Celebrating The Funk – Quintessential Syrahs (and more) From Saviah Cellars

Part one profiling current releases as Saviah nears its quarter century anniversary

Saviah’s Rich Funk studied microbiology at Montana State, where he set his sights on brewing beer for a living. A move to Walla Walla in 1991 sparked an interest in wine, and his work over the course of a decade as an environmental health specialist with the county brought him in close contact with the wineries. He helped with the permitting for winery water quality and wastewater management, while cultivating important friendships as he scouted out the vineyard locations and grape sources.

In an interview last week he remembered “testing wells for guys like Rick Small [Woodward Canyon] and Gary Figgins [Leonetti Cellar].” There were just a handful of Walla Walla start-ups in the 1990s, including Walla Walla Vintners and Dunham Cellars, and Funk knew them all. “I’ve always been an entrepreneur,” he explains. “I got to meet these guys; I put together a business plan, talked to Myles Anderson about possibly interning. With a background is microbiology and chemistry I felt it was important to apply fermentation science to that.”

In 1999 a new winery – Three Rivers – was getting up and running. The owners hired Charlie Hoppes to handle the vintage, and Mike Januik was also on board and there to start his new winery. Funk contacted them to ask about the possibility of interning.. “I said I’ll bust my ass, you don’t have to pay me a dime, just answer all my bonehead questions. And I’m gonna have a few. So that’s where it all began.”

Starting with just 300 cases the first year, production has grown steadily, adding a cash cow along the way called The Jack. More on that in a later post. Tasting through current and upcoming releases a signature ‘house’ style shows clearly. Both white and red wines show lovely aromatics the instant the cork is pulled. The wines are full-bodied, beautifully balanced and fruit forward without sacrificing depth or detail. Succulent is the word that best captures the white wines;  they’re juicy and loaded with a mix of apple, pear, and light tropical fruit, especially pineapple.

But red wines are the mainstay here, and as the winery has added estate vineyards (four in the Rocks District) it has become clear that Syrah is (or should be) Saviah’s signature wine. No disrespect for the Bordeaux blends and varietal wines, but the Syrahs are almost other worldly.

Here is my first set of reviews, sprinkled with background from Rich Funk, assistant winemaker Jared Funk, and newly-promoted winemaker Tom Adolfae. Purchase wines here.

Saviah 2022 Saviah Estate Vineyard Viognier

RF:  “A labor of love in every sense of the word. The grapes are grown right here at the winery. I spend more time worrying about this little two acre block than anywhere else. It gets cold here before it gets cold anywhere else. But the Viognier ripens well, we can grow it, pick it, press it, put it in concrete eggs. It’s the simplest wine to make, the hardest wine to grow.”

PG:  If you are unfamiliar with this grape, or have uncertain feelings about it, this is the one to taste. Made in a balanced, poised style, it’s nicely accented with mixed botanicals and supported with natural acids with no sharpness, bitterness or bite. There’s a hint of lemon oil around fresh yellow and green fruits and herbs. Nothing over the top, everything in proportion. 164 cases; 13.3%; $35 (Walla Walla Valley) 92/100

Saviah 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon

Lush aromatics invite the taster in to this blend of grapes from a mix of vineyards. It’s instantly delicious, with a soft, buttery streak of caramel. As it opens and breathes you find a concentrated, rich and opulent wine that delivers classic Walla Walla fruit flavors at a modest price. 30% new barrels. 800 cases; 14.5%; $30 (Walla Walla Valley) 92/100

Saviah 2020 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

RF:  “A little Malbec is in the blend. We start grading the barrels and keep the new barrels separate when we rack. This reserve usually gets 40 – 50% new oak. We know what coopers work well with these vineyards. GDC (Geneva Double Curtain) bi-lateral cordon is always in the reserve.”

PG:  This barrel selection is built with fruit from three estate vineyards – McClellan (for finesse); Anna Marie (for structure) and Funk Estate. As befits a reserve this is a big wine, with full throttle fruit that can handle the 40% new oak. It’s toasty, dark fruited, streaked with espresso and a touch of vanilla. Due for a Spring ’24 release. 389 cases; 14.5%; $50 (Walla Walla Valley) Preliminary score: 94/100

Saviah 2020 ‘The Funk’ Cabernet Sauvignon

This is just the second vintage from this five acre, all Cabernet estate vineyard in the Rocks District. RF:  “It’s hard to do single vineyard Cabernet; it has to be a special site. We go through a lot of effort to make sure this wine will age. We give it extra time on the skins; we do multiple picks, That’s a $2 cork. We test every cork for TCA.“

PG:  All the Saviah wines sourced from the Rocks District AVA bring the salinity, black olive, umami and cured meat character for which Rocks wines are known. But here those flavors are perfectly balanced and never over the top. Yes this wine is big and dark and bold. It can take a place alongside many of Washington’s finest Cabernets. Lovely roasted notes, cassis, black cherry, toast, mocha and more combine. It’s sexy and loaded with flavor, and easily handles its 60% new oak. 139 cases; 14.6%; $75 (Walla Walla Valley) 96/100

Saviah 2021 Une Vallée Red

This much-loved Bordeaux blend was Saviah’s first release back in 2000 and remains a fan favorite thanks to its well-made, consistent style. This new vintage includes 60% Cabernet Sauvignon from the Funk Estate vineyard, 25% Merlot from Anna Marie and 15% Cab Franc from Watermill. In short this is a captivating Walla Walla Valley estate red – spicy with a touch of the barnyard, aromatic with mixed red and purple berries, punched up with some skin tannins and ready for immediate enjoyment. 456 cases; 14.5%; $48 (Walla Walla Valley) 92/100

Saviah 2021 Syrah

If you are looking for classic Walla Walla Syrah with a touch of Rocks fruit, here it is. This is loaded with blackberry fruit, hints of clean earth and a mix of dark, roasted accents. The blend has been livened up with some Lewis vineyard grapes adding touches of citrus. Impressive acidity and concentration, along with the vaunted savory character of the AVA, make this a classy start to Saviah’s exceptional lineup of Syrahs. 551 cases; 14.5%; $30 (Walla Walla Valley) 93/100

Saviah 2021 Reserve Syrah

The reserve is a selection of barrels from four different sites in the Rocks District. This is super spicy, well-integrated, with classic Rocks flavors of umami, cured meats, black olive and breakfast tea. All of this is there without being over the top, a hallmark of Saviah wines. The aromatics, the balance, the persistence, the expression of the terroir add up to a splendid wine start to finish. This is classic Rocks Syrah showing great length and detail. 404 cases; 14.3%; $50 (Walla Walla Valley) 96/100

Saviah 2021 ‘The Funk’ Syrah

This is a preview of a wine set for a release this coming February Fermented in 500 liter puncheons, co-fermented with Viognier, and already sporting a three year wait list. A strong streak of espresso highlights a compact, complex Syrah dense with black fruits, black olive and anise touched with citrusy acids. The wine penetrates while keeping focus, deepening its flavors as it trails out. Surely destined for greatness, it will probably be at its best around 2030-2035. 314 cases; 14.2%; $75 (Walla Walla Valley) 97/100

Part Two of this post will cover some terrific Saviah wine club wines and current releases of The Jack. I leave you with a look at my third vintage of Ch. GreyGoat Cabernet Franc Nouveau. Grown in my personal ‘Rocks District’ (the gravel driveway outside of my Barn) this was hand-picked, pressed with potato masher and fermented in a three gallon juice container. It’s as non-interventionist as a wine can possibly be – nothing added, amended or applied. OK - I did spring for a package of yeast at the grocery store.

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