My July Wine of the Month

Novelty Hill Winery
Stillwater Creek Vineyard
Sangiovese
2008

Novelty Hill Winery is located in the adorable town of Woodinville, just outside of Seattle, Washington.  This is a great town for wine tasting and Novelty Hill and its partner winery Januik is a definite must-stop for the quality wines they produce.
The Wine – The 2008 Novelty Hill Sangiovese from the Stillwater Creek Vineyard is a very nice wine.  The nose is full of rose petals, plum and chocolate covered strawberries.  The palate has plum, cherry and some peppery spices.  This wine is very well balanced and has a nice medium to long finish.

Visiting the Winery – Novelty Hill’s winemaker Mike Januik is also the winemaker for its partner winery Januik.  They share a tasting room, which on the outside looks a lot like a warehouse. Once you approach closer and get inside, though, you discover an ultra modern and sleek setting in which to taste their lovely wines.  One can also order brick oven pizza in the tasting room on the weekends.  What a fun setting in which to eat some pizza and have a glass of wine!

I’ve been here twice, once in July of 2008 and again in March of 2011, when I purchased this ’08 Sangiovese.  Although the tasting room personnel has been far from welcoming the two times I’ve been there, I’ll definitely go back for the lovely wines.

The Journey – Novelty Hill is located in an industrial area of Woodinville, but don’t let that scare you off.  Once inside the tasting room you’ll feel very much a part of the  “Wine Country” atmosphere, where you can look through glass walls into barrels of fermenting wine.  Check them out at:  www.noveltyhilljanuik.com