DeLille Cellars, Chaleur Blanc, Columbia Valley

(16/20) Beautiful white Bordeaux blend from Columbia Valley. Blend of 69% Sauvignon Blanc and 31% Sémillon. Bit reductive, very balanced, rich wine. Medium+ intense aromas of jasmine, green apple, white grapefruit, nectarine, white pepper, wet stone, biscuit, vanilla, white chocolate, hazelnut. Dry wine, high acidity, medium body, pronounced flavour intensity, long finish. 13,6% ABV - Tasted @ Winery

2023 vintage

Glasvin Universal. Again a hit wine. Orange peel, spice, floral, lemon and floral notes. Love it.

2023 vintage

Taste Washington New Vintage (Lotte Hotel, Seattle) : Glasvin Universal. Probably the most on tracker on these wines by a landslide. Another solid showing and the best white wine at this tasting. Orange peel, lemon, spices, white flowers, lime and dust. Medium plus finish.

2023 vintage

Three of us agreed: gruyere dominated on the nose for about twenty minutes. When it warmed up a bit, pineapple core, honey, nectarine, and cashew woke up. Flinty midpalate and a bit of bitter rosemary on the back. Intentional and finely crafted, this was a steal at $25. Next time, I'll wait until the bottle is closer to room temperature. Wine lovers will rejoice at finding something with such complexity at this price. It turned off some of my less …

2023 vintage

Delille Woodinville Tasting (Woodinville Tasting Room) : Glasvin Universal. At the Woodinville Tasting Room. Very good as always. Orange peel, light wood, minerals, lemon and spice. Picks up some floral notes on the medium plus finish.

2023 vintage

Tasted after 1 hour of air. One of the best values in Washington State white wines. $16.71 at Garagiste. Lively white peach fruit. Nice balancing tangy acidity. A bit of nuttiness. Apricots. Nice mid palate lift. Quite a bit going on here. Medium plus finish.

2023 vintage

Peach, Meyer lemon, green pear, kumquat, green papaya, grass, almond, honeysuckle, wax, vanilla, coconut cream pie. My parents brought this bottle home from a trip to Washington and had it open when I came over. It’s a classy white Bordeaux transplanted to Washington state, with significant French oak treatment and the Sémillon turned up to 31%. This is a bold and rich white that really impressed. So far, the best white wine I’ve ever had out of Washington! 93 points

2023 vintage

Brought to a dinner party, had a glass. Firing on all cylinders, as usual. What a great QPR this is!

2023 vintage

Pale straw yellow in color. Full, fragrant & attractive nose of ripe fruit aromas of citrus notes of lemons/limes, grapefruit & slight tropical notes with overtones of floral notes of honeysuckle & wet stones/gravel, minerals, a bit of honey, herbs, a hint of grassiness & a note of waxiness. Medium-light bodied with a very good concentration of well balanced & smooth textured, zesty, ripe fruit flavors of lemons/limes, grapefruit & stone fruits with minerals, gravel/stony & a slight touch of …

2023 vintage

This is always fun! - great 'sunset watching' wine dry enough. Not complicated but not boring. explanation - nose has sweet grasses with enough acidity to hold interest. a little dry spice on the finish. This is a recent discovery for me- normally I appreciate a red wine - this is a satisfying, interesting & enjoyably flavorable white. who knew??

2023 vintage

Year in year out (well, except for the hot, overripe '15), Delille's Chaleur Blanc is the best easily-available white wine in Washington. Taut but confident, the '23 has beautifully balanced stone fruit with lemon grass, hay and spice buoyed up by perfect acidity. A wine that invites contemplation. Currently $40 winery-direct, but $29 at Costco.

2023 vintage

Day 1: $25 great value. Natural cork. Tropical fruit, stone, orange peel, lime, grass and spice. Complex and medium finish. Nice acidity. 92 points

2023 vintage

Citrus aroma with a crisp tart flavor forward on the palate with a smooth soft finish.

2023 vintage

My first vintage of the Chaleur Blanc. I bought 3 on a recommendation by a recent acquaintance. I agree that this drinks best at just slightly chilled temperature, where the complex aromatics show prominently. However, a bit higher acidity would make it more appealing and better on its own, without food accompaniment.

2023 vintage

Day 1: Well this will make it only to day 2 as brother is in town and more consumed. Well this is not an 89 point score that is for sure. This wine is better warmer than recommended temp to bring out all the aromatics of this wine. Honey suckles, white flowers, white peaches, lemon, spice, minerals, orange peel and tropical fruit. Amazing stuff and the best white wine for the money in Washington. 94 points Day 3: These are …

2023 vintage

No notes, but all good. So versatile, such a crowd pleaser, and so nice made.

2023 vintage

Day 1: Natural cork. Another stellar vintage. Under $25 great value. Grass, lemon, mild spice, orange peel, white flowers and stone. Medium finish and nice acidity. 92 points Day 2: Well again this is why I do 3 day wine review and encourage everyone to do it on higher quality wine. Yes it works! This is the best vintage of the this wine and would have never known if didn't try it on day 2. Super fragrant with honey suckles, …

2023 vintage

I’m rating this more from the distinct notes I’m getting, than overall flavor. I completely forgot I had this wine, which is why I’m drinking it well past its prime. I’m getting strong lime zest, which I’m thinking might have been more citrusy before; fermented honeydew, hint of pineapple or passion fruit? Very smooth and balanced. The aroma is of a wet ground with fresh rain. Medium bodied. I really wish I had drunk it sooner. It must have tasted …

2009 vintage

Four and a half years since my last bottle and it is still drinking beautifully at 10 years old. Crisp flavors of citrus and pineapple. A nice finish. Served with oven roasted salmon.

2009 vintage

Well then. This was one of the best bottles of white I've ever had. Lean nose, almost non-existent ... otherwise perfectly composed, with no acidic bite or other detrimental finish. I don't see how this could be in any better a spot throughout its life, so drink 'em now at their peak.

2009 vintage

Has definitely declined and become softer and more rounded without acquiring any additional complexity. Was it its best when it was young and primal. At age three it was definitely a 90+ wine. Wish I had consumed more of them back then.

2009 vintage

Not a typical California SB. A touch of guava, a touch of pineapple, a little citrus, some floral overtones make this an interesting wine. I served it with Seared Shrimp cooked in garlic, chili paste and wine and it held up admirably.

2009 vintage

Typical US SB

2009 vintage

Very good; October 204

2009 vintage

The last of sixteen; perhaps the best. Six on the bottle: a glass each with our meal of grilled shrimp, broccoli rabe, and dhal over rice. Pale white gold. Nose of starfruit, pineapple, tapioca. A medium body that dances on the tongue, scattering sensations of sunshine, honey, and tropical fruits, with sufficient mineral tone to recall its provenance.

2009 vintage

Last of my case and by far the best bottle. Based on earlier notes, perhaps I just consumed too early. Showing much more richness, with good acidity through to the finish.

2009 vintage

My favorite WA white - just so reliable. Great balance of fruit and acidity.

2009 vintage

Great stuff. Let it warm up a bit from fridge temp. Used some in roast chicken -- a hard sacrifice, but a great wine for braising fowl. My second to last bottle of 16: I will miss these. The 2011 vintage is a little snappier, but the pear and pineapple notes in the 2009 are perhaps a tad richer. Still seems like it has a couple of years, but there is no reason not to drink these now.

2009 vintage

Quite nice. Rather rich - the Semillon really dominates the Sauv Blanc here. Better as it warms.

2009 vintage

What attention I paid to the wine on this evening evoked, in me, "mmmph; fine"; in contrast, my host praised it beyond polite manners. Maybe it was the ride the bottle took up the mountain, or maybe it was served a little too warm for an al fresco meal under the late spring moon; or, very likely, the mint julep and whiskey sour cocktails that preceded it whatever: I'm accustomed to really digging this wine. I liked it just fine …

2009 vintage

Pertumy nose. Nice acid. Minerals. Good food wine.

2009 vintage

Beautiful stuff, and for a very fair price, especially under US$30. The Semillon adds a very appealing weight, viscosity, sweetness, and suite of tropical notes to the Sauvignon Blanc. Perfect with grilled marlin, rubbed with a Caribbean-style spice blend.

2009 vintage

Second bottle and still not getting it. Bought because I am a big fan of the Morlet, but this is not nearly as developed and rich. Okay at the price.

2009 vintage

Love this stuff. Drank this bottle over five days, vacu-vin'ed and refrigerated. Consistent; holds up well. fragrant, waxy, pear, pineapple and lychee fruit. Mmmmmm.

2009 vintage

Consistently outstanding, this wine. A bit waxy in texture: melon, pear, and lychee fruit notes dominate. Blind, it could easily pass for a white Bordeaux from a top producer. Better when brought down a few degrees from refrigerator temperature.

2009 vintage

on the nose seashore, orange, saltiness, apple skin, whit flowers, fig on the palate carmel, vanilla, saltiness, grassiness, lovely salty/sweet on the mid-palate, really pretty nice acidity, pronounced oak but well integrated, with a medium long finish

2009 vintage

lovely.

2009 vintage

at Cappy's SATX Golden yellow. Big full Bordeaux blend. Really quite a lovely wine. ****

2009 vintage

- Yellow color with fast forming legs. It's balanced with a medium/full body. Polished texture with a long finish - Purchased off Bazaar's list. W Spring and Erica, Danny and Jean Marc.

2009 vintage

double blind. smooth, mildly creamy, delicious, but lacking tension. a good wine that fell short of a couple of previously drunk wines that were immediately special. a pleasant surprise.

2009 vintage

I had this after dinner on 1/10/12 and discovered it had developed nicely in the 9+ months since I had last enjoyed it. It had a very elegant and harmonious bouquet of melon, lychee, pear, tangerine, fig, vanilla and spice aromas. The palate was round, smooth and complex with flavors of melon, pear, grapefruit, fig, vanilla and spice. 91+

2009 vintage

How can you not love this wine? Served it on Christmas Eve with raclette. Very fruity and fresh.

2009 vintage

Are you sure?

DeLille Cellars, Chaleur Blanc, Columbia Valley

Vintages

No vintages

Community Reviews