One of my favorites with an excellent QPR - plus launching two new labels this release
Save this date for our 2019 vintage wine release.
Crazier things have happened in the past year but we are thrilled to offer our 5th Vintage of wines, adding two new incredible vineyards to our family of wines. The UV Vineyard wines are now joined by the Silver Eagle Vineyard Pinot Noir and Lucky Well Vineyard Chardonnay!
I did not know he was making a Lucky Well. Both vineyards are farmed by the Ulises Valdez family. I think all of Maxem’s bottlings are managed by them. Lucky Well is in the Russian River Valley, I believe, near Occidental. Silver Eagle is in inland Occidental and a bit of a banana belt zone. The Bootlegger’s Hill vineyard Cirq use to source is literally a stone’s throw away from Silver Eagle. Pinots from there have ample fruitfulness and are racier than Sonoma Coast Pinots, from my experience, but less overt than what most of us think of from RRV. Hope that helps.
Not sure if you’re asking about Maxem’s Silver Eagle or anyone’s? I have Rivers Marie Silver Eagle and really enjoy it. It usually strikes me with a darker fruit profile than some pinot vineyards. In addition to the cherry & raspberry the Rivers Marie Silver Eagle usually has a Dark cherry and I think blackberries and sometimes blue berries. Usually one of the more complex pinots, imo, harder to drink right at release, needs age.
Sam is great and so is the Valdez family. Can’t wait to try the 18s! Trying to think of an adjective less obnoxious than “cerebral” to describe Silver Eagle fruit, but my brain is stuck on that word. The pinots are pleasurable but highly assertive about what what they want to be. Excited to try Sam’s take.