Sunday, May 8, 2016

Issue XLII: Waterbrook Melange Red Edition

Waterbrook Melange Red [Blend]



What we have is another in an increasingly long series that demonstrates rather notably my fondness for blends and another example that the state of Washington is really truly starting to come into its own as a wine-producing region. It’s not going to overtake California in hearts and minds anytime soon, but there are some very strong entries coming out of there, particularly the Columbia Valley, which is, if not already, soon to be a very recognizable name and they deserve the recognition for making some very fine wines.

This is a very complex and somewhat busy blend, with no less than 8 different varietals making their way into concoction, which is then aged for slightly over a year. This barrel-aging imparts a very nice degree of smoothness to things, though there is a very distinctive note of bitterness and a definite bite, just to keep things from being too cozy. It all works together very nicely in this well-balanced act, though any of the elements less than 10%, perhaps even higher, are going to be difficult to pick out as individual elements.

This is also another on the slightly heavier side and the slightly fruitier side, particularly aimed at the berry side of things, but more on the darker, so blackberry (this is also a very dark wine), currant and plum. It is quite good-tasting and has a pleasant mouth feel, but the finish is truly wondrous, at once all of the grace notes, but still retaining a very high degree of sippability. It’s definitely not a slugging wine, though. The fairly high tannins will make that a somewhat unpleasant proposition.

Where this comes in at price point makes it a very good choice for a backup wine. While not as budget-friendly as Dark Horse or as tasty as some of the HSC’s other favorites, it will do very well for almost any occasion, such as house-warming or pairing nicely with a very wide variety of foods. For me, it’s not enough to break into my usual stable, but I could see bottles showing up here and there. I’ve never seen it on SPA, so I’m going to leave this as a Mixed.

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