Open knit and elegantly expressive, featuring red currant and spiced cinnamon flavors that linger toward sleek tannins. Drink now through 2027. – Wine Spectator, 90 Points

WINE INFORMATION

Novelty Hill’s success is rooted in its estate vineyard, Stillwater Creek (235 acres), located on the Royal Slope of the Frenchman Hills. In 1999, Tom Alberg of Seattle led vineyard planting on land his family had owned since the 1960s. Shortly thereafter, the Alberg family began making plans for a winery, establishing the Novelty Hill Winery in 2000 to capture the finest expression of their estate vineyard. Today, it is run by Tom Alberg Jr, his wife, Judi Beck and their children, along with Mike Januik, the long-time winemaker-partner and his winemaker son, Andrew.

Mike has a degree in Enology and Viticulture from UC Davis. He was one of the pioneers in Columbia Valley winemaking in the early 1980’s when the area was largely undiscovered.

The Novelty Hill-Januik winery is located in Woodinville, Washington, a former logging town, farming community and suburb of Seattle that is now home to more than 100 tasting rooms and wineries. Columbia Valley, where the grapes come from, is on the eastern side of the state. It boasts 300 days of sunshine a year and an extremely dry climate; in fact, irrigation from the Columbia River is a necessary aspect of winemaking in the region. Merlot is one of the most widely-grown varieties in the region.

Charcuterie, Hearty stew, Lamb, Pork, Red Meat, Roasted Root Vegetables, Sausage, Slow-smoked Barbeque/BBQ Sauce, Wild Game