Selected Kestrel Wines

     
      Kestrel crafts its wines to suit wine lovers with palates for dark, rich reds and fruit-driven, food friendly whites.  These elegant, distinctive wines include four tiers:  Winemaker Select Wines, Falcon Series Wines, Signature Edition Wines & Collector Series Wines.
 

To purchase Kestrel wines:

Please call the winery at 509-786-2675, or

Email us at wcmgr@kestrelwines.com, or

Call one of Kestrel's Distributors in your state.

2008 Two Ton Cabernet Sauvignon
Blend: 100% Kestrel View Cabernet Sauvignon
New Release Date: May 2011
$40.00 bottle
2007 vintage won Double Gold, Seattle Wine Awards 4/2010

This fine Cabernet Sauvignon was created by thinning one block of Cabernet Sauvignon down to two tons per acre; this equates to leaving just one cluster per shoot or about sixteen clusters per vine.  Of this block we chose eight rows and conducted another experiment, in which we tied each cluster upward, so that the weight of the fruit would not bend the stem. We made wine from each portion and then chose to blend them back together at bottling.  The wines were both beautiful, with the one from the clusters that were tied upward being a little softer and more elegant.

The Wine:  The resulting wine possesses a deep plum-red color, becoming black at its center.  The aroma is filled with sweet red concentrated fruit such as cherry, currants, raspberries, pomegranate and blueberries.  While sifting through the layers of this complicated and complex wine you will be greeted by spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and tea leaves. As the wine continues to reveal itself, you will discover dried herbs, floral hints, sweet dark fruits, mineral, cigar box, and leather.  The wine is full bodied and round, with well integrated silky smooth tannins.  The finished product is concentrated and elegant.  Cases produced: 224

Vineyard Source: 100% Kestrel View Estate Vineyard

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2007 Co-ferment Estate Syrah
Blend: 93% Kestrel View Estate Syrah | 7% Kestrel View Estate Viognier
Release Date: June 2010
$40.00 bottle

The Syrah and Viognier were picked on the same day and destemmed and crushed into a fermenter, where they were pumped over twice daily during the fermentation process.  By adding Viognier to the Syrah we were able to create a Syrah with a floral-spice element that is actually darker in color than the Syrah would have been on its own, a phenomenon known as co-pigmentation.

The Wine:  The wine represents only the finest barrels of Co-fermented Syrah produced in 2007.  The color is inky purple.  In the aroma you will find the distinct contribution of the Viognier’s floral elements, with hints of violet, lavender, mock orange, jasmine and dried herbs.  Under the floral perfume, dark and ripe flavors such as black cherries, blackberries, dried blueberries, and plum are perfectly balanced by toasted oak, vanilla, spice and mocha.  This is an elegant wine, with a soft round mouth feel, smooth silky tannins, and a long fruity finish.  Cases produced:  277

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at 509-786-2675 or email us at
 wcmgr@kestrelwines.com.  You can also call one of Kestrel's Distributors for
 information about where you can find Kestrel wines.

2008 Syrah
Blend: 94% Syrah | 3% Viognier | 3% Malbec
New Release Date: May 2011
2007 vintage rated 94 points - Wine & Spirits Magazine, 10/2010

This wine is mostly Syrah but was co-fermented with small amounts of Viognier and Malbec to coax out every nuance possible.  You may wonder  what co-fermenting is all about...  It is when you pick grapes of different varieties at the same time and throw them together in the same fermenter.  You can think of it as blending straight from the field.  By co-fermenting Syrah with other varietals, I believe that the resulting wines are more aromatic, possess greater mouthfeel and are more elegant and interesting.

The Wine: As always, the color is an inky purple crimson, centering to black.  In the aroma and on the palate you will find an abundance of ripe fruit flavors such as black currant, boysenberry, black cherry, cranberry, pomegranate and blueberry jam.  Beneath the layers of fruit you will discover cardamom, turmeric, leather, tobacco, orange rind, dried fennel, and lavender.   This is a rich full bodied, balanced and complex wine.   The velvety smooth mouth feel, supple soft tannins and lingering finish with leave you wanting just one more sip.  Cases produced: 1,111

2010 Pinot Gris
Blend: 100% Kestrel View Estate Vineyard Pinot Gris
New Release Date:  April 2011

The fruit was hand picked and sorted prior to being whole-cluster pressed.  The juice was chilled for several days then racked off its lees and fermented at 54 degrees Fahrenheit in a stainless steel tank.  By tank fermenting, at cool temperatures, the natural fruit flavors of the Pinot Gris grape are preserved.  The tiny rusty-red colored berries yielded a crisp clear liquid that was transformed into a dry, aromatic gem. Hopefully, you will find the resulting wine clean, crisp and refreshing.

The Wine:  The color of the wine is almost clear; there is just a hint of greenish-yellow to it.  The aromas are clean and crisp with overtones of citrus, nectarine, Asian pear, honeysuckle, mandarin orange, dried hay, perfume, Meyer lemon, dried guava, and the characteristic minerality of Kestrel Vineyards.  The flavors echo the aromas.  The wine is light bodied, crisp and clean, with bright fruit and crisp acidity.  Cases Produced:  429

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at 509-786-2675 or email us at
 wcmgr@kestrelwines.com.  You can also call one of Kestrel's Distributors for
 information about where you can find Kestrel wines.

2006 Signature Edition Boushey Merlot
100% Boushey Merlot
Release Date:  September 2009
$50.00 bottle
Gold - SF Chronicle Wine Competition, 1/2010
Gold - National Women's Wine Competition, 3/2010
Outstanding - WA State Wine Competition

One-hundred percent of the fruit used to produce this wine came from the hard scrabble Yakima Valley appellation vineyard owned by Dick and Luanne Boushey.  The fruit was hand picked and sorted. Only the fully ripened clusters were crushed into a small open top fermenter where punch downs were done twice daily until the perfect level of extraction was achieved. The fermentation vessel was then drained and the pumice gently pressed.  The wine was delivered immediately to barrels, where it underwent secondary malo-lactic fermentation. The wine was aged for twenty-two months in 40% new French oak barrels. It was then bottle aged for one year prior to release.  Cases produced: 150 | Alcohol: 13.9%

The Winemaker's Notes:  Absolutely without question an elegant and lovely wine. The color is dark ruby. The aromas and flavors are a gorgeous combination of raspberry and marionberry fruits together with graham cracker and vanilla notes. The wine is very full bodied possessing layer upon layer of fruit, fine grained tannins and subtle dried herbs. This wine is packed with grace, beauty and old world charm. Alcohol: 13.9%

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2007 Signature Edition Raptor Red
Blend: 50% Cabernet Sauvignon | 33% Malbec | 17% Cabernet Franc
Release Date: March 2011
$60.00 bottle
New Release

Raptor Red is our flagship wine.  Each vintage Dirk, my assistant winemaker, and I choose the six finest barrels from the cellar.  We blend these together to create the best that the vintage has to offer.  In 2007 we chose to blend two barrels of Kestrel Vineyards Old Vine Cabernet Sauvignon, two barrels of Kestrel Vineyards Malbec, one barrel of Olsen Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and one barrel of Olsen Vineyards Cabernet Franc.  The resulting Bordeaux style blend created a superior wine with unbelievable depth and breadth.  This old world creation is velvety smooth and bursting with ripe fruit flavors

The Wine:  The color is intense black cherry, finishing to black at its core.  The aroma is supported by generous quantities of sweet black cherries, blackberries, black currants, blueberry jam, and elderberry.  The fruit elements are perfectly balanced with dried herbs, tea, clove, nutmeg, cigar box, cocoa, cedar and a hint of floral.  This wine has exceptionally rich flavors, complemented by ample body, velvety smooth tannins and a lingering finish.  Cases Produced:  136  - Alcohol: 13.8%

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at 509-786-2675 or email us at
 wcmgr@kestrelwines.com.  You can also call one of Kestrel's Distributors for
 information about where you can find Kestrel wines.

Pure Platinum - 6th Edition
Blend:  54% Viognier | 34% Gewürztraminer | 12% Pinot Gris
Release Date: May 2010
$12.00 bottle
95 points - JustWinePoints.com

This is our sixth release of Platinum.  This white wine is a blend of Viognier, Gewürztraminer and a splash of Pinot Gris. The vineyard source is 56% Kestrel View Estate Vineyard and 44% Outlook Vineyard.  The grapes were harvested simultaneously and blended as fruit in the press.  The juice underwent a cool slow fermentation using Côte de Blanc yeast.  The combination of these factors helped to preserve the fine fruit and floral qualities of the varieties.  The fermentation was stopped at 1.4% residual sugar.  The resulting wine is a marriage of spice and floral elements.

The Wine:  This wine possesses the brilliant spice of the Gewürztraminer grape and the floral perfume of the Viognier and Pinot Gris.  In the nose you will find hints of honeysuckle, passion flower and orange blossoms.  The mouth explodes with sweet citrus and stone fruits such as tangerines, apricots and peaches.  The long-lingering finish is sweet clover honey.

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Lady In Red  9th Edition
Blend:  60% Syrah | 26% Merlot | 8% Cabernet Franc | 5% Cabernet Sauvignon | 1% Petite Verdot
New Release Date: June 2011
$12.00 bottle

Lady in Red 9th edition is a non vintage wine as were the first eight releases.  The fruit used was grown at several outstanding locations around the Yakima Valley and Columbia Valley, including our own Kestrel View Estate Vineyard.  Grapes from the chosen sites produce wines brimming with ripe black and red fruit flavors, coupled with generous full mouth feel.  The fruit which composes Lady In Red 9^th Edition was carefully picked at its height of maturity, then de-stemmed and crushed leaving 15% whole berries.  It was fermented at 85° F in small batches, for 7 to 10 days, then gently pressed so as not to extract any harsh tannins.  Fifty percent was then aged in small oak barrels until bottling.

The Wine:  This wine possesses a deep black cherry color, centering to near black.  In the aroma you will find black cherry, red currant, blackberry and plum fruit flavors.  These are balanced by leather, tobacco, cedar, mineral, white pepper, caramelized sugar and baking spices which develop in the glass and on your palate.  The wine ripples with bright intense red fruit flavors, and finishes with a lingering cherry, white pepper and leather notes.  Lady In Red 9^th Edition is a full-bodied wine with a firm and lingering sweet finish. 

To purchase Kestrel wines, please call the winery at 509-786-2675 or email
 us at
 wcmgr@kestrelwines.com.  You can also call one of Kestrel's Distributors for
 information about where you can find Kestrel wines.

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