BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

for the previous vintage. Barely ripe, with a bitter edge
to the finish. —P.G.
abv: NA Price: $11
RED BLENDS
96
Maison Bleue 2010 Gravière Upland
Vineyard Mourvèdre-Syrah-Grenache
(Snipes Mountain District). For full review see page
3. Cellar Selection.
abv: 14.5% Price: $45
95
Andrew Will 2009 Sorella (Horse Heaven
Hills). Sourced entirely from the Champoux
Vineyard, this Bordeaux-style blend is two-thirds Cabernet
Sauvignon. Yummy from the first sniff to the last
sip, it’s packed with juicy berries and cassis, gracefully
wrapped in layers of black olive, toast, clean earth and
dark chocolate. Tannins are ripe and smooth. Cellar
Selection. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $75
94
àMaurice 2008 Red Blend (Columbia Valley).
This “Tobey” Artist Series release is 44%
Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Franc and 26%
Merlot. Sweet scents of toast and cherry fruit introduce
a wine with exceptional detail and density. Its core of
cherry fruit is highlighted with cinnamon and baking
spices, and the finishing tannins are polished and precise.
The elegance, persistence and sheer finesse of this
wine is most impressive. Editors’ Choice. —P.G.
abv: 14.6% Price: $35
94
Buty 2008 Phinny Hill Vineyard Columbia
Rediviva Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah
(Horse Heaven Hills). A blend of 60% Cabernet
Sauvignon and 40% Syrah—this is a focused wine, with
complex nuances of licorice, tar, mineral and lead pencil,
but it is buttressed by the compact, concentrated red
and black fruits. The dusty tannins are reminiscent of
a Napa wine, with excellent length and polish. Cellar
Selection. —P.G.
abv: 14.3% Price: $48
94
Fielding Hills 2009 RiverBend Vineyard
Tribute Red (Wahluke Slope). This interesting
blend consists of 31% Cabernet Franc, 30%
Syrah, 20% Merlot and 19% Cabernet Sauvignon.
Roasty, toasty aromas explode from the glass, with gorgeous
barrel notes of cedar and smoke. Bright raspberry
and cherry fruit is set amid generous streaks of caramel,
maple syrup and coffee liqueur. High-toned and expressive,
it is the most accessible and complete of the 2009
releases from Fielding Hills. Editors’ Choice. —P.G.
abv: 15.7% Price: $32
93
Andrew Will 2009 Champoux Vineyard
(Horse Heaven Hills). This is a fascinating
wine, offering a pleasing mélange of fruits—loads of
berries and cherries to be sure, but also intriguing suggestions
of oranges and peaches. Detailed and nicely
toasty on the finish, this excellent effort will reward further
bottle age. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $62
93
Baer 2009 Arctos (Columbia Valley).
This Bordeaux-style blend is Baer’s top wine. A
bright bouquet of violet, berry, pepper and stone greets
you at first sniff, and it gets better and better from there.
Dark fruits weave through a supple and striated flavor
palette, long and detailed. Cellar Selection. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $43
93
Pepper Bridge 2009 Seven Hills Vineyard
(Walla Walla Valley). For full review see page
5. Editors’ Choice.
abv: 14.1% Price: $60
92
àMaurice 2008 Syrah-Grenache (Columbia
Valley). There’s just 15% Grenache in the
blend, but the label lists it along with the dominant
Syrah. The wine is tight at first, then rich aromas of
plum, berry and mocha open to reveal a bright and tangy
midpalate that nicely matches perfectly ripened fruit
to the sweet barrel spices. Good concentration and excellent
acidity complete the picture. Editors’ Choice.
—P.G.
abv: NA Price: $34
92
Buty 2009 Champoux Vineyard Cabernet
Sauvignon-Cabernet Franc (Horse Heaven
Hills). High toned and grapy when first opened, this
opens up nicely with decanting. Pretty raspberry and
light cherry fruit are enhanced with aromas of fresh-cut
tobacco and just-picked herbs. The length and detail are
impressive. —P.G.
abv: 14.3% Price: $55
92 Efeste- 2009 Emmy (Wahluke Slope). For
full review see page 6.
abv: 14.9% Price: $38
92
Maison Bleue 2010 Jaja Red Wine Grenache-Syrah-Mourvèdre
(Yakima Valley).
For full review see page 7. Editors’ Choice.
abv: 14.5% Price: $25
92
Walla Walla Vintners 2008 Bello Rosso
Cabernet Sauvignon-Sangiovese (Columbia
Valley). Half Sangiovese and half Cabernet
Sauvignon, the Bello Rosso marries immediate
appeal with the structure for some additional years
of aging. Boysenberry and vivid black-cherry flavors
show excellent definition and penetration, and are
highlighted with barrel accents of clove and sweet spices.
Over many hours this wine continued to improve
and expand. Editors’ Choice. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $32
91
Beast 2009 Wildebeest (Columbia Valley).
Fragrant and plush aromas of cassis, blueberry
and black cherry mix with strong notes of licorice
and black olive. Silky, detailed, supple and beautifully
proportioned, this is a terrific value. —P.G.
abv: 14% Price: $25
91
Buty 2009 Rediviva of the Stones Syrah-Cabernet
Sauvignon (Walla Walla
Valley). Sharp and herbal, this new Rediviva has a
high-acid, peppery profile. It penetrates deeply into the
palate, with excellent length. The herbal side of both
the Syrah and the Cabernet is what is most forcefully
expressed. Cellar Selection. —P.G.
abv: 13.8% Price: $60
91
Gifford Hirlinger 2009 Stateline Red (Walla
Walla Valley). For full review see page 8.
abv: 13.9% Price: $16
91
Plumb Cellars 2009 Plumb Crazy Red
(Columbia Valley). Surprising and delightful,
this blend of Syrah and Merlot brings a complex mix of
botanical highlights to a base of citrusy red-berry flavors.
Notes of black pepper and granite-like minerality
add more interest. The depth and persistence are
remarkable in a wine at this price. Editors’ Choice.
—P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $18
91
Saviah Cellars 2009 Une Vallée (Walla
Walla Valley). Rich and toasty, round and full
across the palate, this thoroughly-enjoyable new release
is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, with a splash
of Cabernet Franc. It was aged 17 months in 60% new
French oak, yielding a spicy, chocolaty wine, with vivid,
bright fruit flavors of cherries and plums. Excellent
length, balance and texture. —P.G.
abv: 14.3% Price: $32
91
Sparkman 2009 Ruby Leigh (Red Mountain).
This is 70% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc
and 10% Malbec. It’s forward, fruity, and almost plump,
with a beguiling mix of spices and barrel notes, including
red licorice, cola, mocha, smoke and chai. Concentrated
and long, the finish is very clean. —P.G.
abv: 14.6% Price: $42
91
Syzygy 2007 Saros 154 (Columbia Valley).
This tightly-wound effort is built from
40% Malbec, 40% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.
It’s forceful and elegant, with streaks of black
tea, anise and iron filings set in tangy red fruits that play
out vertically through a lingering finish. Cellar Selection.
—P.G.
abv: 14.4% Price: $45
90
Adamant Cellars 2008 Nalin (Columbia
Valley). A Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet,
Malbec and Merlot, this bright and grapy effort pleasingly
integrates slightly rougher notes of earth, leaf and
stem. It all works here, adding texture and detail to the
tart berry fruits. Drink in the next 3–5 years. —P.G.
abv: 14.3% Price: $27
90
Baer 2009 Ursa (Columbia Valley). A
lighter Ursa than recent vintages, the 2009 is
a young purple-violet color, with grapy aromas and a
broad, fruity palate. Hints of roasted nuts express barrel
aging, and the wine has good grip, though the fruit
flavors at this stage are still primary. Give this one some
further bottle age to smooth out. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $39
90
Buty 2010 Merlot-Cabernet Franc (Columbia
Valley). Light red-fruit flavors are
spiced up beautifully with cinnamon and sweet toast.
This is an elegant, peppery wine that’s well defined and
still showing some youthful sharpness. It will reward additional
bottle age and should cellar well for up to a decade.
Cellar Selection. —P.G.
abv: 14.1% Price: $45
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