Vintage Notes
The 2018 vintage was incredible! This outstanding vintage began mild followed by a long and dry ripening season in the fall. This enabled us to hang the fruit to reach optimal ripeness without losing acidity or increasing sugars. The wines from 2018 are exceptional in many ways, from the great expression of the whites to the beautiful refinement and complexity of the reds. Enjoy!
The Vineyard
Stoneridge (100%): Alluvial fan gravel bed, the site rests above the flood plain of the Columbia River. Under the topsoil is a layer of caliche and basalt 6-12” deep, creating calcium and iron-rich media that forces roots to struggle.
Winemaking
Varietal Breakdown: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Syrah
Appellation: Royal Slope
Production: 2.5 tons per acre, native yeast, 100% whole berry fermentation (Cabernet Sauvignon), 100% whole cluster fermentation (Syrah), 53 days on skins | 22 months barrelaged on lees in 58% new French oak barriques | 832 cases
Wine Analysis: 5.3 g/L titratable acidity, 3.95 pH, 14% alcohol, no residual sugar.
Tasting notes
Earthy with a capital E. Dark and brooding. Delivering red and black fruit in a mélange of sarsaparilla stick, black licorice, and crushed velvet. Mightily-structured with a commanding presence that is justified by the majesty of this wine.
The Estate
K is the beginning. K is my Rhone-centric winery that was started by making single-vineyard Syrahs back in 1999. K was the opportunity. K was the moment. K is ground zero. 'X' marks the spot for my wine world and my emotional world in wine, which begins in Walla Walla, Washington.-Winemaker, Charles Smith. Winemaker Charles Smith opened the doors to his first winery, K Vintners, in December 2001. His first vintage was 330 cases of 1999 K Syrah, which he sold out of the back of his 1987 Chevy Astro van. The ’99 K Syrah immediately revealed that he could not only make extraordinary wine but he could make wine that people would remember. On the label was stamped a simple, giant, black on white letter “K,” big enough for anyone to spot across the room. It’s the same iconic and unforgettable black “K” that is used on our wine bottles today.K Vintners is about small lots of single-vineyard Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Tempranillo, Sangiovese and field blends of those grapes, all of which are hand-picked, fermented with naturally occurring yeasts and basket pressed.