March is Taste Washington Wine month so we are featuring a few wines from amazing producers from our very own state! There are so many, it's insanely hard to choose, but we hope you enjoy to the fullest! Don't worry, there's some Spain and Italy mixed in there, because then it just wouldn't be an Agora wine club box! 

Bodegas Ordonez Triton

100% Tinta de Toro

Rich dark floral notes, dark fruits, licorice and dark chocolate. Juicy, full of depth and spice. Supple and powerful!

Triton is a pure representation of the oldest clone of Tempranillo in Spain, Tinta de Toro. Located in the only Spanish D.O. that completely resisted the phylloxera plague (thanks to its sandy soils, D.O. Toro was the only continental Spanish D.O. to resist phylloxera!). During the Middle Ages, Toro was Spain's most famous winemaking region. These wines were also the wines that accompanied Spanish explorers. D.O. Toro was rediscovered in 1990 by the Numanthia project, masterminded by Jorge Ordóñez and the Eguren family. Bodegas Vatan and Jorge Ordóñez aim to produce wine from the oldest clones of Spain’s indigenous varieties. The local indigenous grape, Tinta de Toro, is Spain’s oldest and most original clone of Tempranillo. It produces the deepest, most intense expression of Tempranillo in Spain. Jorge believes this grape to be full of history and should be treasured.

Traditional dry farmed viticulture. Cultivated by hand. Destemmed without crushing, fermentation in open top stainless-steel and polymer vats, maceration lasts between six and eight days, primary fermentation finishes in barrique and malolactic starts spontaneously. The wine then rests in barrel for 12 months. Organic practicing.

Fool Hardy Sauvignon Blanc 2021

100% Sauvignon Blanc

Zippy, mouthwatering Sauvignon Blanc with big tropical notes of passionfruit and guava. Citrus, minerals and a hint of brioche finish cleanly on the palate. Just gorgeous!

Foolhardy Vintners was formed by two friends, Jonathan Edelman and Dan Sogg. Both share a passion for wine and wanted to create the kinds of wine they enjoy most: ripe and vibrant expressions of the grapes. The wines are made to be food friendly and inviting. Jonathan has a background as a chef, attended culinary school in France and spent some time working in Michelin star restaurants. He has experience in a variety of fields but always retained a strong interest in wine. Dan took a job at a Boston area wine retailer/importer. Both have experienced working harvest seasons in France. The winery did its first crush in Woodinville in 2016 but quickly relocated production to Walla Walla. Edelman and Sogg both live there about half of the year as well. Other wines are on the way from this little boutique winery!

It took them quite a few years to locate their Sauvignon Blanc vineyard. They love wines from France and Germany so it was a challenge to find the right vineyard to deliver wine that could be similar. Evergreen Vineyard delivered! Many factors make for a quality white grape vineyard, but cool growing conditions and limestone-rich soils (which the area has an unusually high level of) are a terrific starting point.

Only 5 barrels were produced for this vintage. 2020 was their first pressing of Sauvignon Blanc and 2021 was an excellent year for the area, yielding delicious ripe fruit. Labor intensive, fermentation using native yeasts, malolactic fermentation, and no new oak (only used French oak).

Make Haste Cinsault

100% Cinsault

Bright red fruits on the nose, cool mint/eucalyptus melange, and black tea. Complex, savory with lots of floral aromas and an elegant dry finish. Incredibly smooth and drinkable!

An uncommon 100% Cinsault wine from Olson vineyard in the Yakima Valley. Cinsault is typically used as a supporting grape in red wines (think the Rhone) and to make rose so it’s always fun to try a full expression of the varietal! Two Vintners was founded in 2009 by the partnership between acclaimed winemaker, Morgan Lee, and the owners of Covington Cellars, David and Cindy Lawson. Their willingness to do the unpopular has guided their brand throughout the years and has helped bring unique, delicious wines that you don’t see everywhere else. Their goal is to showcase how unique Washington wine can be by using new varietals and trying out different styles. The first vineyard in Olson Vineyard was planted in 1980. Tended to by two 4th generation farmers in the Yakima Valley, 2nd gen wine grape growers. They also grow apples, hops, concord grapes, blueberries, and cherries.

Small production, 15 months in neutral, large format puncheon (twice as big as a typical wine barrel), all native yeasts, and whole cluster pressing.

Erica Orr Grenache

100% Grenache

Juicy nose of cranberry and pomegranate. Candied cherry, black tea, herbs and hints of warming spices. Textured with a bit of minerality, evolves as you sip!

Back in 1998 Erica Orr met winemaker Aaron Pott who convinced her that winemaking was the coolest job in the world. She stepped away from her lab tech job to work a harvest with Corison Winery over in the Napa Valley and immediately became hooked. Erica went on to work at various wineries around the world before moving to Washington in 2005 and starting her own winemaking consulting and enology business in Woodinville. In 2013 the time had come to start creating her very own wine and thanks to the supportive winemaking community in Woodinville she achieved just that, launching 116 cases of old vine chenin blanc.

This wine is a blend of own-rooted Grenache from Stillwater Creek vineyard (planted 2004) and Lawrence vineyards Corfu Crossing (planted 2008) from Washington state’s Royal Slope AVA. The Royal Slope AVA is defined by a ridge of hills running east to west. The soils are of decomposed basalt, rocky and volcanic which can impart a lot of character to the wines of the region. 

Hand-picked, destemmed and fermented in open top bins, week and a half skin contact at low temperature, free run and pressed wine combined, neutral French oak barrels for 6 months. Bottled without fining or filtration.

Matteo Correggia Roero

100% Nebbiolo

Dried floral aromas and red fruit with a nice bright acidity. Classic notes of pepper, anise with soft dusty tannins. Elegant with a dynamic finish.

The Roero district is located in the lower-altitude, rounded, sandy hills north of the Tanaro River and northwest of the Langhe. Young Nebbiolo and Barbera from this region have a particularly fresh and lively character. Unfortunately, Matteo Correggia passed away in 2001, following an accident. Matteo’s wife Ornella took over the estate with the help of Giorgio Rivetti of La Spinetta estate with the goal of keeping her husband’s passion for Roero’s reputation elevated. The estate was the first to promote slow wine making in Roero and defines their management of the estate as “natural and sustainable whenever possible”. No chemical weed-control products are used and very limited amounts of SO2 are allowed. This is their entry level Nebbiolo and it is an absolutely stunning value!

After harvest in mid-October, there is a five to seven day maceration period with frequent punch downs and delestage.  The Roero is aged for 12 months in neutral barrique and then eight months in steel vats. About 2000 cases are produced each year. Organic practicing.

Nathan Gray Cabernet Sauvignon

100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Decadent plum notes, jammy blend of red and dark berries. Aromas of cocoa, gentle oak, roasted herbs, a little bit of earth and hints of pepper. This is a Washington Cab with bold flavors balanced out with nice fruity acidity and a pleasantly dry finish!

This is a distributor private label project! Nathan Gray is Woodiville based, Cru’s Selections’ private label. Born from a story of jealous cousins.. When Cru Selections first started in the spring of 2008, they had a wine called Elle. It was a great bottle of syrah named after Cru Selection founder, Guy Harris’, niece. Harris’ son kept asking why his cousin had a wine named after her and “why was there no Nate Wine?” We now have a Cabernet Sauvignon made specifically for Cru Selections by winemaker Morgan Lee and Covington Cellars. Cru Selections is happy to offer excellent value in this Washington Cab and Nate can finally have his “Nate wine”.

Wines at Covington cellars are handcrafted, gravity fed, and aged in a combination of French, American, and Hungarian oak barrels for 18-36 months.