday, Bill Murray, the winemaker from Sawtooth, will be in the shop pouring a number of different wines including their recent Idaho Wine Competition Double Gold award winning Pinot Gris. Next up, on Saturday it’s 3 Horse Ranch. Their Viognier was the only other white to garner a Double Gold.

Sawtooth Winery

Formerly known as Pintler Cellars, Sawtooth started out as a fifteen-acre vineyard in the heart of Canyon County. The vineyards were once rich pasture land owned by Charles Pintler. The family saw a greater potential in the steep, south sloping hills, and set out to grow wine grapes. European vinifera vines were planted in 1982, including Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Semillon, Chardonny and Cabernet. In 1988, Pintler Cellars became bonded and produced some 2000 cases at their new facility. In the years that followed Syrah, Pinot Gris, Cabernet Franc, and Voignier along with a few other varieties were planted. Pintler Cellars joined Corus Estates & Vineyards in 1998, chnaging their name to Sawtooth Winery at the time.

Winemaker Bill Murray has had a passion for wine for many years. Inspired from his travels to Europe, Bill started working in the industry in Napa, California. He worked for Buena Vista Winery while studying viticulture in the evenings at a local community college. A year later, he went to work for Acacia. Bill worked there for 13 years, first as cellar master, and later as vineyard manager. After Acacia Winery, he moved to Bouchaine Vineyards as an oenologist and associate winemaker. He came on board at Sawtooth just last year and is excited to be working in the new Snake River AVA.

2008 Pinot Gris, $12.49

2008 Rosé, $12.49

2006 Syrah, $12.49

2006 Merlot, $12.49

2006 Cabernet, $12.99

3 Horse Ranch Vineyards

Part of the recently formed Snake River Valley American Viticultural Area, 3 Horse Ranch brings together a unique blend of soil, climate and care to produce fruit of exceptional quality. Their vineyard in the foothills above Eagle is planted with the finest Rhône varietal rootstock available, vines brought to the U.S. by Tablas Creek from their famous French parent, Chateau de Beaucastel. Their estate wines are grown utilizing environmentally sustainable farming practices, employing hand pruning, training and harvesting, and those vineyards just received organic certification. With talented winemaker Greg Koenig on board, 3 Horse Ranch has already crafted a number of exceptional wines.

2008 3 Viognier, $18.99
Offers nicely intense aromas of honeysuckle, clover and bright peach and apricot. Rich but well balanced the palate is filled with unctuous melon backed by crisp citrus. An excellent example of the potential this variety has in Idaho.

2008 Roussanne, Estate Grown, $24.00
Opens with aromas of apricot, dried pear and peach. Bright and savory in the mouth with a nice array of ripe fruit flavors that are perfectly matched by a good, palate cleansing hit of acidity. Like the Viognier, the grapes for this wine were organically grown.

2008 Rosé, $15.99
A unusual blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Grenache with lovely raspberry and citrus aromas and a soft and fruity palate. A great spring and summer sipper.

2007 Syrah, Reserve, $17.99
This delicious blend of two of Idaho’s premier Syrah vineyards, Williamson and Albers, creates a great red wine displaying a hint of raspberry and black berry fruit on the nose. It leads to a true purity of fruit mid-palate, lingering for a rich, nicely balanced finish.