We rang in 2017 with three arctic fronts that brought temperatures down to -10 in the coldest areas. This was followed by a cool, wet spring that pushed bud break back by two weeks. We opened our canopies early to allow additional sunlight and promote growth. Early summer was very warm, which accelerated the season and pushed ripening back on track. During the heat spikes in August we had a very slight haze that kept us from hitting the triple digits.
As we rolled into harvest, the winds changed and our skies cleared. The weather in Walla Walla was ideal, with our usual long warm days and wonderfully cool evenings. āThe result was another amazing vintage with nice yields of bold fruit with great acidity,ā says Winemaker and Partner Jean-FranƧois Pellet.
Amavi Cellars represents winemaking passion, quality and commitment to the Walla Walla Valley. The brand is dedicated to producing estate grown wines that showcase the distinct personality of this region. Since 2001, the winery has established itself as a fixture in the Walla Walla wine community, becoming known for its elegantly-structured wines and beautiful āzen-likeā tasting room.
Amavi Cellars signifies love (amor) and life (vita) through its wines, which are 100% estate, 100% certified sustainable, and 100% Walla Walla Valley. Winemaker Jean-FranƧois Pellet brings the Walla Walla Valley AVA to life with his hand crafted, terroir-driven wines. Made from the estateās younger vines and utilizing more neutral oak, Amaviās elegant wines are ready to drink upon release, but will also age gracefully in seri-ous collectorsā cellars. Amavi Cellars is owned and operated by three families: the McKibbens, the Goffs and the Pellets, who are dedicated to building their dynamic brand.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Rattage coming tomorrow. This is delicious and the price is outrageous. Buy a case. You wonāt be disappointed. How David gets these prices is a mystery.
@jmdavidson1 David has some pictures that Iād rather not see the light of dayā¦ Actually, thereās this little thing going on these days that has shut down restaurants nationwide and has made it hard to sell our wines to them. So we have some extra, and when David came calling, we were in. We like doing these to introduce new people to our wines, even at a price that is painful for us in the short term. Marketing, baby.
I know itās not the name of a particular fruit, but upon first sniff (and second, and all subsequent sniffs), I get a hint of bramble berry pie. Thereās all sorts of berries in there. Some bell pepper of the green variety, too.
With the first taste, those same scents turn to flavors, plus I get a strong candied cherry punch in the palate. I also immediately notice it has less viscosity than I expected for a Cabernet Sauvignon. Itās a medium body, easy drinker. Tannins are there but they are a background player. There might even be a little mocha cappuccino in there.
I can see this being a nice bottle to have with some grilled or roasted veggies and some meat kebabs. Or with a charcuterie platter. Especially outside on a cool evening.
Overall, I do really like it. Iād drink more bottles with no complaints. Except maybe one about that label that makes me think of a 1990ās Pure Moods album cover. āYoga Meditation: Vol. 2ā
I appreciate the lab rat opportunity. Thank you again, Casemates.
This got delivered only a few hours prior to it going live, so if you have questions, Iāll take some second tastes on Wednesday afternoon and give more feedback if needed.
Amavi is one of our favorite Walla Walla wineries and a must visit anytime we are in town. The wine is great and the view from the tasting room magnificent. You canāt go wrong with this one!
@scoscmil I see other vintages that were offered here, but no 2017?? Vivino ratings I find confusing, never have really figured out how they do it. I always find reviews of other vintages mixed in.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Amavi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - $40 = 19.99%
But why oh why no love for South Carolina??? I may have to ship to my folks in Florida and figure out how to get it from them before the end of the year. (Sigh.)
@veevandyke Sorry about that. We have licenses to go to most states but it is always a cost/benefit analysis. We donāt have many customers there and the fee is high, so we canāt justify it. We are in both your neighboring states (GA and NC) if you have any friendly neighbors.
@veevandyke I have a case coming to Asheville, if you are in Greenville(SC)/Spartanburg area. It always confused me they call that āupstateā but it was ādownā from me so you Carolina people were trying to mess with me ā had to learn about the different terminology when I moved to the area.
@ericmcki Yeah itās terrible the legal paperwork they make the producers go through to sell individually in each state. Itās been a frequent topic here but we know itās not really āyourā fault (where that means whoever is the producer on a given offer.). Unfortunately itās a system that accommodates the large distributors who have entire legal departments for stuff like that, and punishes independent producers. Suppose Iām preaching to the Choir hereā¦
@pupator Iām in Columbia, but am in Atlanta at least one weekend every 6 weeks (this weekend for example! ā kid plays tennis and lots of tournaments there) and Charlotte is an easy drive for me, too! Plus that way I can justify a trip to Ikea
@pmarin - Asheville is a little far for meā¦ But thanks! Asheville is one of my favorite cities in the world. I love it there.
@ericmcki - What would be nice is if you could ship to a UPS point somewhere in a neighboring state. For example, Augusta, GA is only an hour from me. And an easy drive. I would gladly ship to a drop point in Augusta and then drive and pick up.
Thank you for giving +1 and I the opportunity to try this wine. We drink a lot of cabernet sauvignons. It is actually the wine most preferred by +1, so this was a welcomed arrival.
Package arrived yesterday afternoon and was opened it immediately to see what prize we were gifted. Upon seeing it was CS, we decided to go ahead with dinner plans and have grilled pork chops and butternut squash raviolis.
PnP at dinner time. First thing you notice is the deep, yet transparent, burgundy color. The follow review is a combination of our notes.
AROMAS: +1 says she smells dried rose petals. Since I canāt even smell roses, I took her word for it. I picked up vanilla, as in this was stored in oak. Not much else was jumping out at this point.
TASTES: Initial consensus was of black currant, blackberry and a delayed finish of a creamy mocha coffee. The tannins are already soft and there is no acid or bitter finish when swallowed. This paired well with our meal and half of the bottle disappeared in a short time. We decided to cork it, take some air out and let it sit until Wednesday a.m.
Fast forward to this morning.
AROMA: still vanilla.
TASTES: now some black cherry, plum and a little chocolate are apparent. This is a very easy drinking wine. You could serve this to novices or serious drinkers with a meal or a plate of charcuterie. We were shocked to see at 11pm CDST last night that this was $13 and change/bottle for a case. You wonāt find a grocery store CS for this price with this quality.
88 Points. Pleasing aromas of baked raspberry, herb, green pepper and black currant lead to well-balanced, restrained coffee and cherry flavors. Far from a big bruiser, this is a restrained offering of the variety. SPS 7/1/20
91 points - A straightforward cabernet blend with currant, light coffee, chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Medium-to full-bodied, creamy and chewy with a flavorful finish. 82% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 6% merlot, 1% malbec and 1% petit verdot. Drink after 2020. (Jun 2020)
@WCCWineGirl Thanks for getting Eric a Vintner header; it wasnāt there a few minutes ago and I was going to send a message saying he needed one.
@ericmcki Eric, thanks for joining. Iām fascinated by the list of vineyards that went into this, and yet itās still 100% Walla Walla. See notable names like Pepper Bridge. was hoping you could explain a bit more about how this came to be.
@pmarin@WCCWineGirl Yes, good question. Pepper Bridge Vineyard was started by members of Pepper Bridge Wineryās ownership group (including my father) back in the early 90s. Goff Vineyards is owned by Ray Goff, Managing Partner of Amavi and is next to Pepper Bridge Vineyard. Pepper Bridge Winery was started in 1998, and the same ownership group started Amavi Cellars in 2001 and the two are āsister wineries.ā Les Collines vineyard was also started in part by my father Norm. Meanwhile, Octave (partially started by our winemaker Jean-Francois Pellet), Summit View, and Seven Hills are all in the Sevein area, which also has some common ownership. Sevein also has owners of LāEcole 41 and Leonetti Cellar in the partner group, which are two other highly respected wineries here in Walla Walla and are good friends. We are a connected community. All of those vineyards are in the Walla Walla Valley Appellation and are Estate for us.
Thanks for this one! Weāve always enjoyed Amavi wines and hope to visit their beautiful winery as soon as itās safe. Now if you could get Merf to join in with some Northstar merlot, Iād be in seventh heaven.
@DanOR Love Merf and the whole Northstar family and wines. Great people and great wines. Northstar is our next door neighbor at Pepper Bridge Winery. Canāt go wrong with Walla Walla wines.
@ericmcki There are so many great, yet largely unheralded wineries in WW. Dusted Valley, Gifford Hirlinger, Basel, Va Piano, Sleight of Hand, Grantwood (now closed). And I have to give props to WWCC for their program and tasting room. You could spend a month tasting in WW and never repeat.
@DanOR@ericmcki By WWCC do you mean the Community College? That was one of the highlights of the visit I did for a week in WW, about 12 years ago. Well, really they were all highlights in that area. Iāve mentioned it on a previous offer, but anyone wanting some primo-vino-tourism, this is a destination, forget that Napa Valley stuff (though thatās nice tooā¦)
On Northstar Merlotā¦ the best $60 Merlot Iāve ever tasted. Also the only $60 Merlot Iāve ever tasted.
It was actually WW (Wine Woot, not Walla Walla, so maybe itās really WWWW) that introduced me to Northstar. I think it was about 15 years ago ā would have been before I decided to visit there on a trip in 2007. (there was one, right, Iām not just making that up ā after that many years things get kind-of fuzzy ā and not just because of the wine.)
@ericmcki@pmarin Yes, Walla Walla Community College. If you ever go back, try to time it for the Celebrate Walla Walla wine tasting in July. Weāve enjoyed it tremendously the past several years and will be going back when itās safe.
I spent quite a bit of time in the tri-cities area in WA for work over the year leading up to the now-times. Had several great Amavi wines when dining out. Couldnāt say no at this price.
@skubaryk I love the āthe now-timesā name ā I hadnāt heard that used, but itās perfect. Iām going to steal that!
Of course the only thing I could think about was the Mad Max reference to The Before-Times, which apparently now has new meaning as everything before 2020.
Though the Urban Dictionary page says āthe before-timesā came from a South Park episode about Beyond Thunderdome, not the movie itself.
I love these base Amavi cabs! Just bought and received the 16ās which were delicious btw. Pretty much out of room right now especially with Fall shipping season starting.
@ScottW58 This is good to know. Iāve had the 2016s in the cellar for some time, but havenāt opened yet. Paid much more than the deal here. Snagged the 3 pack so I can compare vintages.
Just had the 16 two days ago, outstanding wine for the $$, and the 16 has big upside cellaring potential.
This is a no brain R.
This is a solid winery with good juice.
With all the comments, rats, and winery participation it seams like a dream come true. Iāll have to figure out how to drink a case to put this case in the cellar. Oh the things I do for more wineā¦
/giphy hellish-kissable-jewel
2017 Amavi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
Tasting Notes
91 Points, James Suckling
90 Points, Wine Spectator
Vintage Notes
Specs
Included in the Box
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$385.80/Case at Amavi Cellars for 12x 2017 Amavi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, Walla Walla Valley
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Nov 2 - Tuesday, Nov 3
Amavi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
3 bottles for $49.99 $16.66/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $159.99 $13.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Amavi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon
@ilCesare Wow those prices are stupid
/giphy predominant-malignant-smell
@ilCesare @Twich22
Youāll notice almost all those purchases were winery direct (club).
Rattage coming tomorrow. This is delicious and the price is outrageous. Buy a case. You wonāt be disappointed. How David gets these prices is a mystery.
@jmdavidson1 David must be using blackmail. Itās the only explanation. āSell us your wine for dirt cheapā¦or else!ā
@jmdavidson1
No space for a case. I may settle for the 3-pack.
@jmdavidson1 David has some pictures that Iād rather not see the light of dayā¦ Actually, thereās this little thing going on these days that has shut down restaurants nationwide and has made it hard to sell our wines to them. So we have some extra, and when David came calling, we were in. We like doing these to introduce new people to our wines, even at a price that is painful for us in the short term. Marketing, baby.
@jmdavidson1 Full disclosureā¦in for a case
I know itās not the name of a particular fruit, but upon first sniff (and second, and all subsequent sniffs), I get a hint of bramble berry pie. Thereās all sorts of berries in there. Some bell pepper of the green variety, too.
With the first taste, those same scents turn to flavors, plus I get a strong candied cherry punch in the palate. I also immediately notice it has less viscosity than I expected for a Cabernet Sauvignon. Itās a medium body, easy drinker. Tannins are there but they are a background player. There might even be a little mocha cappuccino in there.
I can see this being a nice bottle to have with some grilled or roasted veggies and some meat kebabs. Or with a charcuterie platter. Especially outside on a cool evening.
Overall, I do really like it. Iād drink more bottles with no complaints. Except maybe one about that label that makes me think of a 1990ās Pure Moods album cover. āYoga Meditation: Vol. 2ā
I appreciate the lab rat opportunity. Thank you again, Casemates.
This got delivered only a few hours prior to it going live, so if you have questions, Iāll take some second tastes on Wednesday afternoon and give more feedback if needed.
@DanFielding Thank you for reporting. Iām gonna have to look up that 90ās Yoga Pure Moods album. It may be a nice pairing.
@WCCWineGirl Amavi Cab + Enya = a relaxing afternoon?
Amavi is one of our favorite Walla Walla wineries and a must visit anytime we are in town. The wine is great and the view from the tasting room magnificent. You canāt go wrong with this one!
2017 may not have been their best vintage for their cab based on Vivino reviewsā¦
2018- 4.1
2017- 3.7
2016- 4.1
2015- 4.0
2014- 4.0
That may explain why the 2017 has been on here a couple times in the past few months.
@scoscmil I see other vintages that were offered here, but no 2017?? Vivino ratings I find confusing, never have really figured out how they do it. I always find reviews of other vintages mixed in.
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Amavi Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon - $40 = 19.99%
But why oh why no love for South Carolina??? I may have to ship to my folks in Florida and figure out how to get it from them before the end of the year. (Sigh.)
@veevandyke What part? Iām in Atlanta but pass up 85 to Charlotte all the time.
@veevandyke I was about to go in for a case (or two) and noticed no SC as well. I wonder if @ericmcki can help us out.
@veevandyke Sorry about that. We have licenses to go to most states but it is always a cost/benefit analysis. We donāt have many customers there and the fee is high, so we canāt justify it. We are in both your neighboring states (GA and NC) if you have any friendly neighbors.
@veevandyke I have a case coming to Asheville, if you are in Greenville(SC)/Spartanburg area. It always confused me they call that āupstateā but it was ādownā from me so you Carolina people were trying to mess with me ā had to learn about the different terminology when I moved to the area.
@ericmcki Yeah itās terrible the legal paperwork they make the producers go through to sell individually in each state. Itās been a frequent topic here but we know itās not really āyourā fault (where that means whoever is the producer on a given offer.). Unfortunately itās a system that accommodates the large distributors who have entire legal departments for stuff like that, and punishes independent producers. Suppose Iām preaching to the Choir hereā¦
@pupator Iām in Columbia, but am in Atlanta at least one weekend every 6 weeks (this weekend for example! ā kid plays tennis and lots of tournaments there) and Charlotte is an easy drive for me, too! Plus that way I can justify a trip to Ikea
@pmarin - Asheville is a little far for meā¦ But thanks! Asheville is one of my favorite cities in the world. I love it there.
@ericmcki - What would be nice is if you could ship to a UPS point somewhere in a neighboring state. For example, Augusta, GA is only an hour from me. And an easy drive. I would gladly ship to a drop point in Augusta and then drive and pick up.
@veevandyke Got a case. Am happy to split (however much you want)
Thank you for giving +1 and I the opportunity to try this wine. We drink a lot of cabernet sauvignons. It is actually the wine most preferred by +1, so this was a welcomed arrival.
Package arrived yesterday afternoon and was opened it immediately to see what prize we were gifted. Upon seeing it was CS, we decided to go ahead with dinner plans and have grilled pork chops and butternut squash raviolis.
PnP at dinner time. First thing you notice is the deep, yet transparent, burgundy color. The follow review is a combination of our notes.
AROMAS: +1 says she smells dried rose petals. Since I canāt even smell roses, I took her word for it. I picked up vanilla, as in this was stored in oak. Not much else was jumping out at this point.
TASTES: Initial consensus was of black currant, blackberry and a delayed finish of a creamy mocha coffee. The tannins are already soft and there is no acid or bitter finish when swallowed. This paired well with our meal and half of the bottle disappeared in a short time. We decided to cork it, take some air out and let it sit until Wednesday a.m.
Fast forward to this morning.
AROMA: still vanilla.
TASTES: now some black cherry, plum and a little chocolate are apparent. This is a very easy drinking wine. You could serve this to novices or serious drinkers with a meal or a plate of charcuterie. We were shocked to see at 11pm CDST last night that this was $13 and change/bottle for a case. You wonāt find a grocery store CS for this price with this quality.
@jmdavidson1 Thanks for the notes!
@jmdavidson1 love the details - thanks for reviewing.
And from Wine Enthusiast:
88 Points. Pleasing aromas of baked raspberry, herb, green pepper and black currant lead to well-balanced, restrained coffee and cherry flavors. Far from a big bruiser, this is a restrained offering of the variety. SPS 7/1/20
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/amavi-2017-estate-vineyards-cabernet-sauvignon-walla-walla-valley-wa/
The Suckling review:
91 points - A straightforward cabernet blend with currant, light coffee, chocolate and walnut aromas and flavors. Medium-to full-bodied, creamy and chewy with a flavorful finish. 82% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 6% merlot, 1% malbec and 1% petit verdot. Drink after 2020. (Jun 2020)
fwiw
/giphy yellow-magic-trade
Yum!
Hello all, Eric from Amavi here. Thanks for the nice reviews and such. We enjoy working with David, going way back to wine.woot. Enjoy, and stay safe.
@ericmcki Thanks for joining us Eric.
@WCCWineGirl Thanks for getting Eric a Vintner header; it wasnāt there a few minutes ago and I was going to send a message saying he needed one.
@ericmcki Eric, thanks for joining. Iām fascinated by the list of vineyards that went into this, and yet itās still 100% Walla Walla. See notable names like Pepper Bridge. was hoping you could explain a bit more about how this came to be.
@pmarin @WCCWineGirl Yes, good question. Pepper Bridge Vineyard was started by members of Pepper Bridge Wineryās ownership group (including my father) back in the early 90s. Goff Vineyards is owned by Ray Goff, Managing Partner of Amavi and is next to Pepper Bridge Vineyard. Pepper Bridge Winery was started in 1998, and the same ownership group started Amavi Cellars in 2001 and the two are āsister wineries.ā Les Collines vineyard was also started in part by my father Norm. Meanwhile, Octave (partially started by our winemaker Jean-Francois Pellet), Summit View, and Seven Hills are all in the Sevein area, which also has some common ownership. Sevein also has owners of LāEcole 41 and Leonetti Cellar in the partner group, which are two other highly respected wineries here in Walla Walla and are good friends. We are a connected community. All of those vineyards are in the Walla Walla Valley Appellation and are Estate for us.
Thanks for this one! Weāve always enjoyed Amavi wines and hope to visit their beautiful winery as soon as itās safe. Now if you could get Merf to join in with some Northstar merlot, Iād be in seventh heaven.
@DanNC Iāll second the Northstar Merlot!
@DanOR Love Merf and the whole Northstar family and wines. Great people and great wines. Northstar is our next door neighbor at Pepper Bridge Winery. Canāt go wrong with Walla Walla wines.
@ericmcki There are so many great, yet largely unheralded wineries in WW. Dusted Valley, Gifford Hirlinger, Basel, Va Piano, Sleight of Hand, Grantwood (now closed). And I have to give props to WWCC for their program and tasting room. You could spend a month tasting in WW and never repeat.
@DanOR @ericmcki By WWCC do you mean the Community College? That was one of the highlights of the visit I did for a week in WW, about 12 years ago. Well, really they were all highlights in that area. Iāve mentioned it on a previous offer, but anyone wanting some primo-vino-tourism, this is a destination, forget that Napa Valley stuff (though thatās nice tooā¦)
On Northstar Merlotā¦ the best $60 Merlot Iāve ever tasted. Also the only $60 Merlot Iāve ever tasted.
It was actually WW (Wine Woot, not Walla Walla, so maybe itās really WWWW) that introduced me to Northstar. I think it was about 15 years ago ā would have been before I decided to visit there on a trip in 2007. (there was one, right, Iām not just making that up ā after that many years things get kind-of fuzzy ā and not just because of the wine.)
@ericmcki @pmarin Yes, Walla Walla Community College. If you ever go back, try to time it for the Celebrate Walla Walla wine tasting in July. Weāve enjoyed it tremendously the past several years and will be going back when itās safe.
I spent quite a bit of time in the tri-cities area in WA for work over the year leading up to the now-times. Had several great Amavi wines when dining out. Couldnāt say no at this price.
/giphy whimsical-distrustful-leather
@skubaryk I love the āthe now-timesā name ā I hadnāt heard that used, but itās perfect. Iām going to steal that!
Of course the only thing I could think about was the Mad Max reference to The Before-Times, which apparently now has new meaning as everything before 2020.
Though the Urban Dictionary page says āthe before-timesā came from a South Park episode about Beyond Thunderdome, not the movie itself.
I love these base Amavi cabs! Just bought and received the 16ās which were delicious btw. Pretty much out of room right now especially with Fall shipping season starting.
@ScottW58 This is good to know. Iāve had the 2016s in the cellar for some time, but havenāt opened yet. Paid much more than the deal here. Snagged the 3 pack so I can compare vintages.
@ScottW58 @klezman @cortot @davirom
Any interest in a SoCal split?
I could grab the three pack, or split a case.
@CorTot @klezman @rjquillin @ScottW58 Iām out on this one. Sorry.
@CorTot @davirom @klezman @ScottW58
Looks like @wildguz (Long Beach area) is interested in a split. Any others? One more for a 3-way would be nice.
@CorTot @davirom @rjquillin @ScottW58 @wildguz Iāve done a terrible job of adhering to my WBM. Iād love to try a bottle, but canāt commit to a split.
@klezman Willpower! Or maybe, Wonātpower!
@CorTot, @davirom, @klezman, @ScottW58, and @wildguz
9 or 10 are spoken for.
Whoās in for the last two or three?
@davirom @klezman @rjquillin @ScottW58 @wildguz alright. Iāll take the extraā¦
@CorTot @davirom @klezman @ScottW58 @wildguz
Iād like to send these to guz, as sheās midwayā¦
@wildguz
Check your whispers so we can get this on the way to youā¦
Buy button way too easy to click.
/giphy relishing-poetic-guide
Just had the 16 two days ago, outstanding wine for the $$, and the 16 has big upside cellaring potential.
This is a no brain R.
This is a solid winery with good juice.
@coynedj and @Kawichris650 - Either of you interested in splitting a case? Or anyone else in the TC area? Iām looking to keep 6 for myself.
@ampeloquin22
It seems like a great value, but Iām going to pass. Thanks though!
@ampeloquin22 Sorry - not for me. After my recent binge, Iām trying to exercise some self-control.
With all the comments, rats, and winery participation it seams like a dream come true. Iāll have to figure out how to drink a case to put this case in the cellar. Oh the things I do for more wineā¦
/giphy hellish-kissable-jewel
My address is correct have had casemates delivered many times to my address as it is written
@tammysbiehl Delivery issues?
Does your comment need to be directed to customer service or WD?
Send to customer service to call me at (redacted).
[mod: yikes, a posted phone number, not a good idea]
@tammysbiehl
CS notified, hope they can provide some help.
@winedavid49
Another UPS issue?