Devium Red 'French Creek Vineyard' Yakima Valley AVA 2021

The vibe: This is the Washington wine we’ve been looking for! We’re not sure how it took us this long to discover Keith Johnson’s wines but we’re so glad we did and we are excited to share them with you! Keith takes an unconventional approach when it comes to Washington winemaking, working with higher elevation, north-facing vineyards and whole clusters in neutral oak to achieve fresh, low alcohol wines that are true to their terroir and an honest representation of the fruit. These are exciting wines because they eschew the norms of conventional Washington winemaking. They are true to themselves, while remaining balanced and pure.

The winemaker: Keith Johnson of Sleight of Hand fame started his own project winery a few years back by utilizing a great fruit source, the ‘French Creek Vineyard.’ This is a south-facing site that has some relatively old vines and is planted to a range of varietals, from Chardonnay to high density plantings of Rhone red grapes such as Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre. He now works with several vineyard sites, mostly high elevation, north-facing plots to allow long ripening seasons and fresh, low alcohol fruit.

The geeky details: A Rhone style blend made of 61% Mourvedre, 36% Syrah, 3% Grenache Blanc. Minimalist winemaking exploring the outer edges of Washington Wine. Whole cluster, foot crushed, native yeast, minimal SO2, neutral barrels, unfined & unfiltered.

Serve: Cellar temp or a very light chill

Food pairing: Root veggie based dishes and stews, herbed sausage, even fish dishes would go great as this isn’t the biggest red.

Album pairing: Lawne - Attic