We've had the pleasure of visiting Sineann many times over the years at Medici Winery where Peter Rosback crafts his sumptuous (and adventurous) wines. His wines are made in small lots and are highly sought after by those who appreciate distinctive top quality wine. He is passionate about his craft and makes wines that speak of place and terroir, bringing out those special qualities that the land and grape offers. To this end most of the wines produced are vineyard designated. He is not one to pay much attention to ratings praised upon his wine (of which there are multitudes), opting instead to make the very best wine possible. His joy comes from being with you as you take that first sip and seeing what you think of it. From a lovely and delicate Pinot Gris to his monolithic "Block One" Cabernet Sauvignon, Peter puts the same care and effort in making each and every wine. To retain freshness and quality he encloses his wines with glass stoppers instead of conventional corks (except for his New Zealand wines which are under scew cap closures). The wines will age a little slower this way, but with years of trials using these closures Peter is convinced (and so are we) that glass stopper corks are a better way to seal wine for quality, consistency and long term storage. According to Peter "we never open a bad bottle; every bottle opened is the same as the one before and the one before that." Add to that the fact that you will never encounter a "corked" wine, what more could you ask for?
Peter has developed relationships with grape growers over the years that allow him to source from the some of the best vineyards in the Northwest. From well known sites such as Resonance, Lachini, Yates-Conwill and Schindler in the Willamette Valley and Able, Wyeast, and Pheasant Valley located in the Columbia Gorge AVA he makes distinctive single vineyard Pinot Noirs. Add to this his always popular Oregon blend and a new Sineann Pinot Noir made in New Zealand from McGinlay Vineyard located in the Marlborough region.
For a lot of his wines he sources fruit from the Columbia Gorge and Columbia Valley AVA's. He works with some of the most storied vineyards there including The Pines, Hillside, Cold Creek, Celilo, and Champoux Vineyards. His Celilo Vineyard Gewurztraminer has been a favorite of ours for years. His "Block One" Cabernet Sauvignon from Champoux Vineyard enjoys a cult following and immediately sells out, making it one of the most difficult and sought after Cabernets in the Northwest. You can still enjoy his Cabernet Sauvignon from Champoux Vineyard though with Sineann's "Baby Poux" bottling that is produced with grapes from younger vines. Being the adventurous winemaker that he is Peter also has crafted two Cabernet Sauvignons from Napa Valley fruit. One hails from the Lazare Vineyard and the other from Sugarloaf Mountain. Anyone who enjoys Columbia Valley Zinfandel is familiar with The Pines 1852 Vineyard owned by Lonnie Wright. Sineann has for years made an Old Vine Zinfandel from here that are beautiful, long aging wines. According to Peter the 2002 and earlier vintages of this Zinfandel are now coming into their own. I only wish we had the strength to leave them lying down that long. Lucky for us they also drink marvelously well in their youth!
During our Thanksgiving visit we tasted through most of the current wines available. Always a festive affair Peter and family were on hand to greet and of course discuss their latest offerings. Though it is always hard to single out particular wines, on this day we especially enjoyed and recommend the following: |
