Kin & Cascadia is a partnership founded by the Sager & Master families. From the label: “We are brothers, fathers, sons, and friends; true kin. This is a story decades in the making, starting as industry acquaintances turned partners and lifelong friends. We are now a second generation family partnership in a perpetual search to produce wines in the world’s best regions. Kin & Cascadia is the story of us, two families working together making great wines in the Pacific Northwest.”
Thanks to Winesellers, Ltd., I was able to try their budget-friendly 2017 Pinot Noir and 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon. They’re easy to spot, just look for the orange screwcaps!
Great Value. 13.5% ABV & easy screwcap closure.
Pinot Noir 2017 ($14): Ruby in the glass with notes of strawberry, tart cranberry, and earth. For the price point, I wasn’t expecting to be wowed but kept an open mind. I thought it was good, but didn’t have a memorable finish. I liked that it was smooth, medium-bodied, and with an overall pleasant balance. For an Oregon Pinot under $15 it was truly better than most I’ve tried (I’m so picky with Pinot Noir!), so it’s one to stock up on if you gravitate toward Oregon Pinot, and love this price range. Grapes were sourced from different locations in Willamette Valley and cool fermented using natural yeast. Paired nicely with baked salmon and a spinach salad with goat cheese. Be sure to store and serve this bottle around 60-65°F.
“In today’s business and life there is nothing more important than relationships be it family or friends,” says Melvyn Master of Master Wines. “Our partnership and friendship with the Sager family and Winesellers goes back forty years and is a building block for our ability to form lasting relationships with our suppliers and wholesalers.”
Medium-bodied Cab & 13.5% ABV
Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 ($16): Deep garnet in the glass with aromas of burnt cherry and dark chocolate. I got a lot of earthy, herbal qualities, along with some black cherry. Grapes were sourced from top vineyard sites in the Wahluke Slope AVA, located in Columbia Valley, Washington—where the most widely planted red wine grapes are Cabernet and Merlot. Fun Fact: Vineyards are composed of sandy and alluvial soils with vine shoots on original roots, making them phylloxera resistant (has never been an issue in Washington). Decent for the price, and I’d decant for about an hour next time. Paired great with Yancey’s Fancy XXX sharp cheddar!
Phylloxera Hates Sand: The vine killing aphid, Phylloxera (officially known as DactylasphaeraVitifoliae), cannot travel in sandy soils to reproduce, leaving Washington remarkably free of this global scourge vineyard pest. ~Washington State Wine
If you happen to try either of these bottles, let me know what you think! They’re both perfectly drinkable for this price range, I’d seek them out if I saw them on a local shelf, and having a screwcap closure is in no way indicative of quality (but it is super convenient and easy to open!).
Just look for the orange screwcaps!
“Winesellers, Ltd. has been searching for wines from the Pacific Northwest that fit our criteria for quality, value, and sense of place. It took us time, but we are now very excited to have two great additions to our portfolio and partnership with the Master Family,” says Adam Sager Co-President of Winesellers, Ltd.
Thank you to Winesellers, Ltd., for the samples! *All opinions and recommendations are my own. Cheers!
