I don’t have a big story to tell about this winery: Rich Funk, the owner and winemaker of Saviah Cellars moved to the Walla Walla Valley in 1991, and fell in love with the local wines. By 2000, he had his own winery, and though he had no formal training, the wines have been, without fail, delicious. He’s an incredibly nice guy, and I can’t quite figure out why more people don’t know about what he’s doing. He’s what I call a practical winemaker, as opposed to an idealistic one, reacting to each situation as he sees fit, rather than making bold proclamations about what he does and doesn’t do. If the wine continues to be this good, I say let the French make bold statements, and continue being practical.

The wine is made up of 88% Merlot from McClellan (as in Casey . . . of Seven Hills Winery) Vineyard in Walla Walla Valley, and Milbrandt and Preston Vineyards in the Columbia Valley; 6% Cabernet Sauvignon from the McClellan Vineyard: 4% Cabernet Franc, also McClellan, and 2% Syrah from Lewis Vineyard. It is aged in 100% American oak (by the way, if anyone ever tells you American oak isn’t as good as French oak, tell them you know better, it just depends on the circumstances) 30% of which is new.

It’s a rich, fruity wine, with a nice dollop of cocoa, coffee and spice from the oak, but the tannins are soft and lush, and it’s not in the least bit aggressive. Because of the softness of this wine, it goes with a wide range of food, from hamburgers to roast salmon, and is spectacular with blue cheese. This is a wine to drink, not to think about, and I say drink it now, knowing that if you can’t bear to open the bottle, it will last easily through 2010.