Our June Virtual Tasting is tonight from 7-8pm Pacific Time! The wine will be the 2008 Saviah Cellars The Jack.

What you need to do to participate is:

1. Buy this month’s wine from a local retailer or from the winery

2. Post your comments/tweets on the wine that night between 7 and 8pm. For those on Twitter, follow me @wawinereport. I will be using the hashtag #wawine during the event.

Look for updates to the blog and comments and tweets from virtual tasters starting at 7pm tonight. Hope you will join us.

7:00pm Update: And we’re off! First some background.

Saviah Cellars was founded by Richard Funk in 2000. The winery is located in Walla Walla in a picturesque location near the Oregon border.

Funk moved to Walla Walla from Montana with his wife Anita in 1991. In Walla Walla, he worked as an Environmental Health Specialist for the Walla Walla County Health Department. This position gave him the opportunity to interact with many of the valley’s winemakers who eventually helped him get started in the wine business.

Saviah is named after a family name from Anita’s great grandmother. Saviah Cellars has an impressive lineup of wines that includes Syrah, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, and several proprietary blends. These wines consistently offer very high quality-to-price ratios.

On to the wine!

7:15pm Update: This is, I believe, the fifth vintage blend of The Jack. The wine was first made around 2004 as a non-vintage blend. The blend of the 2008 is as follows:

88% Merlot (Pepper Bridge Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley; Milbrandt Vineyard, Columbia Valley; Stone Ridge, Columbia Valley); 4% Cabernet Sauvignon (McClellan Estate Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley); 4% Cabernet Franc (McClellan Estate Vineyard, Walla Walla Valley); 2% Syrah (Lewis Vineyard, Yakima Valley); 2% Petite Verdot (Stillwater Creek Vineyard).

The wine was aged in American oak (30% new). 14.1% alcohol. 5,700 cases produced.

8:00pm Update: Thanks to all who participated tonight including those on Twitter including: @Sturat @nectarwine @wino4ever @vineyardgoddess @yakyakwine @Shona425 @Winos_Seattle @NWTotemCellars @myvinespot @ankerhauspub @rperro @RichE88 @WineFoot. Apologies for anyone I missed.