BUYING GUIDE - Wine Enthusiast Magazine

90
Sparkman 2009 Wilderness (Columbia
Valley). This is a five-grape blend, with leafy
flavors of garden-fresh herbs as well as ripe strawberries
and vanilla cream. It’s a smooth and immediately pleasing
wine, with a velvety finish. —P.G.
abv: 14.7% Price: $28
90
Watermill 2008 Estate Midnight Red
(Walla Walla Valley). This Cabernet-dominated
Bordeaux-style blend is more subtle and complex
than its high alcohol would suggest. Nicely constructed,
it has a light red-fruit flavor, with elements of leaf and
earth. The tannins are proportionate and supportive,
and the acidity is natural. —P.G.
abv: 14.9% Price: $30
90
Woodinville Wine Cellars 2009 G-S-M
(Columbia Valley). This blend is 50%
Mourvèdre, 25% Grenache and 25% Syrah, with leather,
herb and earth tones on the bouquet and palate. The
fruit was sourced entirely from the relatively cool Stillwater
Creek Vineyard. An excellent, balanced composition.
—P.G.
abv: 14.9% Price: $40
89
Andrew Will 2009 Two Blondes Vineyard
(Yakima Valley). Two-thirds of the blend is
Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, initially tannic
with an emphasis on the greener flavors sometimes
found in those grapes. It’s well-balanced, elegant and
tart, with highlights of cinnamon and chocolate from
aging in one-third new French oak barrels. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $55
89
Camaraderie 2009 Grâce (Columbia Valley).
A spicy, piny note lifts the aroma of this
young Bordeaux-style blend. It’s nicely defined and appears
at first delicate, but opens up broadly in the glass
and turns meaty, smoky and tannic, with arresting darkcherry
and cassis flavors. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $38
89
Camaraderie 2009 Madrona (Columbia
Valley). Named for a tree native to the
Northwest coast, this red blend is 60% Dolcetto, the
rest Merlot and Syrah. Unusual, but it works well, pushing
the luscious red fruits forward, which are bright and
well-defined. Just a hint of pepper and dark chocolate is
woven through the finish. Though not as big as the winery’s
varietal wines, it has a pleasing, supple elegance.
Editors’ Choice. —P.G.
abv: 14.3% Price: $23
89
Fidelitas 2008 Optu (Columbia Valley).
For the moment, this is rather hard and tight,
with notes of black pepper around tangy berry fruit.
There are interesting streaks of iron and graphite, and
a balanced structure that suggests extended cellaring
may be an option. This blend is 61% Cabernet Sauvignon,
22% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 6% Malbec.
—P.G.
abv: 14.8% Price: $40
89
Sinclair Estate Vineyards 2009 Pentatonic
Red (Columbia Valley). The blend
is 51% Merlot, the rest divided among five other
grapes, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec.
34 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | JULY 2012
Consequently, it’s a bit of a mish-mash, fruity to the
point of grapy, medium long, with the barrel flavors unresolved.
Give this one another year or two of aging to
allow all the components to come together. —P.G.
abv: 14.2% Price: $40
88
Andrew Will 2009 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard
(Red Mountain). Among all the latest
2009 releases from Andrew Will, the Ciel du Cheval
is the most shuttered and in need of further bottle age.
Tight and tannic, it is unusually herbal for this hot climate
site. Even after many hours of breathing time, it
remains stubbornly closed. Given the vineyard history
and winery credentials, it seems highly likely to improve
significantly with more time. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $55
88
Baer 2009 Star (Columbia Valley). This is
a new blend from Baer. Merlot dominant, it’s
forward, fruity and fresh, offering pleasant strawberry
and mocha flavors. Though at first sip it seems to fade
quickly, it becomes more fleshy in the glass and thickens
up nicely. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $27
88
Camaraderie 2009 Elégance Meek Family
Vineyard (Yakima Valley). Elégance is a
five-grape Bordeaux-style blend, sourced from a single
vineyard. Sweet oak scents waft up from the glass, a lush
melding of various toasts, over pretty raspberry flavors.
The wine is sensuous and elegant, already quite drinkable,
and seems to slip away gently before you are quite
ready for it to leave. —P.G.
abv: 14.5% Price: $38
88
Dumas Station 2009 Cow Catcher Red
(Walla Walla Valley). This blend is roughly
half Cabernet Sauvignon. It spends 18 months in barrel,
40% of it new American oak. Smooth and open, it’s
a tasty young wine reminiscent of chocolate-covered
cherries. —P.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $24
88
Revelry 2009 The Reveler (Columbia Valley).
The Reveler is Revelry’s mainstay blend, a
mix of roughly equal parts of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet
Sauvignon, and Merlot. Floral and powdered sugar
scents lead into a light and pretty palate, showcasing red
berry flavors and a touch of minerality. —P.G.
abv: 13.9% Price: $20
88
Syncline 2010 Carignan-Grenache (Columbia
Valley). Carignan takes the lead here,
composing roughly two-thirds of the blend. Young, tart,
still primary and chewy on the palate, this subtle, expressive
wine displays an underlying minerality backing
pie cherry fruit. —P.G.
abv: 14.1% Price: $25
88
Three Rivers 2008 Svelte (Columbia Valley).
This new Bordeaux-style red could technically
be labeled Cabernet Sauvignon, as it accounts
for 82% of the blend. Pungently smoky, the impression
of charred wood penetrates into the deep core of cassis
and black cherry. Dark and quite tannic, it remains to be
seen if all that barrel toast will ultimately meld into the
rest of the wine. —P.G.
abv: 14.7% Price: $65
87
Charles & Charles 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah
(Columbia Valley). For full review
see page 13. Best Buy.
abv: 13.5% Price: $11
87
Eight Bells 2009 Shellback (Yakima Valley).
This blend is 40% Cabernet Sauvignon,
40% Merlot, and 20% Syrah. Cassis, vanilla and espresso
flavors dominate the palate in equal proportion, with
very astringent, drying tannins. —P.G.
abv: 14.8% Price: $25
87
Insania 2009 Red (Red Mountain). Produced
by Three Rivers for celebrity winemaker
Geoff Tate, the Insania is actually rather tame. Pretty
fruit flavors of berry, cherry and plum introduce the
wine gracefully, then run into some stiff, drying, chalky
tannins. —P.G.
abv: 13.5% Price: $35
87
Maryhill 2010 Winemaker’s Red (Columbia
Valley). Tart and spicy, with tangy raspberry
and black cherry fruit. The chocolaty tannins make
for a nice finish. —P.G.
abv: 13.6% Price: $NA
87
Maryhill 2009 Proprietor’s Reserve Serendipity
Red (Columbia Valley). This is a
Bordeaux-style blend of 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34%
Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec and 4% Petit
Verdot. It’s battened down a bit at the moment, but
mixed berries and a wealth of sweet baking spices peek
through. The finish tails off with a hint of herb and compost.
—P.G.
abv: 13.9% Price: $30
87
Revelry 2008 Reserve Blend (Columbia
Valley). Despite the reserve designation,
this is a forward, fruity, quaffable red blend of Merlot,
Cabernet, Syrah and Cabernet Franc. There’s plenty of
toast and spice up front, along with somewhat chalky,
chocolatey tannins. The finish fades quickly. —P.G.
abv: 13.9% Price: $35
87
Sparkman 2009 Stella Mae (Red Mountain).
This Stella Mae is 50% Cabernet Sauvignon,
30% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. It remains
a rather lean wine in the Sparkman portfolio, despite
having alcohol at 14.6%. Here are lightly earthy flavors
of strawberry and herb, with a hint of green in the tannins.
—P.G.
abv: 14.6% Price: $45
87
Syncline 2010 Subduction Red (Columbia
Valley). Fruit ripeness in 2010 was generally
much more difficult to achieve than in 2009. This
Southern Rhône-style blend has not yet come out of its
rather tough, chewy shell. The flavor of hard cherry candy
is wrapped in rock-like tannins, needing more bottle
time to smooth out. Lay it down for a couple of years
while enjoying the 2009 Subduction Red. —P.G.
abv: 14.4% Price: $20