Ray Walsh & Capitello Wines
You Heard it Here First!
from Avalon Wine

Every once in awhile a new winery comes along that is obviously going to be a huge hit. Ray is a winemaker you want to know about, before the huge ratings begin.

Ray Walsh made King Estate's white wines from its start, developing the US's best known Pinot gris. He rose quickly at King Estate, highly regarded for his ability to bring out the very best in Oregon grapes. Ray left King Estate last year to make his own Capitello wines.

Ray unabashedly admits to using every tool at his disposal to make the best possible wines. He uses Biolees to improve flavor and texture, and was the first winemaker in Oregon to "de-alc" his wines. Whatever Ray's doing, what we at Avalon know is, we're awfully fortunate to have connected with Ray as he gets started -- and to offer one of the future superstars of wine's new releases to our customers.

Capitello Pinot noir 05
$30.95/$33.95
The nose is all fruit - blackberry, black raspberry, and a hint of pomegranate that's intriguing and appealing.

On tasting the wine, the silky texture is quite striking. As Ray ages his wines in oak he uses a product called "Biolees", It acts in a similar way to aging wine on the lees, a process that softens acidity while enhancing sweetness. Biolees not only produce a richer, sweeter flavor, but also contribute a beautiful silky mouth feel/texture to the wine, like the sensation you'd have if you rubbed silk on your palate.

Flavors of the Capitello Pinot noir start with an initial intense sense of fruit sweetness, followed by clearly discernible layers of fruit - black raspberry, blackberry, black cherry, sweet red cherry, pomegranate, and tart pie cherry. Ray ages his Pinot noir in one year old barrels he sources from Archery Summit, "long toasted" for several hours to add elegance and subtle flavors. The fruit and toast flavors reiterate in the mouth and mingle with a sense of dark minerality and fresh earth in the finish. Fruit dominates the flavors at this point in the wine's life, with subtle yet present acidity to add freshness and a seamless silky hint of tannins adds depth.

Drink now or cellar through 2010.

Food pairing:I can't imagine a better pairing than Oregon or New Zealand spring lamb. Pan grill lamb chops and chantrelles, and deglaze with some of the Capitello Pinot noir. Serve with spring greens and baby potatoes.

Capitello Pinot gris 06
$16.16/$17.95
Just wonderful. Ray takes after his fellow Kiwis in having a special touch with white wines. Add his years making Pinot gris at King Estate, and prepare for an extraordinary wine.

In the nose, there's sweet lychee, intense essence of passionfruit, and hints of citrus, with an undercurrent of lemon flowers. In the mouth, that wonderful rich mouthfeel Ray gets in his wines, like silk across the palate, impresses just before a positive rainbow of fruit flavors cascade over the tongue. What's most striking about this wine is the range of flavors that focus and then diffuse, constantly changing. There's so much going on here, it's hard to describe the many subtle variations of flavors, like a finely divided color wheel, endlessly making themselves known, then fading to allow a new sensation to present itself. Fruit mingles with mineral, hints of creaminess, refreshing citrus, and crisp, uplifting acidity.

Food Pairing: Simply exquisite as a sipping wine, or with a bit of triple creme cheese. Copper River Salmon, grilled simply, might be its perfect partner.

Ray tells us that he not only used Biolees to enhance the texture and sweetness of this wine, he also de-alcoholized the wine, a process he says he was first to use in Oregon. The process intensifies the fruit and minteral flavors of his Pinot gris, turning everything good up a notch.

Capitello Dolcino 05
$17.95/$19.95
A spectacular dessert wine, made from late harvest Gewurztraminer frozen and treated as an ice wine. Scents of buttery apricot cobbler anticipate luscious flavors of apricot and creamy peach. This dessert wine has a beautiful golden color, while offering aromas of honey apricots, nectarines, and an intense floral perfume. In the mouth, this wine is sweet, round and yet balanced. It has a smooth lingering finish.

Food Pairing: Serve with triple creme cheeses, fresh fruit, rich butter cookies, Madelines, or roasted nuts.

The Capitello Case

6 Pinot noir 05 $33.95
4 Pinot gris 06 $17.95
2 Dolcino 05 $19.95

$280.00

save $35.40 from retail ($315.40)

See our large selection of NW Dessert & Ice Wines

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