History Upland Vineyard Muscat 2014
Burnished gold in the glass, and crafted from Muscat Hamburg planted in 1935 within the Snipes Mountain sub-appellation of Yakima Valley—Stoller’s 2014 History Upland Vineyard Muscat is imbued with complex, layered aromas of preserved lemon, baked apple, dried orange peel, chamomile, wild daisy, and granulated honey. The lilting florally that’s present on the nose and […]
Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Deftly balanced, the 2016 Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 70% Horse Heaven Hills fruit with the balance coming from the Wahluke Slope AVA. This bottling is an excellent representation of tapicity for the varietal—the expression is classic Washington State Cabernet—it’s packed full of ripe blackberries, black currants, violets, mountain herbs, and dried […]
Kin & Cascadia Cabernet Sauvignon 2017
Kin & Cascadia’s 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is crafted from fruit sourced from the Wahluke Slope—a region that resembles an inland sandy beach, the Columbia River curls around this arid AVA. It is, for the most part, a massive alluvial fan. Sandy soils give rise to Cabernets with silky tannins, bright red berries, and savory tones—which […]
History Upland Vineyard Muscat 2014
A rarity from Washington State’s Upland Vineyard on Snipes Mountain, these plantings of Muscat Hamburg date back to 1935, and, had I have tasted this blind, I would have pegged it as an Old World wine, given its restraint and lissome form. The color of onion skin and imbued with ephemeral, fleeting tones of stargazer […]
Columbia Winery Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Tasted at a recent winemaker dinner with the Columbia Winery team, the 2015 Red Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon is a new release and a new rendition of their absolutely stunning packaging. The profile is classic Red Mountain and offers up a sumptuous aromatic sensory arc of blueberry pie, blackberries, cassis, dried orange peel, sandalwood, and warm […]
Bledsoe Family Winery Flying B Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
From Bledsoe Family Winery, Flying B 2016 is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah aged in 64% new French oak for 20 months. At this stage in its development—the nose is heavily laden in primary fruit—juicy blackberries, black currant, and black cherry precede lighter tones of cinnamon, vanilla bean paste, and sweet […]
Cayuse Vineyards Camaspelo 2014
A first for me from cult Walla Walla producer, Christophe Baron of Cayuse Vineyards the 2014 Camaspelo expresses smoke, earth, alder wood, black olives, Pu’er tea, incense, and underbrush that burnoff like morning fog to reveal a finely-wrought structural base of blackcurrant and cassis. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with there’s a touch […]
Tendril Wine Cellars Child’s Play Columbia Valley Zinfandel 2015
An offshoot label of Tendril Wine Cellars, Child’s Play Zinfandel is sourced from the Red Heaven Vineyard at the very south end of the Red Mountain AVA, and sports an amiable profile of black fruit, black cherry, plums, incense, cinnamon, sweet tobacco, and wet terra cotta. Medium-bodied, with soft, supple tannins that are nicely delineated […]
Va Piano Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Rosebud Vineyard 2015
A standout in the lineup from wines we tried from Va Piano on our recent visit to Walla Walla—Rosebud Vineyard, formerly Rosebud Ranches, as it was known when I sourced fruit from it—brought back fond memories for me as a vintner. Va Piano’s 2015 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon expresses sexy aromatics of red currant, red […]
Figgins Walla Walla Valley Estate Red 2014
Ever since I tasted the 2010 Figgins Estate Red, a remarkable and flawless vintage, I’ve come to prefer it over Leonetti, but both are crafted by Chris Figgins. For me these wines are poised, showing more restraint and complexity than I find in most Walla Walla Valley reds. The 2014 is lavishly trimmed in red […]