WAugust is back! WAugust is a month-long celebration of Washington wine in honor of our state’s incredible vineyards and winemaking community. So grab a glass and cheers to our growers, vineyard managers, winemakers, and the winemaking community!
This year, we’re celebrating WAugust with two wine bundles honoring our heritage. These two offerings include our “firsts” such as our first wine and first white wine, among other milestones.
Taste through our history with this bundle of our “firsts”. The bundle includes the following wines:
95 – Robert Parker | 95 – Jeb Dunnuck | 95 – Owen Bargreen
Our inaugural wine, Chaleur Estate marks the foundation on which the winery has built its craft of blending Washington State fruit in the traditional style. This wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend of Bordeaux varietals, with a focus on Red Mountain vineyards. The result is a wine of depth, complexity, focus and elegance that personifies the French word for warmth, chaleur.
First vintage 1992.
94 – Jeb Dunnuck | 93 Vinous | 94 – Wine Spectator
**#30 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2022!
Our first Merlot-dominant blend, D2 is a traditional Bordeaux-style blend sourced from over a dozen of the state’s most prestigious vineyards across the Columbia Valley to create the ultimate expression of Washington State terroir.
Following Bordeaux tradition, DeLille also produced a “Deuxieme,” or second wine, called D2 alongside our first wine, Chaleur Estate. The wine takes its name from the grand route du vin, or great wine road that travels through the historic wine region of Bordeaux. Today, D2 is the winery’s most sought-after label.
First vintage 1992
93 – James Suckling | 94 Owen Bargreen | 92 – Robert Parker
Our first Syrah is sourced from the Yakima Valley AVA in Washington State. The sandy loam soils and cool nights in this area contribute to crafting wine with incredible flavors and spices. We choose to co-ferment Syrah (98%) with Viognier (2%), adding another dimension of citrus and floral spices to the bouquet. Given the full character of this wine, the French oak barrels take a modest role in the background of our Signature Syrah.
94 – Owen Bargreen
Crafting a white Bordeaux-style blend was unheard of in Washington when DeLille Cellars first created Chaleur Blanc. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, this wine is fermented sur lie in French oak barrels, imparting a memorable “crème brulee” finish. Served at the White House over three administrations and rivaling its French counterparts in quality and exceptional value, Chaleur Blanc has become one of the winery’s most influential blends.
First Vintage 1995
94 – Owen Bargreen | 91 – Wine Enthusiast | 93 – James Suckling
Doyenne (meaning wise or senior) is a tribute to the ancient region of Aix-en-Provence and its respected blending practice. Originally crafted by Executive Winemaker Chris Upchurch for his wedding, this blend of Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon is true to the Doyenne name and the region that inspired its creation.
Doyenne is sourced from a variety of Red Mountain vineyards including our Grand Ciel estate vineyard, Ciel du Cheval, StoneTree, Quintessence, Upchurch, Discovery, and Boushey vineyards.
First vintage 1997
This WAugust bundle includes five milestone wines from DeLille. The bundle includes the following wines:
99 – Robert Parker | 98 Jeb Dunnuck | 95 – Vinous
Grand Ciel vineyard is DeLille’s ‘state of the art’, no-expense-spared estate vineyard located in the Red Mountain AVA. Every aspect of it was meticulously designed by Chris Upchurch – from the orientation of the planting and clone selection to the trellising, every detail is intentional to yield the highest quality wine.
Our 2019 Grand Ciel Cabernet embraced the cool September weather that defined this outstanding vintage. The refreshingly moderate temperatures of the harvest season allowed for ample hangtime and flavor development, without high sugar accumulation.
95 – Robert Parker | 95 – Jeb Dunnuck | 95 – Owen Bargreen
Our inaugural wine, Chaleur Estate marks the foundation on which the winery has built its craft of blending Washington State fruit in the traditional style. This wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend of Bordeaux varietals, with a focus on Red Mountain vineyards. The result is a wine of depth, complexity, focus and elegance that personifies the French word for warmth, chaleur.
First vintage 1992
94 – Jeb Dunnuck | 93 Vinous | 94 – Wine Spectator
**#30 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2022!
Our first Merlot-dominant blend, D2 is a traditional Bordeaux-style blend sourced from over a dozen of the state’s most prestigious vineyards across the Columbia Valley to create the ultimate expression of Washington State terroir.
Following Bordeaux tradition, DeLille also produced a “Deuxieme,” or second wine, called D2 alongside our first wine, Chaleur Estate. The wine takes its name from the grand route du vin, or great wine road that travels through the historic wine region of Bordeaux. Today, D2 is the winery’s most sought-after label.
First vintage 1992
94 – Owen Bargreen
Crafting a white Bordeaux-style blend was unheard of in Washington when DeLille Cellars first created Chaleur Blanc. A blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, this wine is fermented sur lie in French oak barrels, imparting a memorable “crème brulee” finish. Served at the White House over three administrations and rivaling its French counterparts in quality and exceptional value, Chaleur Blanc has become one of the winery’s most influential blends.
First Vintage 1995
94 – Owen Bargreen | 91 – Wine Enthusiast | 93 – James Suckling
Doyenne (meaning wise or senior) is a tribute to the ancient region of Aix-en-Provence and its respected blending practice. Originally crafted by Executive Winemaker Chris Upchurch for his wedding, this blend of Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon is true to the Doyenne name and the region that inspired its creation.
Doyenne is sourced from a variety of Red Mountain vineyards including our Grand Ciel estate vineyard, Ciel du Cheval, StoneTree, Quintessence, Upchurch, Discovery, and Boushey vineyards.
First vintage 1997
1994 brought “a knockout first release” (Stephen Tanzer) of two DeLille Cellars classics: Chaleur Estate and D2. Our inaugural wine, Chaleur Estate, marks the foundation on which the winery has built its craft of blending Washington State fruit. The wine showcases, depth, complexity, focus and elegance that personifies the French word for warmth, chaleur.
Chris Upchurch stands in front of a sign for D2, the famous highway through the wine region of Bordeaux.
Observing the Bordeaux tradition of blending varietals together, in 1995 the team at DeLille chose to make a barrel fermented blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon for our first white wine: DeLille’s Chaleur Estate Blanc. We knew this would create a wine with more complexity, diverse aromas and classic structure than many White varietal wines and which would pair well with a wide variety of food.
Grand Ciel vineyard is our state-of-the-art, no expense-spared estate vineyard located in the Red Mountain AVA. Every aspect of it was meticulously designed by Chris Upchurch – from the orientation of the planting and clone selection to the trellising, every detail is intentional to yield the highest quality wine. Limited production coupled with long-term aging capabilities make this a highly desired label for wine enthusiasts and collectors alike. The additional fruit from this site is blended into wines such as D2 and our Four Flags Cabernet.
Doyenne (meaning wise or senior) is a tribute to the ancient region of Aix-en-Provence and its respected blending practice. Originally crafted by Executive Winemaker Chris Upchurch for his wedding, this blend of Syrah & Cabernet Sauvignon is true to the Doyenne name and the region that inspired its creation.
