Hidden Trackers –
2016 is heading into its wonderful final holiday season! And with that, Hidden Track is completing our first full year of being open from 12-7pm Monday-Saturday! This is an amazing milestone and we want to thank all of you for your support. We truly enjoy getting to know all of you and sharing a laugh or a sip on occasion.
Club membership is growing quickly towards the 300 member mark. This is a great time to mention the club to a neighbor or friend, as we are attracting some pretty amazing offers due to our size and buying power. November’s Care Red Blend from Spain, for instance – that bottle alone retails for over $40!
As December approached and wines were being presented to us, we came across a few offers that really stood out. Our decision was becoming difficult until we realized that we had not offered a domestic Cabernet Sauvignon before. And that we had not offered a Horse Heaven Hills Vineyard selection either. We added these two facts together to solve our wine equation for December.
That being said, let’s talk a little about Horse Heaven Hills, one of our favorite AVAs in Washington. Or rather our absolute favorite AVA in WA! Horse Heaven Hills sounds like a beautiful romance novel, but if you abbreviate it and call it Triple H, it sounds like a WWF wrestler name. Oh wait… It is! Which is perfect, as this is a great way to describe the terroir and what it produces.
Horse Heaven Hills AVA offers up a rough desert-like outer shell environment (queue the wrestler). The annual rainfall in this region is basically the same as what we get in Phoenix. Temperature shifts can see big spikes, which often limits vineyard canopy development. These tough growing conditions mean the region needs a little help to produce the quality that it does, and it finds that help in the form of ever-flowing water. Mountains provide a nice supply of water to the Columbia River Gorge. HHH runs along the Columbia River Gorge and plays influence to rolling hills, steep slopes, and directed wind currents that cut through the gorge. Take these romance novel struggles into account and Horse Heaven Hills provides the perfect storyline to produce critically acclaimed wine!
Now that you are floating down a romance novel river of wine, let’s introduce our December club selections.
Halter Ranch Grenache Blanc
Thank you, Paso Robles. Thank you, Halter Ranch. We have had such amazing feedback from a few Grenache and Garnacha selections in the club that we thought we would take this month to offer a Grenache Blanc. Yep, a white Grenache grape! Of origin, this varietal can be found regularly in the Rhône Valley in France. This means that Central and Southern California also provide an ideal growing climate for this grape. Halter Ranch does just that. Located on the west side of Paso, this all-estate, 100% sustainable project sits on top of limestone. And yippy for limestone! Hello minerality and acid, with a soft slap in the face from a feather. We would like to challenge you to a duel of “you’re awesome.”
Alder Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon
As prefaced, this is the working of a great paperback romance novel. This selection will show you exactly why HHH is a favorite AVA. There are 20+ recognizable producers that put the Horse Heaven Hills name on their label. However, Alder Ridge is a smaller producer, and one that carries a big punch. It has the support from a larger supplier that allows this project to continuously turn out great products and earn the accolades to back it up. Alder Ridge has a strong history of producing 90+ pt rated cabs!
Cheers, Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
Craig & Danielle