08 Jan Please The Palate Wine of the Week: The Walls 2021 Stanley Groovy, Red Heaven Vineyard – Red Mountain AVA

The label caught my eye. It is a hand-drawn man sitting in a chair. It is Stanley Groovy. He is a character that embodies the curious nature of The Walls winery in Walla Walla, Washington. My curious nature had me turn over the label and I was all the more intrigued. More than a blend, it is a blend of Portuguese grapes. So I tried it and guess what? The Walls 2021 Stanley Groovy is the Please The Palate wine of the week.

About

The Walls is a Walla Walla, Washington-based winery. They have three estate vineyards and farm other vineyards, all with mindful farming practices. Their vineyards are in two AVAs in the Columbia Valley, Rockgarden and Petros are in The Rocks District and French Creek is in the Yakima Valley. And they also get fruit from Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills. The Walls is on a mission to show what Walla Walla is capable of. And you might think that means focusing on Bordeaux grapes, but they also work with Rhone varieties and Portuguese varieties. In fact, Portuguese varieties are core varieties in their program.

The Walls was founded by Mike Martin in 2014.  The name was inspired by the view of the walls of the Washington State Penitentiary that they saw from the custom crush facility where they made their first vintage. But the meaning has expanded beyond this. As explained on their website, “Walls are built to keep things in, and things out. Sometimes that’s important. But sometimes, walls are boundaries that hold us back by trading freedom and adventure for certainty and comfort.” For the winery, a wall isn’t just a boundary, but “an invitation to speculation, to curiosity, and perhaps even to a little transgression.”

On the label is a guy with glasses they call Stanley Groovy, a sort of everyman. Designed by New Yorker cartoonist Joe Dator, there is more to Stanley than meets the eye. “He’s quirky, playful, full of surprises, and driven by a bold sense of curiosity. In many ways, he’s a lot like anyone who’s ever wanted to break free of convention and explore something new.” And on each label, Stanley gets to go on a different adventure.  On the Stanley Groovy Red Blend, he sits contemplatively in a chair.

Tasting Notes

The 2021 Stanley Groove is a blend of 37% Touriga Nacional, 16% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Tinta Roriz, 13% Tinta Cão, 9% Sezão, 4% Mourvédre, 4% Grenache, and 4% Counoise. The grapes come from the Red Heaven Vineyard in the Red Mountain AVA. The grapes were fermented in concrete and stainless steel tanks and aged in 20% new French oak large format vessels.

A first assumption based on the blend would be that the wine would be big and ripe. But the wine, with blackberry, cranberry, plum, earthy, and peppery aromas, is actually medium-bodied with fresh yet smooth tannins, moderate acidity, and a long, fresh finish.

Food Pairing

A medium-bodied wine with balanced flavors, Stanley Groovy is a food-friendly wine that is perfect for grilled and roasted meats. That is why I opened it up to enjoy with grilled hamburgers and chips and loved how the wine paired with the meat.

Where To Purchase

Stanley Groovy retails for $35 and can be purchased directly from The Walls website.