BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

89
Fidelitas 2006 Optu Red Wine
(Columbia Valley); $40. The Optu
red is packaged in a supremely heavy, oversized
glass bottle, suggesting that this is the winery’s
prestige blend, as does the name, Latin for “the
best.” Big, full, rich, ripe, round, fleshy and forward,
this is a no-wait red that should be consumed
as soon as possible. —P.G.
89
L’Ecole No. 41 2007 Cabernet
Sauvignon (Columbia Valley); $30.
The fruit for this Columbia Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon is sourced from a dozen different vineyards,
blended into a firm, purely varietal example
of Washington Cabernet Sauvignon. The rich
aromatics of black fruits, baking spices, dust, and
cocoa powder roll into a full-flavored midpalate,
enhanced with a light floral component. —P.G.
88
Fidelitas 2007 Champoux Vineyard
Cabernet Sauvignon (Horse
Heaven Hills); $50. Smooth, ripe, and scented
with a mix of raisins, cherry compote and baking
spices, this forward, fruity Cabernet Sauvignon
reaches almost 15% alcohol. If this level of fruit
ripeness is your preference, this is the wine to
buy. The finishing tannins are chewy and the
wine shows noticeable alcoholic burn. —P.G.
88
Glencorrie 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Walla Walla); $40. Dusty
scents conjure up cocoa powder, red and black
fruits, and dried herbs. Forward and broadly
fruity, it’s immediately appealing and ready to
drink. There’s a sprinkling of pepper, along with a
subtle earthiness. —P.G.
88
Milbrandt 2007 The Estates Cabernet
Sauvignon (Wahluke Slope);
$25. This wine has muscle and grip; it’s a densely
layered Cabernet, based upon cassis and loam,
with firm, muscular tannins. At the moment it
does not extend its power into the finish, but
rather it seems to stop short. Try giving it extra
breathing time. —P.G.
87
Glencorrie 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Columbia Valley); $35. This
100% Cabernet Sauvignon was aged in a 50/50
mix of French and American oak. It is still quite
astringent, tannic, and herbal, needing more bottle
age to meld the somewhat harsh barrel flavors.
The tart fruit flavors combine rhubarb and
raspberries, black cherry and cassis. —P.G.
87
Glencorrie 2007 Cuvee Marquis
(Columbia Valley); $45. A forward,
well-constructed wine with a nice balance of fruit,
acid and tannin. Ripe and scented with fresh
herbs and dried leaves, this is a pleasant red for
near-term drinking enjoyment. —P.G.
87
Market Vineyards 2007 Arbitrage
Cabernet Sauvignon (Columbia
Valley); $49. Soft and approachable, this seems
more like a generic red than a pure Cabernet
Sauvignon. It’s quite ripe, ready to drink, and certainly
smooth. What is not there is any particular
varietal character or sense of place. This is a
medium-bodied red that could be from anywhere.
—P.G.
85
Market Vineyards 2007 Basis
Points Meritage Red (Columbia
Valley); $39. Like the other reds from this new
project, this is a pleasant, generic red wine. No
blend is indicated; this has a very soft, almost artificially
manipulated mouthfeel. It could be a $10
blend from anywhere. Perfectly drinkable, with a
bit of heat in the finish. —P.G.
83
Cave B 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon
(Columbia Valley); $25. Thin, tannic,
and chewy, this includes 21% Merlot in the blend
and spent 22 months in barrel. A hard, unyielding
wine, with marginal ripeness. —P.G.
MERLOT
93
Stevens 2008 Merlot (Yakima Valley);
$28. As in past vintages, this is half
DuBrul and half Meek vineyard fruit. It’s a far
cry from what most consumers would think of as
Merlot—this is a stiff, tannic, muscular wine, with
a deep earthiness that speaks of rich loam and
ancient rock. It strikes me as more typical of Malbec.
The tannins are firm and dense, and the
fruits are black as coal and laced with tar and
smoke. Cellar Selection. —P.G.
91
Dumas Station 2007 Merlot (Walla
Walla); $26. This Right Bank-styled
blend includes 19% Cabernet Franc and 5% Petit
Verdot. Despite its high (15.3%) alcohol, it’s a
meaty, complex wine that drinks much lighter.
The berry/cherry fruit flavors are woven into a
tapestry of earth, herb and spice, smooth and
detailed, and the wine has a mouth-pleasing
seamless quality that invites another sip, and
another. —P.G.
91
L’Ecole No. 41 2007 Merlot
(Columbia Valley); $28. This is a
beautiful wine from the nose on out. Complex
and aromatic, it has Italian-style tobacco scents,
fresh acidity, leafy highlights, and undertones of
tar, licorice and clove, all wrapped around tart,
pie cherry fruit. —P.G.
89
Fidelitas 2007 Red Mountain Vineyard
Merlot (Columbia Valley);
$45. Pure Merlot, from the Red Mountain vineyard,
this displays that AVA’s stiff, hard-edged tannins,
keeping the fruit pinned down into a
compact core. Cassis and black cherry, iron filings
and some tar are all carefully balanced.
There’s plenty of muscle for further aging, and a
hint of heat in the finish. —P.G.
88
Fidelitas 2007 Champoux Vineyard
Merlot (Horse Heaven Hills);
$50. Champoux is one of Washington’s most
revered vineyards, known especially for the rich,
black cherry fruit on display here. However, this
wine seems to be aging rather quickly, the flavors
turning soft and leafy in the midpalate, and the
wine’s rim hinting at the beginning tones of brick.
It’s drinking nicely, and should be consumed near
term for best enjoyment. —P.G.
88
Glencorrie 2007 Stillwater Creek
Merlot (Columbia Valley); $40.
Smooth, round and forward, this appealing Merlot
offers black cherry and fig fruits, a coating of
dark chocolate, and a hint of fragrant mint. It
spent 21 months in barrel, 40% new French
oak. —P.G.
88
Market Vineyards 2007 Benchmark
Merlot (Columbia Valley);
$35. Smooth and rich, this is a nice mix of ripe
purple fruits and expensive new oak. It’s soft and
seamless, ready to drink right now, with all the
vanilla and butterscotch flavors that lovers of big
red wines look for. It fades in the finish, leaving a
slightly bitter, medicinal aftertaste. —P.G.
88
Milbrandt 2007 The Estates Merlot
(Wahluke Slope); $25. Tight and
nicely constructed, this is not afraid to show its
herbal side. Tannins are earthy and firm, the fruit
tight and focused, and the wine might benefit
from a few more years in the bottle. What’s
already there is cassis, tar and earth, finishing
with a light but balanced fade. —P.G.
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