Storm and Stephanie Hodge continue to attract wine lovers living in Idaho's state capital out to the Sunnyslope Wine District by combining their crowd-pleasing cuisine with their expanding estate wine program. They use Merlot from their 10-acre vineyard near Parma for a slightly off-dry rosé that's loaded with dark plum, raspberry and rose hips and finished by a spoonful of … [Read more...] about Parma Ridge Winery 2016 Parma Ridge Vineyards Estate Dry Rosé of Merlot, Snake River Valley, $17
Idaho
Ste. Chapelle 2015 Panoramic Idaho Petite Sirah, Snake River Valley, $28
Meredith Smith took over all of the winemaking at Idaho's largest winery in 2016, but she spearheaded many of Precept's high-end programs in the Gem State prior to her promotion. She produced this Petite Sirah from Sawtooth Vineyard in a slightly lighter style that makes it approachable. Her work began in earnest on Oct. 1 when the fruit was brought in, and it spent 20 months … [Read more...] about Ste. Chapelle 2015 Panoramic Idaho Petite Sirah, Snake River Valley, $28
Telaya Wine Co. 2016 Turas Red Blend, Snake River Valley, $32
This marks the ninth bottling of the flagship wine for Earl and Carrie Sullivan at Telaya Wine Co., and the Garden City brand used this Syrah-based blend to win best red wine at the 2018 Idaho Wine Competition. Aside from the Syrah (63%) from Sawtooth Vineyard and Skyline Vineyard's Block 46, it's supported by Malbec and Merlot from Scoria and Daniel vineyard. The youthful red … [Read more...] about Telaya Wine Co. 2016 Turas Red Blend, Snake River Valley, $32
Ste. Chapelle 2015 Panoramic Series Petit Verdot, Snake River Valley, $28
The most versatile site in the Idaho wine industry is Sawtooth Vineyard, and it's the source for many of its top wines from several wineries. Before the move of Sawtooth's production facility to Ste. Chapelle, Meredith Smith had the benefit of working within walking distance of this block, and her knowledge shows with this big Bordeaux grape that's traditionally been a blender … [Read more...] about Ste. Chapelle 2015 Panoramic Series Petit Verdot, Snake River Valley, $28
Ste. Chapelle 2016 Open Air Chardonnay, Snake River Valley, $20
A year ago, Meredith Smith took best of class in Chardonnay at the Idaho Wine Competition for her work with Block 16 from the 2016 vintage for Ste. Chapelle. The year prior, the 2015 Open Air Chardonnay from Skyline and Sawtooth vineyards emerged as the best white wine of the judging. Smith's latest work that references the winery's summer concert series is a lingerie-style … [Read more...] about Ste. Chapelle 2016 Open Air Chardonnay, Snake River Valley, $20