Hestia Cellars 2008 Merlot, Columbia Valley

*Bottle #109: Hestia Cellars 2008 Merlot, Columbia Valley

*Price Tag: $28

*Running Tab: $1,400

*Retailer: Homie-hook-up

I’m not dead. I’m not in a ditch, my typing hands aren’t broken nor do I even have a cold. I have zero excuse for being a lazy mofo for my blog and fanatical readers (hi, Mom). For that, I apologize and ask for you to reflect on the seven other times I’ve done this in the past three years. You forgave me then, you have to now. Baby. Baby, please.

Back in the New York groove, I am, with writing guns a’blazin’ and a palate so thirsty a camel would be embarrassed.

I’ve been harboring a few bottles from Hestia Cellars in my mini fridge and felt the need to consume. Hestia, a recently relocated Woodinville winery (they were producing in Carnation before), is in the process of revamping their public image – hence the move. With the hiring of a new sales and marketing manager, a progressive social media presence and putting winemaker/owner Shannon Jones’ face in the spotlight, Hestia is certainly “in the scene,” as the hipsters would say.

Christening the label after the Greek goddess of hearth and home, Hestia is a family run operation who believes that “great wine isn’t explained, it’s uncorked.”

Taking that advice full-speed ahead, I cracked a bottle of Hestia Merlot open last night to chug alongside of herb-roasted lamb. Talk about a precise pairing, but we’ll get to that later…

100% Merlot all from the Stone Tree Vineyard in Wahluke Slope (literally surrounded by stone trees on the outer layer of the property), the wine spends 22 months in one-two year old French oak barrels before bottling for my drinking pleasure. As one of Shannon’s four select vineyards, Stone Tree hit the note for Merlot with its big fruit, bright acid components and filthy tannins.

The first aroma to hit is abundant baking spices and dried fig, although not overly aromatic, this Merlot maintains the a glipse of richness in the depth of red fruit and the tease of a lavish palate.

Full-bodied and sensuous, red currant and boysenberry massage the mid-palate with a finish of light acidity, fine-grained tannin and tart red fruit.

While it can serve as a stand-alone cocktail, this wine rocked with lamb. Although, it was my own brilliant pairing (toot, toot), the Hestia Merlot shined brightly as the star, bringing its red fruit and grip to the bold, equally plush meat. So I ate and drank a lot of it.

One might assume the goddess of hearth and home brought me back to blogging life. You could also conclude that I knocked myself out of writing comatose. The former is more poetic, so let’s go with that one.

Score: 7.5.