Obelisco Estate: Red Mountain Vineyard, Woodinville Tasting Room



By Kori ~ April 4th, 2011.

Obelisco Estate is a relatively new winery founded by Doug Long, Paul Kaltinick, and Dick Shaw. Together the partners bring over 70 years of grape growing and winemaking experience to the winery. Named for the tall and narrow four-sided obelisks that were carved out of granite by craftsmen as early as 2000 BC, Obelisco Estate strives to produce world-class wines from vineyards in Washington State’s famed Red Mountain AVA. Pete Hedges and Sarah Goedhart serve as winemakers.

We recently had the opportunity to taste all five wines from Obelisco Estates’ second vintage in a blind samples tasting including the 2008 Malbec, 2008 Electrum Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 Syrah, 2008 Red Wine, and 2008 Merlot. The fruit for all of these wines, with the exception of the Syrah that is from the Hedges Family’s Les Gosses Vineyard, is sourced from the Obelisco Estate Vineyard. The 30-acre vineyard is located on the southwest slope of Red Mountain.

In August of last year, Obelisco Estate opened a tasting room in Woodinville’s warehouse district. Open regularly on the weekends and by appointment during the week, Obelisco Estate is a great place to visit. Not only are their wines very good, but also their tasting room is nicely appointed and welcoming.

2008 Obelisco Estate Malbec (Obelisco Vineyard, Red Mountain, Washington): 80% Malbec and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep red in color. Nice nose with beautiful black fruit and tobacco aromas. More black fruit and tobacco as well as spice come through on the palate. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity and medium tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $30

2008 Obelisco Estate Electrum Cabernet Sauvignon (Obelisco Vineyard, Red Mountain, Washington): 85% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Merlot, and 5% Malbec. Deep red in color. Nice nose with black fruit, vanilla, and spice on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied and lively with medium to high tannins. Well-balanced and smooth with a long, elegant finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $60

2008 Obelisco Estate Syrah (Les Gosses Vineyard, Red Mountain, Washington): 90% Syrah and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. Deep, dark purple. Very aromatic with black fruit, black pepper, and floral notes on the nose. Blackberry, black cherry, and black pepper come through on the palate. Full-bodied with crisp acidity, medium to high, drying tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $30

2008 Obelisco Estate Red Wine (Obelisco Vineyard, Red Mountain, Washington): 70.5% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot, and 4.5% Malbec. Deep red. Aromatic with red fruit and spice aromas and flavors. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium to high, drying tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 3 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $30

2008 Obelisco Estate Merlot (Obelisco Vineyard, Red Mountain, Washington): 80% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Malbec, and 5% Syrah. Deep, ruby red in color. Aromatic with black fruits, smoke, and vanilla notes on the nose. Black cherry, black plum, smoke, and a hint of cola come through on the nose. Medium to full-bodied with crisp acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to Buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $30


Filed under: American Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Red Wine, Shiraz/Syrah, Washington State Wine, Wines Over $25

Reader's Comments

  1. TheGourmetCoffeeGuy | April 4th, 2011 at 8:25 pm

    Kori, as usual, very interesting post. It made me think how appropriate the winery name, “Obelisco Estate,” is since an obelisk is defined as an ancient Egyptian pyramid-capped Pharaoh monument positioned to harness the magical powers of the sun rays. The Red Mountains are magical in their own way, no wonder the wines are so good. Will definitely keep in mind your recommendations and suggest to others. Thank you for sharing.

  2. Kori | April 5th, 2011 at 10:49 am

    CoffeeGuy,
    Thanks! Good point about the winery name. There are definite parallels with an obelisk harnessing the powers of the sun and the fact that Red Mountain is one of the hottest AVA’s in the state. Cheers!

  3. RJ Bodah | April 9th, 2011 at 12:56 pm

    Always tring to figuire out your QPR! So if the syrah was only 25 dollars would it of received a QPR of 4? If the merlot was 35 dollars would it received a 3? Is there an set price you consider average for each grape?

  4. Kori | April 10th, 2011 at 4:11 pm

    RJ,
    No, there is not a set price for a certain QPR. It’s a function of the average price of wines of that varietal with the same quality rating. A more complete explanation of our QPR ratings can be found on our Wine Ratings page: http://winepeeps.com/wine-ratings/. Cheers!