2020 Gersing Cellars Nebbiolo, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
Tasting Notes
APPEARANCE ā Vibrant ruby
AROMAS ā Sour cherry, red raspberry, dried rose petals, warm soil, beet root
TASTE ā Bright red cherry, raspberry, leather
LENGTH ā Firm and lasting a full minute
Viticulture: Started in 1975, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard is situated in the geographic center of the Red Mountain AVA in Washington State and has a reputation for producing red wine grapes with intense character and dense yet supple tannins. Ciel adheres to a core set of principles: Employee Safety, Earth Friendly, Soil Conservation, Innovation, and Education & Research. Ciel does not use any herbicides, employs practices such as dust control, and harvests all grapes by hand.
Vinification: This Nebbiolo fruit is completely destemmed and undergoes a 5-day cold soak for color extraction, after which the cap is submerged for the duration of fermentation to fully extract the fruitās potential. After completion of the primary fermentation, we employ extended maceration to develop and soften the robust tannins. Then the wine is gently pressed to tank, allowed to settle for 48 hours, and then transferred to neutral French oak barrels for 18-22 months of aging. Finally, the wine is bottled without fining or filtration.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: Nebbiolo
Appellation: Red Mountain, Washington
Alcohol: 14.1%
Whatās Included
3-bottles:
3x 2020 Gersing Cellars Nebbiolo, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
Case:
12x 2020 Gersing Cellars Nebbiolo, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
Founded in 2015, Gersing Cellars is a small-production winemaking company housed at SE Wine Collective, an urban winery in hip SE Portland, OR. We source grapes from several select vineyards in the sub-AVAs of Oregonās Willamette Valley and Washingtonās Columbia Valley.
Founder and winemaker, Jason Gersing, is a longtime jazz saxophonist, and his passion for music influences both the wineās style and its packaging. Each wine name contains a musical reference, and staff lines grace both the capsule and the label. Jasonās winemaking philosophy is informed by the jazz maxim that one needs to learn the rules in order to break them. Accordingly, Jason has studied Enology and Viticulture at Montpellier SupAgro in France and Chemeketa in Oregon. Before starting Gersing Cellars, Jason put his studies to practice at Argyle Winery for two years while also making wine at home.
Our mission is to showcase the diversity and quality of the Pacific Northwest wine-growing region by sourcing fruit from select vineyards in Oregon and Washington. We have a particular interest in crafting balanced, restrained wines from the bolder varieties grown in Yakima and Red Mountain, such as Merlot and Nebbiolo, as well as highlighting Pinot Noirās expression in the Chehalem Mountains and Eola-Amity Hills.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2020 Gersing Cellars Nebbiolo - $80 = 26.65%
@chipgreen@rjquillin Yeah that puzzled me, till I saw the auto-generated email and saw the other number that never happened. Itās nice being able to edit the past. Except what goes out in emailsā¦
Also wondering if some additional labs could be made available to supplement that singular 14.1AbV given.
Wine is substantially more than just alcohol.
Red Mountain is one of the best local AVAs (Iām in WA state). However this is the first Iāve seen a Nebbiolo offered from there. (or from WA in general).
l
In an interesting co-incidence (or maybe more than a co-incidence), the de Negoce red wines in the previous dayās offer were also Red Mountain. Which is why I decided to go for that one; $13 for a Red Mountain anything is probably good. Tempted to go for this one as well though hesitant to pick up a whole case.
EDIT I checked the old thread from the previous offer of 2019, and I see the winemaker responded that it was 100% Nebbiolo.
@pmarin@rjquillin Everyvine map shows 1.9 acres of Nebbiolo at Ciel du Cheval. So back of napkin would say that site makes 400 cases, only? Wouldnāt even want to speculate how little is made by Gersing, but there wouldnāt be much else anyway.
Great to hear you enjoyed the āBrioā!
Aside from obvious changes to the packaging, I made some changes in the cellar. Since 2016 (āBrioā) was my first vintage working with Ciel du Cheval Nebbiolo, I wanted to take a light-touch approach just to see get a sense of the fruit. In more recent vintages ā including in 2020 ā Iāve been a little more aggressive, doing a submerged cap to extract more tannin. So expect a bolder expression than that of the Brio. IMO this change is a positive move.
@gersingcellars Thanks! You might remember that i stopped by a few years back and you tasted us through your selections.
Are you operating out of Division Winemaking space after their move? I havenāt been up to Portland since that trip in 2019 and iām really getting an itch to go. Iāve loved everything that they make as well.
Whoaā¦this is catching me off-guard. I live in Olympia, WA and have enjoyed a handful of Super-Tuscanās from the area that I would argue rival those of Italy. Stand alone Italian varietals have been sneaking inā¦ and this is apparently one of them!
What is the comparison to that of an Italian Nebbiolo? Heavier? More leather, tobacco or soil?
What is the cellar life?
I like the case priceā¦but given the price point, you can pick up some nice Italians. Will need some convincingā¦
@Allieroon A couple days ago I opened a bottle of our Gersing Cellars 2016 āBrioā Nebbiolo (also Ciel du Cheval) to see how itās doing, and after 6 years itās signing and still has more life to it. With continual changes in the vineyard and in the cellar, I expect the 2020 to be even more age-worthy.
In terms of flavors, the main difference I get is a scorched earth/warm soil note thatās distinctive to Neb (and other wines) from Red Mountain
I love Nebbiolo! Last one I had from the other site was a L&L Tocatta Nebiolo. Sure, it isnāt a Barolo, but it was damn tasty. BTW, did that relationship sour? I never see them on here anymore.
I digress. Hopefully some rats. Sounds interesting.
Seems interesting but ā¦ I am partial to less tannic, and definitely less sour - though, still, really dry. Any thoughts on where this falls on that spectrum?
@woopdedoo Definitely on the dry side. I use āsour cherryā as a tasting note, but really just to convey the red fruit character. I certainly wouldnāt describe the wine as sour. The tannins are present but not overwhelming
Definitely on the dry side. I use āsour cherryā as a tasting note, but really just to convey the red fruit character. I certainly wouldnāt describe the wine as sour. The tannins are present but not overwhelming
2020 Gersing Cellars Nebbiolo, Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
Tasting Notes
Specs
Whatās Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
Not for sale online, $600/case MSRP
About The Winery
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jul 18 - Wednesday, Jul 20
2020 Gersing Cellars Nebbiolo
3 bottles for $74.99 $25/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $219.99 $18.33/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
Wondering how Nebbiolo does in Washingtonā¦ Rats?
@klezman I canāt speak for all Nebbiolo grown in Washington, but Neb is pretty happy at Ciel du Cheval
@klezman
IIRC Cavatappi from the old site made some really good Nebbiolo?
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations).
2020 Gersing Cellars Nebbiolo - $80 = 26.65%
@chipgreen something never happenedā¦
@rjquillin
@chipgreen @rjquillin Yeah that puzzled me, till I saw the auto-generated email and saw the other number that never happened. Itās nice being able to edit the past. Except what goes out in emailsā¦
Also wondering if some additional labs could be made available to supplement that singular 14.1AbV given.
Wine is substantially more than just alcohol.
@rjquillin Also wondering if it is 100% Nebbiolo.
Red Mountain is one of the best local AVAs (Iām in WA state). However this is the first Iāve seen a Nebbiolo offered from there. (or from WA in general).
l
In an interesting co-incidence (or maybe more than a co-incidence), the de Negoce red wines in the previous dayās offer were also Red Mountain. Which is why I decided to go for that one; $13 for a Red Mountain anything is probably good. Tempted to go for this one as well though hesitant to pick up a whole case.
EDIT I checked the old thread from the previous offer of 2019, and I see the winemaker responded that it was 100% Nebbiolo.
@pmarin @rjquillin Everyvine map shows 1.9 acres of Nebbiolo at Ciel du Cheval. So back of napkin would say that site makes 400 cases, only? Wouldnāt even want to speculate how little is made by Gersing, but there wouldnāt be much else anyway.
@pmarin @rjquillin
Yes, this is 100% Nebbiolo. And yes, there is very little!
@gersingcellars @pmarin
No additional labs available?
I enjoyed the previous vintage āBrioā labeled Neb from Jason. But Iād also love to know more!
@radiolysis
Great to hear you enjoyed the āBrioā!
Aside from obvious changes to the packaging, I made some changes in the cellar. Since 2016 (āBrioā) was my first vintage working with Ciel du Cheval Nebbiolo, I wanted to take a light-touch approach just to see get a sense of the fruit. In more recent vintages ā including in 2020 ā Iāve been a little more aggressive, doing a submerged cap to extract more tannin. So expect a bolder expression than that of the Brio. IMO this change is a positive move.
@gersingcellars Thanks! You might remember that i stopped by a few years back and you tasted us through your selections.
Are you operating out of Division Winemaking space after their move? I havenāt been up to Portland since that trip in 2019 and iām really getting an itch to go. Iāve loved everything that they make as well.
Red Mountain Nebiolo? Then another year and half in neutral barrels? Sounds very intriguing.
Ready to split a case if any Atlanta friends are interested too.
Whoaā¦this is catching me off-guard. I live in Olympia, WA and have enjoyed a handful of Super-Tuscanās from the area that I would argue rival those of Italy. Stand alone Italian varietals have been sneaking inā¦ and this is apparently one of them!
What is the comparison to that of an Italian Nebbiolo? Heavier? More leather, tobacco or soil?
What is the cellar life?
I like the case priceā¦but given the price point, you can pick up some nice Italians. Will need some convincingā¦
@Allieroon A couple days ago I opened a bottle of our Gersing Cellars 2016 āBrioā Nebbiolo (also Ciel du Cheval) to see how itās doing, and after 6 years itās signing and still has more life to it. With continual changes in the vineyard and in the cellar, I expect the 2020 to be even more age-worthy.
In terms of flavors, the main difference I get is a scorched earth/warm soil note thatās distinctive to Neb (and other wines) from Red Mountain
The 2016, not sure if exact same bottling to be honest, was here previously, which meansā¦nothing! Rats/comments/winemaker:
https://casemates.com/forum/topics/gersing-cellars-nebbiolo-and-merlot
I love Nebbiolo! Last one I had from the other site was a L&L Tocatta Nebiolo. Sure, it isnāt a Barolo, but it was damn tasty. BTW, did that relationship sour? I never see them on here anymore.
I digress. Hopefully some rats. Sounds interesting.
@KNmeh7 the 2004 (?) Mandolina was amazing
@klezman @KNmeh7
Those were all a SuperTuscan Blend, the '04~'06, no?
@KNmeh7 @rjquillin Yes
@klezman @rjquillin I forgot Mandolina! I googled their site and see they do produce a nebbiolo under Tocatta, which, was the blend.
Seems interesting but ā¦ I am partial to less tannic, and definitely less sour - though, still, really dry. Any thoughts on where this falls on that spectrum?
@woopdedoo Definitely on the dry side. I use āsour cherryā as a tasting note, but really just to convey the red fruit character. I certainly wouldnāt describe the wine as sour. The tannins are present but not overwhelming
Definitely on the dry side. I use āsour cherryā as a tasting note, but really just to convey the red fruit character. I certainly wouldnāt describe the wine as sour. The tannins are present but not overwhelming