Meritage Red
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5–15 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Roasted prime rib, grilled lamb chops, braised beef short ribs
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Fidelitas Meritage Red represents a masterful expression of Bordeaux-style blending from the rugged, sun-drenched slopes of the Red Mountain AVA in Washington State. Winemaker Charlie Hoppes crafts this wine to honor the standards of the Meritage Alliance, utilizing traditional Bordeaux varieties sourced from premium vineyard sites. The terroir of Red Mountain—characterized by southwest-facing slopes, intense daytime heat, cool desert nights, and wind-blown glacial soils—imparts a signature structure, remarkable concentration, and fine-grained tannins to the blend. Historically, Red Mountain was once considered too harsh and dry for viticulture, but pioneering winemakers proved that its unique microclimate could yield some of the most powerful and age-worthy red wines in North America. This Meritage blend captures that pioneering spirit, offering a harmonious balance of rich dark fruit, savory complexity, and elegant oak integration.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Established in 2000 by acclaimed winemaker Charlie Hoppes, Fidelitas is a premier boutique winery deeply rooted in the Red Mountain AVA of Washington State. With a steadfast focus on crafting exceptional Bordeaux-style blends and single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons, the winery sources grapes from some of the region's most prestigious vineyards, including Champoux, Ciel du Cheval, and Quintessence, alongside their own estate plantings. Fidelitas is renowned for its modern, precise winemaking techniques, utilizing carefully selected French and American oak barrels to shape wines of remarkable concentration, structure, and aging potential. Under Hoppes' expert guidance, the estate has become a benchmark producer for Red Mountain, capturing the unique, sun-drenched terroir in every bottle of their signature Optu Red and site-specific Cabernet Sauvignon expressions.