Woodinville, WA, November 15, 2018 – DeLille Cellars will celebrate its second annual “Drink D2 Day” on December 2nd with the release of its 25th vintage of D2, the winery’s iconic red blend. D2 is one of two wines first made by DeLille Cellars in 1992 that pioneered the way for Bordeaux-style blends in Washington State.
“As one of the very first red blends, D2 has a significant place in the history of Washington wine. Thinking of the humble beginnings of DeLille and where we’ve come in order to keep up with our customers’ desire to drink D2, 25 years is an amazing milestone. It’s a privilege to make wine for people who appreciate what we do, and to watch them receive joy from the results of our efforts,” said Winemaker Jason Gorski.
Always leading with Merlot, D2 is a traditional blend sourced from 15 of Washington State’s most prestigious vineyards spanning the Columbia Valley. Created as a second to Chaleur Estate, D2 has become DeLille Cellars’ flagship label and is the ultimate expression of Washington terroir.
“I hope D2 is a testament to the outstanding Merlot in this state. Nothing speaks more to the quality of Washington State wine and our different AVAs than a blend lasting 25 years,” said Executive Winemaker Chris Upchurch. “We’ve crafted the essence of Washington State Merlot as well as a Bordeaux-style blend in this bottle.”
DeLille Cellars will have a special offer on D2 the weekend of November 30th through December 2nd at its locations in Woodinville and Kirkland, as well as online at www.delillecellars.com. D2 fans can also participate in the “Where do you D2?” photo contest. Entries are due by December 3rd; see www.delillecellars.com/drinkD2day for more information. Whether it be at home, in front of the fire, or out celebrating with friends, DeLille hopes you will enjoy a glass (or bottle) of D2 on Sunday, December 2nd.
D2 accolades include ‘Top 100’ honors from Wine Spectator, Wine & Spirits “Year’s Best US Cabernet Blends” and gold awards in coveted competitions such as the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and Sunset International Wine Competition. D2 has received scores over 90+ from top publications for sixteen consecutive vintages. In the very first Wine Advocate review in 1993, Robert Parker stated “DeLille Cellars is one of the most impressive new wineries in Washington State. Winemaker Christopher Upchurch is turning out classy Bordeaux-inspired red wines from blends of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. The D2 is essentially their second wine, but qualitatively it towers over many a Washington State Cabernet.” Wine Spectator gave the 1993 vintage a 92.
Over the years, critics have made note of D2’s vineyard sources and impact on the state’s wine industry. “This is DeLille’s second-tier Bordeaux blend. Still, the list of contributing vineyards reads like a who’s who of Washington viticulture. Most wineries would kill for a flagship wine this good,” wrote Wine Enthusiast Contributing Editor Paul Gregutt in 2004. In a 2017 review by Jeb Dunnuck for Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, Mr. Dunnuck said of D2, “…from a who’s who list of vineyards in Washington State, this beauty has tons of upfront fruit, as well as a firm, nicely structured core. Hats off to the team at DeLille for consistently producing this level of quality at this quantity.”
DeLille Cellars will also be introducing a limited-edition screen print bottle during Drink D2 Day weekend. A small run of the winery’s custom D2 glassybaby votive, which will support glassybaby’s mission to raise money for uncompensated cancer care, will also be released.
A limited number of media samples of the 2016 D2 will be released in November. Contact Keri Tawney for more information.
Visit: www.delillecellars.com/drinkD2day
About DeLille Cellars
Founded in 1992 by Jay Soloff, Charles and Greg Lill, and celebrated winemaker Chris Upchurch, DeLille Cellars is an artisan winery located in Woodinville, WA. Known for pioneering Bordeaux-style blends from Washington State, the winery has maintained a tradition of quality and excellence with over 200 highly-rated wines with scores of 90+ (over 500 individual 90+ scores). DeLille Cellars focuses on the Red Mountain AVA and grape sourcing from Washington’s leading Grand Cru vineyards, including Ciel du Cheval, Grand Ciel, Upchurch, Red Willow, Sagemoor, Klipsun, Boushey and Harrison Hill. The winery is recognized by notable wine critics and influencers, including being named the “Lafite Rothschild of Washington State” and a 5-star/outstanding producer by Robert Parker. The winery was recently honored as a Wine & Spirits Top 100 winery in the world for both 2017 and 2018.
DeLille Cellars is currently the third oldest winery in Woodinville and will be consolidating its operations to the old Redhook Brewery Woodinville location in 2019. To learn more about DeLille Cellars, visit www.delillecellars.com.
