Wine Review: Market Vineyards Red Mountain Acquisition Cabernet Sauvignon 2011

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

So this is it! The last review of Market Vineyards and I'm sad about it. So many awesome wines from this boutique winery. I suggest that all of you readers buy their wines if you come across them. And to Market Vineyards: Thank you for the opportunity to experience your wines and write about them. It's been a pleasure. Please stay in contact. :)

But we're not done yet! Just one more! This is the 2011 Acquisition Cabernet Sauvignon. 100% Cab all from Hightower Vineyard in Red Mountain. Just 96 cases were produced and the ABV is 14.8%.

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Red Mountain Alpha Merlot 2010

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody! On the day that this review is released I'll be thankful for the usual boring things like family and blah blah blah. The next day I will be thankful for Pepto Bismol because I plan on stuffing my friggin face with so much unhealthy crap on Thanksgiving that it'll make Michelle Obama cry. Sorry, Michelle. Gardening season is over. It's fat time.

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

Thanks to October being International Merlot Month and the two Merlot's reviewed here in Market Vineyards Month, Merlot is now the top "labelled" variety on this website. So it's been tagged here in more reviews (varietals and blends), articles, memes, whatever than any other varietal. I'm assuming it's been actually reviewed the most too but I'm too lazy to do the research. Check out everything I've labeled with Merlot by clicking here.

Market Vineyards prides itself with its connection to its home in Red Mountain, however all of the wines I've reviewed by them so far have only qualified for the Columbia Valley AVA. But that changes today. Their Alpha Merlot wears the Red Mountain AVA on its label. It's 100% Merlot from Red Mountain Vineyards, only 96 cases were produced, and the final ABV is 47.9%.

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Arbitrage Cabernet Sauvignon 2012

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

Today I'm reviewing their 2012 Arbitrage Cabernet Sauvignon. It's 100% Cab from Columbia Valley; 50% Shaw Vineyard, 33% Discovery, 17% Weinbau Vineyard. The Arbitrage has a 14.8% ABV, and it's pretty high production for this winery with 438 cases being made. It's one of two Cabernet's that I'm reviewing by MV, with their higher tiered Acquisition Cab coming up on Sunday.

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Wine Review & Product Review: Market Vineyards Benchmark Merlot 2012 & Vinum Meum Wine Stoppers

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

We're down to the Final Four in Market Vineyards Month! What we have left is two Merlot's and two Cab's. Tonight I'm reviewing their 2012 Benchmark Merlot out of Columbia Valley. It's 100% Merlot from Gamache Vineyard.

So not only am I reviewing a wine today but a product as well. I have before me a box sent to me from Vinum Meum that contains some wine stoppers. Whatever "technology" is used is patented so they better be tight, right? I'm gonna do my best to make wine spill everywhere! Nah, just kidding. I'm gonna see if they work.

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Basis Points Red Blend 2012

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

Basis Points Red Blend is the big brother of Market Vineyards' Derivative Red Blend. I felt that the Derivative was a tiny bit overpriced but you wouldn't be all that offended spending $20 on it, and I gave it a 3 out of 5 in price vs quality for Satisfying. The performance of the Market Vineyards wines I've reviewed since then tells me that big brother red blend is going to be much better than little brother red blend.

The 2012 Basis Points Red Blend is 60% Cabernet Sauvignon (40% Shaw Vineyards Blk 9, 20% Shaw Vineyards Blk 8), 20% Merlot from Hightower Vineyards, and 20% Cabernet Franc from Scooteney Flats Vineyard. 122 cases were produced and it has an ABV of 14.9%.

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Merval Malbec 2012

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

MALBEC! MALBEC EVERYWHERE! When you think of Malbec, of course you think of Argentina. The grape actually originates from France, more specifically from Cahors where it makes the Black Wine of Cahors. Dude, I once watched a video where this guy takes Malbec from Cahors, uses it to fill a jug half way, and fills the rest with water. The pigment didn't change. It remained dark and didn't look even a bit watered down. Insanity. Malbec from Cahors tastes amazing as well. Malbec is also one of the acceptable varieties for Bordeaux, although one of the least popular used for the blends.

Anyways, Malbec found its biggest love and commercial success with Argentina. Everything comes together for the variety there. The soil, the temperature and, most importantly, the altitude. But the biggest thing we've learned from Argentina is how to treat the variety right. So now you're seeing it taken seriously in the United States and used in California (especially Napa, it seems) and Washington for damn good fine wine. It's not just a jug wine, box wine or cheap blender in the USA anymore.

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Dividend Syrah 2013

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

Oh, Washington State Syrah. You are one of the hidden gems of the wine world. At least in my opinion. I already boldly told you last month that I feel Washington State makes the best Merlot in the world, and I'll tell you right now that I feel their Syrah is among the best as well. I can hear you screaming at your monitor saying "That's bullshit, Joey! What about Côte-Rôtie? Hermitage? Saint-Joseph? You're an idiot!"

Even though my taste in wine levitates to the old world, I'm really not that big on the Syrah's of northern Rhone in general. My enjoyment is especially resistant with the addition of Viognier. It's just... not something I would willingly drink for pleasure. And yes, I am an idiot. I won't argue with you on that one.

This is Market Vineyards' Syrah from 2013, which they call Dividend, and I've heard some great things about it. It's 100% Syrah, all from Gamache Vineyards in Columbia Valley. 23 cases were produced. THAT'S ONLY 276 BOTTLES! And it has an ABV of 15.5%.

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Derivative Red Blend 2013

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

Although they source grapes from several other places within Columbia Valley, their focus is on the Red Mountain AVA. Red Mountain is red wine country; Market Vineyards is a red wine winery. And so we dive into eight reviews of red wines by Market Vineyards. They do actually make one white wine and I got that out of the way in my last review: Market Vineyards Liquidity 2014 White Blend. Now let's get our share of polyphenols, shall we?

The blend for the 2013 Derivative is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon from Gamache Vineyards, 40% Cabernet Franc (30% from Gamache Vineyards, 10% from Red Mountain Vineyards), and 20% Merlot from Gamache Vineyards. Only 242 cases were made and the final ABV is 14.4%.

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Trying to reach the things that I can't see.

That's just how I feel.

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Wine Review: Market Vineyards Liquidity 2014 White Blend

November is Market Vineyards Month on TheWineStalker.net!

The entire month of November is dedicated to Market Vineyards! To learn more about this wonderful Washington State winery, please read my article A Brief History of Market Vineyards.

Because previously promised publications had priority, I have been patiently anticipating November for the opportunity to pillage the precious provisions Market Vineyards provided months ago. And they too awaited, happy to send me any information or research request that I had. From the time between when they first contacted me until now, I've found that these guys have the right idea when it comes to reaching out to the online wine community. I wouldn't be surprised if you start to see Market Vineyards all over your newsfeeds and timelines.

I just had an entire month dedicated to Merlot and Market Vineyards is overwhelmingly red, thus I had to take a break from reds to do a little white. So you'll notice that my Wine Pick of the Month is Scott Family Estate Chardonnay and my first MV review is also a white.

Liquidity is actually the ONLY white wine produced by Market Vineyards. After this it's all red until December! So if you're strictly a white drinker then soak this one in.

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A Brief History of Market Vineyards

What were you doing in 2008? It's hard to believe it's already been eight years, right? I was 28 years old and on my fourth year of employment with Luke's of Cape Cod, but I finally found my love for wine in February of that year. Better late than never, so they say. From there I proceeded to obsessively educate myself on the beverage.

BOB BERTSCH AND
MATT REISENWEBER

Meanwhile in 2008, on the other side of the world, three guys were dining on the rooftop of the Beijing Hotel doing the normal boring social interaction stuff (ew, gross) until they were served a bad bottle of wine (ew, grosser). This brought up the discussion of how nice it would be to take this problem into their own hands and make great wine themselves. This idea in the brains of these three men is a bit different than most of us who jokingly say this, because they actually followed through with it and made it happen.

Matt Reisenweber, Daniel Schulte, and Steve Anderson went home to the states, brought Bob Bertsch in on it, and got the ball rolling with four owners. Schulte and Anderson were from Kansas City but this new winery would be planting its rootstock in Washington, the home state of Riesenweber and Bertsch.

Their new adventure needed a name and, because of their mutual backgrounds in the financial market, they decided on Market Vineyards. Their new adventure also needed a winemaker. They searched around Washington looking for the winemaker that would best bring their vision into realization, and the man for the job was clearly Charlie Hoppes.

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November Wine Pick: Scott Family Estate Chardonnay 2014

This WINE PICK of the month was written for the Luke's of Cape Cod website.

Scott Family Estate is produced by Rutherford Wine Company. These guys are a family run winery that go back three generations and are extremely dedicated to sustainable farming. The portfolio of wines that they've made for themselves give focus to the strengths of different California appellations, and Scott is their offering from Arroyo Seco / Monterey.

I'm really not sure how I haven't made their Chardonnay my Wine Pick before. It's been among my top suggested Chardonnays for the past three vintages or so, and it's my own personal favorite Chardonnay... other than that $50 Grgich.

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