2014 Chester-Kidder

2014 CHESTER-KIDDER - 95 POINTS

"A blend of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Syrah, and 6% Petit Verdot, the 2014 Chester-Kidder offers up a sweet bouquet of black currants, blackberries, licorice and asphalt. On the palate, it's full-bodied, layered and seamless, with an ample core of succulent fruit, good balancing acids and a richly tannic, subtly oak-inflected finish. It should drink well for a decade." 

2014 CHESTER-KIDDER - 93 POINTS

"Musky, slighty high-toned aromas of dark raspberry, black olive, licorice and smoked meat are lifted by a violet topnote. Wonderfully sweet, densely packed wine with terrific fruit intensity and substantial baby fat. This creamy, horizontal blend fiished plush and long, with serious, broad palate and tooth-coating tannings, a distinct spiciness and no rough edges. A very harmonious 2014."

2014 CHESTER-KIDDER - 93 POINTS

"Lots of dark and compelling fruit on the nose with licorice and walnut skin. Black pepper and tar. Full body and chewy tannins. Lots of wood and chocolate undertones. Almost sexy."

2014 CHESTER-KIDDER - GOLD

The 2014 Chester-Kidder was awarded a GOLD medal at the 2018 Great Northwest Invitation Wine Competiton.

More than half the grapes used in the 2014 Chester-Kidder were grown on Red Mountain and surrounding vineyards to give the wine its firm structure and wonderful intensity.  Walla Walla Valley vineyards comprise 21% of the blend, contributing dark, rich textures while grapes from Weinbau Vineyard, an exceptional site on the Wahluke Slope, added a layer of ripe, fresh flavors and refined tannins.

 
Gilles Nicault has served as director of winemaking and viticulture since Long Shadows inception in 2003. As resident winemaker overseeing daily operations at Long Shadows' state-of-the-art winery in Walla Walla, Gilles works with a group of celebrated vintners from around the globe. It is his job to ensure that each winemaker's vision is realized in the vineyard and the cellar.

While many winemakers would find this proposition a daunting task, French-born Nicault describes the position as his "dream job." Those who know Gilles best say it is his insatiable curiosity and desire to learn something new every day as well as his winemaking skills that make him uniquely qualified for the position. In addition to executing daily operations at the winery, Gilles is the winemaker for Long Shadows' acclaimed Chester-Kidder, a Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah blend that carries his signature.

Gilles grew up in southern France and graduated from the University of Avignon with a degree in Viticulture and Enology. He honed his craft in the fabled hillside vineyards and wineries of Cotes Du Rhone, Provence and Champagne. On 1994, already a vintner of rising fame in his homeland, Gilles traveled to Washington State to expand his winemaking skills.

Impressed by Washtington State's vineyards and the opportunity to be part of a growing wine community, he stayed in the Columbia Valley, working for Staton Hills and Hogue Cellars before joining Woodward Canyon in 1996, where he stayed until moving to Long Shadows in June 2003. Sharing Woodward Canyon's passion for world-class wine, Gilles soon found Woodward Canyon's founder Rick Small was his ideal mentor and biggest champion. In 1999, Woodward Canyon named Gilles head of enology and production.

Gilles is married to winemaker Marie-Eve Gilla of Forgeron Cellars, also an acclaimed winemaker. The couple wilves in Walla Walla with their two children.