Press
Food/Wine, November 2011 "Washington Syrahs Full of Savory Spice", by Jon Bonné "There's a deep cocoa inflected presence, with softness from Grenache and a ton of coarse black pepper and dried sage, giving depth to a chewy bramble fruit and plum skin. Dense and rewarding." 2008 Columbia Valley Syrah/Grenache
Wine and Spirits, Special Edition Fall 2011 "8 Wineries That Caught Our Attention in 2011", by Patrick J. Comiskey
"(Anna) feels her winemaking aesthetic has been honed with frequent input from Seattle's sommeliers. It shows: These wines reflect an energy and food affinity such as you'd glean from a close-knit sommelier community, like the vibrant, pristine àMaurice malbec and the beautifully detailed Horiuchi blend."
Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, August 2011 "100 Best Washington Wines", by Sean Sullivan
#20. àMaurice Cellars Red Blend "The Tobey" Columbia Valley 2008
#58. àMaurice Cellars Viognier Columbia Valley 2009
The Rhone Report, June 2011 by Jeb Dunnuck
91 points - 2009 Columbia Valley Viognier - "It shows the best of Viognier with perfumed, fragrant aromatics of grilled peach, pear, flowers, beautiful minerality, and touches of wood that are paired with a juicy, yet flavorful wine that stays focused and clean on the palate. Very well done and with nothing overdone or out of place, this beautifully pure, fresh white should dish out loads of pleasure over the coming 3-5 years."
91 points - 2008 Columbia Valley Syrah/Grenache - "Sporting deep, rich aromatics of blackberry and cherry pit like fruits that are balanced out by touches of spice, underbrush, and integrated oak on the nose, the wine is medium to full bodied on the palate and well made, with solid acidity, focused, pure fruit, and a clean, long finish. Showing best with a solid decant, this should evolve positively for 2-4 years and hold for up to a decade."
Sunset Magazine, May 2011 "Five Wine Regions to Suit Global Tastes," by Sara Schneider
"Taste your way around the world at these top Western regions and wineries"
2007 Columbia Valley Malbec
The Wine Crush, April 2011 "The Wine Crush with guest Dini Rao", by Lot 18
Wine and Spirits, December 2010 "Year's Best Cabernet and Blends" and "American New Releases", by Patrick J. Comiskey
94 points and one of the Year's Best Blends - 2007 Columbia Valley Red Blend Horiuchi
94 points - 2007 Columbia Valley Malbec
Wine Enthusiast, October 2010 "Isn't it Aromatic", by Paul Gregutt - One of the Top Producer of Washington State Viognier
92 points - 2009 Sparrow Estate Viognier & 2008 Columbia Valley Viognier
91 points - 2007 Columbia Valley Viognier
Wine Enthusiast, September 2010
94 points - 2007 Columbia Valley "Horiuchi" Red Blend
91 points - 2006 Columbia Valley "Tsutakawa" Red Blend
Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, September 2010 "100 Best Washington Wines", by Sean Sullivan
#35. àMaurice Cellars Malbec Columbia Valley 2007
#50. àMaurice Cellars Sparrow Estate Viognier Walla Walla Valley 2009
Seattle Magazine, August 2010 Best Washington Wines 2010 - àMaurice 2006 Columbia Valley Malbec
Music/Nightlife, June 2010 "Wine, Women and Song offers a few hours of indulgence", by Jonathan Zwickel
Wine Advisor, November 2009 "Paul Gregutt’s Top 100 Washington State Wines 2009", by Paul Gregutt #96. àMaurice 2006 Columbia Valley Malbec
Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, September 2009 "Premier Crew, 11 top wine experts pick the best 100 Northwest wines under $50"
Lucas St. Clair, Wine Director, Wild Ginger, Bellevue . 2007 àMaurice Viognier, $25 Columbia Valley. “Wonderfully dynamic with medium body, this wine has a nice perfumed nose that doesn’t over power the white blossom aromas and a soft-textured palate with midlevel ripeness and an almond finish.” Christopher Chan, Executive Director, Oregon and Washington Wine Awards and Director of Wine and Spirits, The Rainier Club. 2006 àMaurice Cellars "The Tsutakawa" Red Blend, $35 Columbia Valley. “A big-boy wine with layers of black fruits, cassis, cedar, and baking spice—it’s plush, structured, and long.”
Seattle Magazine, September 2009 "Tasting Notes: Salmon-Safe Wine", by Shannon Borg
“Anna Schafer, winemaker and partner at àMaurice Cellars, says that her family’s commitment to sustainable winegrowing—including Salmon-Safe practices—was not negotiable. “Before we planted our vineyard, we just ‘grew dirt’ for two years,” she says of the process the vineyard went through to repair a soil imbalance caused by wheat and pea rotation on the land—and to gain Salmon-Safe certification in 2006. “We agree that making sure the vineyard doesn’t disrupt or pollute our water system is essential to making our industry sustainable, and to making great wine,” she says.”
The Herbfarm Wine Tales, June 2009
2006 àMaurice Cellars Walla Walla Chardonnay . àMaurice is an exciting Walla Walla winery. Winemaker Anna Schafer shows devotion to her vineyards and uses only a light touch. Anna’s 2006 Columbia Valley Chardonnay draws fruit from three vineyards. This vibrant Chardonnay shows a delicate touch of French Allier oak complimenting the vineyard’s minerality. It swirls together creating a dusty, flinty back drop to the apple blossoms and apricots. The wine is balanced with nice acidity with no buttery characteristics. It leaves the mouth with a fresh coating of apricot and pear.
Seattle Magazine, March 2009 "2009 WA Wine Awards: Best of the Rest", by Shannon Borg
“Winemaker Anna Schafer of àMaurice Cellars in Walla Walla makes a delicious Malbec full of huckleberry, blackberry and plum from their emerging estate vineyard.”
The Wall Street Journal, January 2009
àMaurice Wine Dinner | Seattle
This month, the wine dinner will feature wines from àMaurice Cellars in Walla Walla, Wash., paired with an all-local, in-season menu. Winemaker Anna Schafer will be on hand to talk about her family's winery and sustainable farming.
Seattle Magazine, August 2008 The Wine Guide: New Releases, by Shannon Borg & Jake Kosseff with Alyson Davis
“The time Anna Schafer spends in Mendoza, Argentina, has helped her… to create a lush and balanced Malbec from Washington fruit. “Malbec tends to have a 'blue-berry' tinge,” she says, and deep rich berry flavors that are making it more and more popular in the states. Schafer'… Malbec has just that, balanced by a minerality and acidity that tempers the big blackberry, black cherry and plum fruit.”
Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, May 2008 Walla Walla in Springtime, by Jake Kosseff
“2005 àMaurice Malbec Columbia Valley — Full of blueberry, plum, grilled meat and sweet baking spices, this wine is surprisingly elegant; it's a big wine with a very soft touch.”
Seattle Magazine, April 2008 Best Single Varietals and Blends: Whites, by Shannon Borg
“Their star wine is this elegant, fresh Viognier. Bursting with delicate pineapple and apricot flavors and mouthwatering acidity, it has already found many fans, including the French Laundry restaurant in Napa Valley.”
Vintage Select Buyer' Club Newsletter, March 2008 àMaurice Wines, by McCarthy & Schiering Wine Merchants, Inc.
“The Schafer family all have a hand in the work at àMaurice, with Anna Schafer taking the position of winemaker and vineyardist. She has produced a fine 2006 àMaurice Chardonnay that has hints of apricot and honey in its aroma, a creamy texture, and a round, apple flavored finish. The 2005 àMaurice Red 'The Callahan' is a blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Cabernet Franc, 17% Merlot, 4% Petit Verdot, and 2% Malbec that has an aroma of plums, tobacco, and cassis.”
Wine Press Northwest, Fall 2007 I'll take Potent Potables for $400, Alex, by Teri Citterman
“àMaurice 2005 Syrah is self-described as the gentle giant, but what we're really talking about here is the single trombone in the woodwind section. Subtle oak, dark fruit mix with spice and some of that uhh uhh uhh (head shake, finger wave). This wine permeates the latest tendency of game/reality shows like American Idol and Fear Factor — people will do and eat anything for money. This Syrah is the sensuality of the cha cha meets the funk of disco meets the “in for the kill” power of the pasadoble performed on So You Think You Can Dance.”
Seattle Magazine, August 2007 People In Wine: The Next Generation, by Shannon Borg
Anna Schafer was listed as one of “Washington's hottest young winemakers who are changing the face of Washington wine, bringing their energy and experiences from other wineries to their own unique ventures.”
Seattle Magazine, August 2007 Hot Varietals: Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Siegerrebe, & Viognier, by Shannon Borg
“Winemaker Anna Schafer — just 28 years old — and her parents planted 15,000 vines in their Walla Walla vineyard this year, including Viognier. This gorgeous wine is an excellent example of how hip this once forgotten wine is becoming. With it's classic pineapple and citrus aromas, a lush mouth-feel and bright acidity, one sip and you'll know what all the fuss is about.”
Wild 4 Washington Wine Blog, June 26, 2007
“Anna Schafer is the co-winemaker for her family owned àMaurice Cellars in Walla Walla, Washington. She, my friends, is the future of Washington wine… I was fortunate to enjoy an hour in the company of an intelligent, serious and passionate Washington winemaker. She's engaging, knowledgeable… With a background in Art History, Ms. Schafer also designed the winery label using her grandfather's signature — àMaurice… After sampling àMaurice Syrah and Chardonnay, I would say the winemaker has created an “aesthetic” all her own — reflective of the grapes she chose to use, her personal style, passion and perspective. These are not lazy, rural wines — but big, expressive urban wines, deserving of sunsets reflected off skyscrapers, fine meals in intimate settings and perfect for entertaining your cherished friends… The winemakers “aesthetic” encompass a union of skill, knowledge, experience and passion for winemaking — which is reflected by what is in the bottle, the glass and ultimately its final destination. After meeting this winemaker, I better understand her wine. An industrious winemaker, Anna Schafer makes her wine in Walla Walla, lives part-time in Seattle and manages to work for winemaker Paul Hobbs of Viña Cobos in Argentina! She speaks Italian and is learning Spanish… I highly recommend àMaurice Cellars and strongly urge you to take some time to visit the winery.”
Washington CEO, March 2007
“àMaurice Cellars is run by the Schafer family, fifth-generation Washingtonians who started out with a registered evergreen tree farm in the 1940s. The winery is dedicated to Maurice Schafer, a timber company executive (àMaurice means “to Maurice” in French) and father of the current generation. The winery produces a Bordeaux blend, a Chardonnay and a Viognier made by Anna Schafer. The wines are thoughtfully made, with honeysuckle, grapefruit and lemon zest in the Chardonnay. Their very quaffable Cabernet Sauvignon has a little extra spice in the nose from the 3 percent Malbec added. This is a family that cares about the land and its stewardship, and it shows in the quality of their wines.”
Vintage Select Buyer' Club Newsletter, January 2007
2005 àMaurice Chardonnay, by McCarthy & Schiering Wine Merchants, Inc. Another fine wine from àMaurice has just been released. The new 2005 àMaurice Cellars Chardonnay is blended with fruit from lewis, Willard, and Conner Lee Vineyards. It has a lovely, creamy texture and lots of hazelnut flavor.
Vintage Select Buyer' Club Newsletter, October 2006
àMaurice Cellars Viognier, by McCarthy & Schiering Wine Merchants, Inc. Grab a bottle of the new 2005 àMaurice Cellars Viognier and give it a whirl! We just love these new Viogniers from Washington State. It has vibrant acidity, abundant fruit flavors-a cornucopia of them-and a very clean finish. This is an exciting first release from àMaurice. But don’t wait too long to try it as only 190 cases were made.
