Sean P. Sullivan - Washington Wine Report Note: Site has moved to www.northwestwinereport.com

DeLille Cellars was founded in 1992 by Greg Lill, Jay Soloff, Chris Upchurch, and Charles Lill. The winery, dedicated to making old-world style wines from new world fruit, is located in Woodinville, Washington.

The DeLille label produces five Bordeaux-blends: Grand Ciel, Chaleur Estate Red, D2, Harrison Hill, and Chaleur Estate Blanc. The Doyenne label produces a northern Rhône-style Syrah; a Southern Rhône-styled red wine (Métier); a Provençe-style red (Aix); a Provençe-style white (Métier Blanc); and a Roussanne.

Much of the winery’s fruit comes from Red Mountain vineyard, including Ciel du Cheval, Klipsun, and Grand Ciel – DeLille’s own vineyard. The winery also sources fruit from Boushey, Harrison Hill, and Sagemoor Farm. These vineyards are among the top in the state.

The winery has received a great deal of recognition over the years. The Doyenne 2005 Aix was recently in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2008. Additionally, at the 21^st Annual Auction of Washington wine, 21 liters of DeLille wine were auctioned off for a record setting $70,000.

Here we sample some of their recent releases.

Wines:
Score	Name	Notes	$
*	DeLille Cellars Chaleur Estate Blanc	Lots of lemon and toasty, spicy oak aromas. Smooth and dry on the palate with light pineapple and citrus. A creamy mouthfeel without seeming over-oaked. 61% Sauvignon Blanc; 39% Semillon. Boushey, Sagemoor, and Klipsun Vineyards.	$34
*	DeLille Cellars D2 2006	Spicy plum and black and red currant mark this wine. A beautiful mouthfeel with lush tannins and fruit, an expansive mid-palate, and a long finish. 52.5% Merlot; 38.5% Cabernet; 7% Cab Franc; 2% Petit Verdot.	$35
*	Doyenne Metier 2006	A big, earthy nose with cranberry, raspberry and red fruit. The wine is front-loaded in the palette with a quick attack that then drops off gracefully. A beautiful tribute to the Rhone style. 40% Grenache; 40% Mourvedre; 20% Syrah. Ciel du Cheval and Boushey Vineyards.	$32
**	Doyenne Aix Red Mountain 2006	An earthy, jammy wine with lots of red fruit and a touch of mint. Remarkably light and refined in texture with a long finish. 64.5% Syrah; 35.5% Cabernet. Ciel du Cheval, Grand Ciel, and Kiona Vineyards.	$34
*	Doyenne Syrah Yakima Valley 2006	Light smoke along with red fruit, red currant, earth, and floral notes. A bit more full on the palette than the others but is still quite elegant in style. A good, European-style wine. 98% Syrah; 2% Viognier. Ciel du Cheval, Grand Ciel, Boushey, and Kiona Vineyards.	$49