COEUR d'ALENE — The Coeur d'Alene Resort has a few new extra special wines on its menu, thanks to a fresh partnership with local winery Coeur d'Alene Cellars.

"I feel like I've been working 14 years for this," Coeur d'Alene Cellars owner and founder Kimber Gates said Monday morning. "It's so exciting."

Gates, who grew up in Coeur d'Alene, lived in France before returning to the Lake City with an abundant knowledge of the fine art of wine. She said it always seemed like a natural fit for Coeur d'Alene Cellars and The Resort to work together. Last week, Gates and her team bottled 15,600 bottles for The Resort, including a chardonnay and a red blend for the convention center and cruise boats and an ultra premium chardonnay and ultra premium red blend that have more finesse and complexity.

"The convention center chardonnay is super bright and refreshing, so perfect out on a hot summer day on a cruise boat. Very easy to drink," Gates said. "I made that one as a crowdpleaser. I'm hoping that the chardonnay will appeal to a large group of people."

The Coeur d'Alene house chardonnay features bright notes of citrus, Asian pear, quince and gooseberry and has a light acidity. The red blend combines merlot and syrah for a full-bodied and smooth wine with a dark berry mid-palate.

The "Lake Series," or premium wines, includes the Lake Coeur d'Alene chardonnay, which features a creamy, balanced taste of green apple and pear rounded out by French oak, and the Lake Coeur d'Alene red blend, which has an impressive structure with hints of baking spice, dark berry, tannins, coconut, vanilla and toasty French oak.

The Lake Series also features a hand-painted watercolor of The Resort on the label, created by Gates' mom, artist Sarah Gates, who has been active with watercolor painting for more than 40 years and whose art was featured in The Resort when it was still the Cloud Nine, Kimber said.

"It really shows the partnership because it emphasizes the art of fine wine," Kimber said of the painted Resort label.

The Coeur d'Alene Cellars' special Resort wines will be served in Resort restaurants and at Resort events, including conventions and cruises. Resort general manager Bill Reagan said it is already available for guests to enjoy at any Resort venue and is available to purchase in the gift shop.

"People, when they travel, they really enjoy finding local product," he said. "We felt very fortunate to be able to strike this partnership with Kimber and Coeur d'Alene Cellars.

"It's something we're very proud of," he continued. "We love to use local product whenever we can and highlight the local talent we have here. She's done an outstanding job and we're glad to be partners with her."